Mitigation of wind-induced accelerations using Tuned Liquid Column Dampers: Experimental and numerical studies

During the early design stages of a relatively slender 42-storey high-end residential building located in the Middle East, a series of High Frequency Force Balance wind tunnel tests highlighted that the highest occupied floors could experience wind-induced motion which - depending on the inherent damping of the finished structure - had the potential to exceed standard industry occupant comfort criteria. In order to mitigate these excessive vibrations, a Tuned Liquid Column Damper solution was proposed for this building. The performance prediction and validation of the behaviour of such device involved: an initial campaign of full scale measurements to validate frequencies and inherent damping of the structure near completion; a series of shake table tests employing a 1:20 scale physical model; and a final full scale extrapolation study using Computational Fluid Dynamics. The damper study, which this technical paper is focused on, was part of a wider range of wind engineering consultancy services which included: wind climate study; pedestrian and terrace / balcony level wind microclimate study; overall wind loading study and façade pressure study.