An investigation of tuned liquid dampers equipped with damping screens under 2D excitation

Abstract This paper reports on the results of a study conducted on tanks partially filled with water, representing tuned liquid dampers (TLD), subjected to both 1D and 2D horizontal excitations. The sloshing response of the water in the tank is characterized by the free surface motion, the resulting base shear force, and evaluation of the energy dissipated by the sloshing water. A 1D non‐linear flow model capable of simulating a TLD equipped with damping screens is employed to model a 2D TLD. Application of this particular model requires the assumption that the response is decoupled and can be treated as the summation of two independent 1D TLDs. Results from the non‐linear flow model are compared with the 2D experimental shake table test results leading to a validation of the decoupled response assumption. This attractive decoupled response property allows square and rectangular tanks to be used as 2D TLDs, which can simultaneously reduce the dynamic response of a structure in two perpendicular modes of vibration. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.