Nonlinear simulation of a tuned liquid damper with damping screens using a modal expansion technique

Tuned liquid dampers utilize sloshing fluid to control wind-induced structural motions. However, as a result of the nonlinear free surface boundary conditions of fluid sloshing in a two-dimensional rectangular container, a closed-form solution describing the response behaviour is unavailable. Modal expansions, which couple the sloshing modes, are carried out to the first, third and fifth order to construct a system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations that are solved using the Runge–Kutta–Gill Method. Modal damping is incorporated to account for energy losses arising from the fluid viscosity and the inclusion of damping screens. The model is in general agreement with a previous third-order model that incorporated screen damping in the fundamental sloshing mode only. Sinusoidal shake table experiments are conducted to validate the proposed models. Response time histories and frequency response plots assess the model’s prediction of wave heights, sloshing forces, and screen forces. The first-order model accurately predicts the resonant sloshing forces, and forces on a mid-tank screen. The higher-order models better represent the wave heights and forces on an off-centre screen. Experimental results from structure–TLD system tests under random excitation are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed models. The first-order model is able to predict the variance of the structural response and the effective damping the TLD adds to the structure, but as a minimum, a third-order model should be employed to predict the fluid response. It is concluded that a first-order model can be utilized for preliminary TLD design, while a higher-order model should be used to determine the required tank freeboard and the loading on damping screens positioned at off-centre locations.