Coupled-two-beam discrete model for dynamic analysis of tall buildings with tuned mass dampers including soil-structure interaction

An equivalent coupled-two-beam discrete model is developed for time-domain dynamic analysis of high-rise buildings with flexible base and carrying any number of tuned mass dampers (TMDs). The equivalent model consists of a flexural cantilever beam and a shear cantilever beam connected in parallel by a finite number of axially rigid members that allows the consideration of intermediate modes of lateral deformation. The equivalent model is applied to a shear wall–frame building located in the Valley of Mexico, where the effects of soil–structure interaction (SSI) are important. The effects of SSI and TMDs on the dynamic properties of the shear wall–frame building are shown considering four types of soil (hard rock, dense soil, stiff soil, and soft soil) and two passive damping systems: a single TMD on its top (1-TMD) and five uniformly distributed TMDs (5-TMD). The results showed a great effectiveness of the TMDs to reduce the lateral seismic response and along-wind response of the shear wall–frame building for all types of soils. Generally speaking, the dynamic response increases as the flexibility of the foundation increases.