Equivalent mechanical model for tuned liquid damper of complex tank geometry coupled to a 2D structure

Tuned liquid dampers (TLDs) control the wind‐induced vibrations of tall buildings using sloshing fluid. TLD tanks of complex geometry may be required in practice due to space limitations; however, their behaviour has not been considered in the literature. This study develops and experimentally validates a model to describe the structure–TLD interaction of a 2D system when the TLD tank geometry is complex. The equations of motion of the structure–TLD system are developed using Lagrange's equation. In general, the 2D structure–TLD interaction must be represented as a coupled four degree of freedom system. The model is validated using new structure–TLD system tests where the structure is subjected to 1D and 2D harmonic and random excitation. Two TLD tanks of complex geometry are considered; the first tank is anti‐symmetric about both axes, whereas the second tank is symmetric about both axes. For the anti‐symmetric tank, energy transfer between orthogonal structural sway modes and sloshing modes is significant; however, for the symmetric tank, this energy transfer is negligible. Experimental results indicate that the model adequately predicts the structural response; however, the nonlinear behaviour of the fluid response cannot be captured by the linearized model. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.