Installation and performance

An active bracing system has been designed, fabricated, and installed in a full-scale dedicated test structure in Tokyo, Japan, for structural-response control under seismic loads. In 1991, Soong et al. presented the design of the system along with simulation studies for the design earthquake. Presented in this paper, which is the second part of the sequence, are: (1) The description of the constructed system; and (2) the observed performance of the system under two actual earthquakes and other artificial loadings. Installation details of the system in the building structure are presented along with the selections for fail-safe shutdown operations in case of malfunctions. Also presented are the procedures for proper maintenance and self-testing, which ensure continuous control with minimal resources. The observed performance under artificial loadings and actual ground motions is compared with the estimated analytical response.