Probabilistic seismic risk assessment of modified pseudo-negative stiffness control of a base-isolated building

Pseudo-negative stiffness (PNS) control of a base-isolated structure, which has a large damping ratio at the isolation level, is used to suppress isolator displacement without large force transmission to the superstructure during extreme earthquakes. However, potential increases in floor acceleration in the superstructure are induced by the large damping ratio, especially for low-to-moderate seismic input level. In consideration of structural functionality and safety, a modified PNS (MPNS) control scheme based on the ‘ideal isolation control principle’ is proposed, considering different seismic intensity levels. The effect of the MPNS control is investigated from three aspects, namely floor acceleration, inter-storey drift and isolator displacement within a probabilistic performance-based seismic engineering framework. Comparisons are made between MPNS control, conventional PNS control and passive damping control. A benchmark base-isolated building is used as a case study. In the seismic performance evaluation, the seismic intensity measures for different response parameters are optimised. An extensive parametric study is also conducted to identify the optimal control parameter to conform to the ideal isolation control principle. Results demonstrated that the MPNS control is an effective solution to the challenging problem of improving structural functionality at low seismic intensity, as well as structural safety from collapse at extreme seismic intensity.