Development of a New Seismic Metamaterial for Passive Vibration Control of Civil Structures

Author

Shayan Khosravi, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Mohsen Amjadian

Second Advisor

Arturo Fuentes

Third Advisor

Jinwoo An

Abstract

Seismic metamaterials are engineered structures that control mechanical wave propagation through frequency bandgaps, making them useful for structural control and seismic hazard mitigation. This study introduces the Passive Friction Seismic Metamaterial Base Isolation (PFSMBI) system, which combines frequency bandgaps and solid friction energy dissipation to improve the seismic performance of civil structures. The PFSMBI consists of a lattice structure with identical cells connected by springs and dampers, shifting a building’s natural frequency away from earthquake excitations. A dynamic model analyzes the system’s absolute acceleration, drift responses, and base shear force, optimizing parameters such as frequency ratios, mass ratios, and the number of cells. The PFSMBI is applied to a six-story base-isolated building and to both a slender and a broad liquid storage tank (LST) under real earthquake records. The system is validated through finite element analysis (FEM) in OpenSEESPy and COMSOL Multiphysics, as well as through testing of a 3D-printed small-scale prototype. Results confirm PFSMBI’s superior energy dissipation and vibration control performance.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Shayan Khosravi. https://proquest.com/docview/3240636528

Recommended Citation

Khosravi, S. (2025). Development of a New Seismic Metamaterial for Passive Vibration Control of Civil Structures [Master's thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]. ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1683