A Strategy for the Optimization of Damper Confiqurations based on Building Performance Indices (2001-2002)

The objective of this research is to develop an effective and efficient design methodology for optimizing the configurations of energy dissipation devices (EDD) based on building performance objectives. Current design codes do not provide any guidelines for the optimization of EDD configurations. Previous research efforts are either limited in addressing different performance indices or not efficient. The proposed methodology uniquely combines the evolutionary approach and engineering knowledge to optimize EDD configurations for optimal structural performance under earthquake excitations. It is effective in that resulting optimal configurations minimize the response of different performance indices such as interstory drift or acceleration. It is also efficient in that the probabilistic-based exploration of the evolutionary approach is guided by modal-analysis-based heuristic knowledge.