Vibration control device and building equipped therewith

Abstract

To provide a vibration control device of reduced weight that exhibits a vibration control performance comparable to that of conventional TMDs, and a building equipped therewith.SOLUTION: A vibration control device 100 for suppressing vibration of a vibration-controlled object S includes: a cone 10 provided movably in one direction along the vibration-controlled object S; a TMD including a stiffness mechanism 12 that imparts unidirectional stiffness to the cone 10; and a rack-and-pinion 14 that converts translational motion of a rack 26 provided on the cone 10 into rotational motion of a pinion 28 rotatably provided with respect to the vibration-controlled object S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vibration control device and a building equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) have traditionally been widely used as devices to suppress building sway. These devices are equipped with large masses that move to suppress building vibrations. It is known that the heavier the mass of a TMD, the greater the vibration-damping effect it can achieve (see Non-Patent Document 1). However, installing a large mass is structurally disadvantageous, and the increased device size places constraints on layout planning, among other issues. Another drawback is that installation becomes more difficult. While reducing the installed mass reduces the overall size, achieving the required vibration-damping effect requires the installed mass to sway with a large amplitude in the controlled direction, necessitating the securing of a large drive space.

[0003] Conventional technologies using TMDs include vibration control devices using tuned mass dampers (see Patent Document 1) and vibration isolation structures (see Patent Document 2). Meanwhile, conventional technologies that use rotating weights to suppress building vibrations, achieving an effect equivalent to that of adding a large mass, include rotary inertial mass dampers (see Patent Document 3) and vibration control devices (see Patent Document 4). These are generally referred to as inertial mass dampers or rotary inertial mass dampers. Research is also being conducted on tuned inertial mass dampers, which connect a rotary inertial mass damper to a spring that acts in the translational direction (see Non-Patent Document 2). Because rotary inertial mass dampers generate force in response to relative acceleration between two points, they cannot be installed alone at the top of a building to exert vibration control force, as is the case with TMDs. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Easy-to-Understand Building Vibration Control", Architectural Institute of Japan, 2014 [Non-patent document 2] "Verification of the Effectiveness of Tuned Viscous Mass Damper and Its Applicability to Elastic-Plastic Structures", Tatsuro Arai, Takeki Yukawa, Koki Isako, Norio Hori, Norio Inoue, Journal of Structural Engineering, Architectural Institute of Japan, Vol. 74, No. 645, pp. 1993-2002, 2009 [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-40034 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-139447 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-26074 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-98305 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The conventional TMDs described above are designed to generate vibration control forces by actuating the device itself. Because TMDs are composed of springs and mass, they have their own natural period, and by adjusting this natural period to synchronize with the building's swaying period, they act to suppress building vibrations. However, as mentioned above, in order to achieve high control performance, the mass of the device itself must be large, which poses problems such as the need to secure space for the device, the structural disadvantages of supporting such a large mass, and the increased difficulty of construction due to its large mass. For this reason, there was a demand for a lightweight device with the same vibration control effect as conventional TMDs.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a lightweight vibration control device that has vibration control effects equivalent to those of conventional TMDs, and a building equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the vibration damping device of the present invention is a vibration damping device for suppressing vibration of an object to be damped, and is characterized by comprising a TMD having a cone that is arranged to be freely movable in one direction along the object to be damped, and a rigidity mechanism for imparting unidirectional rigidity to the cone, and a rack and pinion that converts translational movement of a rack arranged on the cone into rotational movement of a pinion that is arranged to be freely rotatable relative to the object to be damped.

[0009] Further, another vibration damping device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the pinion can be changed to one with a different radius.

[0010] Another vibration damping device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, it includes at least one wheel that is fixed coaxially to the rotation axis of the pinion and is rotatable integrally with the pinion.

[0011] Furthermore, another vibration damping device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described invention, it has at least one wheel that can rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion, and a gear mechanism is provided between the rack and pinion and the wheel for adjusting the rotational speed of the wheel.

[0012] Furthermore, another vibration damping device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described invention, it further comprises a rotational spring that is provided between the pinion and the object to be damped, for ensuring a biasing force in the rotational direction of the pinion.

[0013] Furthermore, another vibration damping device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described invention, the rigidity mechanism is composed of at least one of a mechanism provided between the object to be damped and the cone and having a tension spring that expands and contracts in one direction, and a mechanism provided between the pinion and the object to be damped and having a rotational spring for ensuring a rotational force of the pinion in the rotational direction.

[0014] A building according to the present invention is characterized by including the vibration control device described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the vibration damping device of the present invention, a TMD for suppressing vibration of an object to be damped includes a cone that is movably mounted in one direction along the object to be damped, a rigidity mechanism that imparts unidirectional rigidity to the cone, and a rack and pinion that converts translational movement of a rack mounted on the cone into rotational movement of a pinion that is rotatably mounted relative to the object to be damped. Therefore, movement of the cone is converted into rotational movement of the pinion via the rack, generating an inertial force due to rotational inertia mass and increasing the apparent mass. Therefore, it is possible to provide a lightweight vibration damping device that has vibration damping effectiveness equivalent to that of conventional TMDs.

[0016] Furthermore, in another vibration damping device according to the present invention, the pinion can be changed to one with a different radius, so that the generated rotational inertia mass effect can be easily changed by changing the radius of the pinion used, which has the effect of making it relatively easy to retune the vibration damping device after installation.

[0017] In addition, another vibration damping device according to the present invention has at least one wheel that is fixed coaxially to the rotation axis of the pinion and can rotate integrally with the pinion, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the rotational inertia mass effect that is generated.

[0018] In addition, another vibration damping device according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned invention, is provided with at least one wheel that can rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion, and a gear mechanism for adjusting the rotational speed of the wheel is provided between the rack and pinion and the wheel, thereby achieving the effect of being able to increase or decrease the generated rotational inertia mass effect.

[0019] In addition, another vibration damping device according to the present invention has a rotational spring that is provided between the pinion and the object to be damped to ensure a spring force in the rotational direction of the pinion, thereby achieving the effect of being able to adjust rigidity.

[0020] In another vibration damping device according to the present invention, the rigidity mechanism is composed of at least one of a mechanism provided between the object to be damped and the cone body and including a tension spring that expands and contracts in one direction, and a mechanism provided between the pinion and the object to be damped and including a rotation spring that ensures a biasing force in the rotational direction of the pinion. Therefore, when the rigidity mechanism is composed only of a mechanism including a rotation spring, it is possible to save space and reduce the number of parts. Furthermore, when the rigidity mechanism is composed of a mechanism including a tension spring and a mechanism including a rotation spring, it is possible to achieve the effect of improving rigidity.

[0021] Furthermore, since the building according to the present invention is equipped with the vibration control device described above, it has the effect of being able to provide a building equipped with a lightweight vibration control device that has vibration control effects equivalent to those of conventional TMDs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a vibration damping device according to the present invention, where (1) is a top view, (2) is a side view taken along line AA in (1), and (3) is a side view taken along line BB in (1). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the first embodiment of the building according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view showing second and third embodiments of the vibration damping device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a top view showing third and fourth embodiments of the vibration damping device according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a side view showing a fifth embodiment of a vibration damping device according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the change in response displacement over time. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vibration damping device and a building equipped with the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0024] (Embodiment 1) First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the vibration damping device 100 according to the first embodiment is a device for suppressing vibrations of a building S (a vibration-damping target), and includes a TMD having a cone 10 and a rigidity mechanism 12, and a rack and pinion 14. As shown in Fig. 2, the vibration damping device 100 is intended to be used in combination with a TMD, and is installed, for example, on the TMD installation floor, such as the top of the building S.

[0025] The cone 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped mass that is provided so as to be movable horizontally (in one direction) along the horizontal floor surface 16 of the building S. Guide sliders 18 are protrudingly provided at intervals in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions on the underside of the cone 10 near the four corners. Each guide slider 18 is movably fixed to two guide rails 20 that are laid linearly in the front-to-back direction along the floor surface 16. The guide rails 20 are arranged parallel to each other at intervals in the left-to-right direction, with the left-side front and rear guide sliders 18 fitted into the left-side guide rail 20, and the right-side front and rear guide sliders 18 fitted into the right-side guide rail 20. This allows the cone 10 to move freely in the front-to-back direction along the guide rails 20.

[0026] The rigidity mechanism 12 is intended to impart rigidity in the front-to-rear direction to the cone 10, and is composed of a tension spring 22 that expands and contracts along the front-to-rear direction. The tension spring 22 is provided between the cone 10 and a wall 24 erected on the floor surface 16, with one end of the tension spring 22 fixed to the center in the left-to-right direction of the rear side of the cone 10, and the other end fixed to the wall 24. Note that the rigidity mechanism 12 of the present invention is not limited to a tension spring, and any mechanism that can impart rigidity is acceptable other than a tension spring.

[0027] The rack and pinion 14 is fixed to the right side of the cone 10 and consists of a rack 26 that extends horizontally in the front-to-rear direction (one direction) and a pinion 28 that meshes with the rack 26, converting the movement of the rack 26 in the front-to-rear direction (translation direction) into the movement of the pinion 28 in the rotational direction. The tooth surface of the rack 26 faces to the right. The rotation axis C of the rotation shaft 30 of the pinion 28 extends vertically, and the lower part of the rotation shaft 30 is rotatably fixed to the floor surface 16 via a ball bearing (not shown).

[0028] The operation and function of the above configuration will now be described. When vibrations including a longitudinal component occur in the building S, a vibration force acts on the cone 10 from the wall 24 via the extension spring 22, and a vibration force also acts on the cone 10 from the floor surface 16 via the guide rail 20, causing the cone 10 to start moving in the longitudinal direction along the guide rail 20. The rack 26 moves in the longitudinal direction together with the cone 10, causing the pinion 28 to rotate around the rotation axis 30. As the pinion 28 rotates, an inertial force is generated due to the rotational inertial mass.

[0029] The inertial force generated by the use of rotational inertial mass has the effect of increasing the apparent mass. Furthermore, since the amount of mass increase that can occur is several hundred to several thousand times the mass of the pinion 28 (wheel), the actual mass of the vibration damping device 100 becomes very light and compact, and retuning of the vibration damping device 100 after installation becomes relatively easy. Furthermore, by connecting the rack and pinion 14 to an existing or new TMD on the installation floor, it is possible to achieve vibration damping effects equal to or greater than those of conventional TMDs. This not only reduces the load borne by the structure during an earthquake, but also makes construction easier.

[0030] As described above, in the first embodiment, the movement of the cone 10 is converted into the rotational movement of the pinion 28 via the rack 26, generating an inertial force due to the rotational inertial mass, increasing the apparent mass. As a result, a lighter-than-normal cone 10 can be used to obtain a vibration damping effect equivalent to that of a normal TMD. For example, even if the weight of the cone 10 is reduced to about half of the normal weight, it is possible to obtain a vibration damping effect equivalent to that of a normal TMD. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, a lightweight vibration damping device 100 having a vibration damping effect equivalent to that of a conventional TMD can be provided.

[0031] In the above-described first embodiment, the mass of the cone 10 may be set to a mass ratio of about 2 to 5% of the mass of the building S. For example, in the first embodiment, if a rack and pinion 14 that generates a mass of an additional 5% of the mass ratio is connected to the cone 10 having a mass ratio of 5%, it is possible to obtain a vibration control effect equivalent to a mass ratio of about 10%.

[0032] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Fig. 3(1), a vibration damping device 200 according to the second embodiment is configured by adding an additional wheel 32 to the first embodiment. The wheel 32 is a disk-shaped mass body that is fixed coaxially to the rotation axis 30 of the pinion 28 and can rotate integrally with the pinion 28. A plurality of wheels 32 may be bundled together, or a single wheel may be used.

[0033] According to the second embodiment, the wheels 32 rotate integrally with the pinion 28, making it possible to generate an apparent mass greater than that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the inertial force generated by the rotational inertial mass effect can be increased. If the inertial force generated by the pinion 28 alone is insufficient, adding wheels 32 can compensate for the lack of inertial force. Furthermore, by installing multiple wheels 32, it is expected that the generated inertial force will be amplified. This makes it possible to reduce the radius of each wheel 32, thereby saving space.

[0034] (Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3(2) and 3(3), a vibration damping device 300 according to the third embodiment is configured by providing a rotation spring 34 on the rotation shaft 30 of the pinion 28 in the first embodiment.

[0035] The rotation spring 34 is a spring for ensuring a biasing force in the rotational direction of the pinion 28, and is installed between the pinion 28 and the floor surface 16. In the example shown in the figure, a coil torsion spring is used as the rotation spring 34. The central axis of the rotation spring 34 coincides with the rotation axis C of the pinion 28. One end of the rotation spring 34 is fixed to the axial end face of the pinion 28, and the other end is fixed to the floor surface 16.

[0036] According to the third embodiment, the rigidity of the entire device can be adjusted by the rotation spring 34. For example, if the rigidity of the tension spring 22 is insufficient, the rigidity of the entire device can be improved by using the rotation spring 34 in combination. This makes it easy to retune when it becomes necessary to adjust the natural period of the TMD after installation due to changes in the natural period caused by aging or other factors in the building S. Furthermore, if the rigidity of the entire device can be ensured using only the rotation spring 34, the tension spring 22 will not be necessary, as shown in FIG. 4(1), which will enable further space savings and a reduction in the number of parts.

[0037] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 4(2), a vibration damping device 400 according to the fourth embodiment is configured by using a pinion 28 with a larger radius than that of the first embodiment.

[0038] The rotational inertia mass effect generated by the rotation of a single pinion can be amplified by either (1) increasing the radius of the pinion or (2) increasing the mass of the pinion itself. Therefore, by increasing the radius of the pinion 28 used, it is possible to increase the mass effect generated.

[0039] The same can be said for the case where additional wheels 32 are provided, as in the above-described second embodiment. That is, by increasing the radius of the wheels 32 used, it is possible to increase the generated mass without increasing the number of wheels 32 themselves.

[0040] The pinion 28 may be configured to be detachable from the rotating shaft 30, etc., and may be changeable to one with a different radius. By changing the radius of the pinion 28 used, the generated rotational inertia mass effect can be easily changed. This makes it relatively easy to retune the vibration damping device 400 after installation.

[0041] (Embodiment 5) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 5(1), a vibration damping device 500 according to the fifth embodiment is configured by adding an acceleration gear 36 (gear mechanism) for adjusting the rotation speed of the wheel 32 to the second embodiment.

[0042] The acceleration gear 36 is disposed between the rack and pinion 14 and the wheel 32. It includes a gear 38 with a larger diameter than the pinion 28 and a small-diameter gear 42 that meshes with the gear 38 and is fixed to a wheel axle 40. The gear 38 is fixed to the lower side of the rotation shaft 30 of the pinion 28 and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion 28. The lower end of the wheel axle 40 is rotatably fixed to the floor surface 16 via a ball bearing (not shown). A plurality of wheels 32 are fixed to the upper side of the wheel axle 40 and can rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion 28. In this configuration, when the pinion 28 rotates, the rotation shaft 30 and the gear 38 rotate, causing the gear 42 to rotate. This rotates the wheel axle 40, causing the wheel 32 to rotate. This allows the generated rotational inertia mass effect to be increased or decreased.

[0043] As described above, in the fifth embodiment, instead of directly connecting the wheel 32 to the pinion 28 of the rack-and-pinion 14, the gear ratio is adjusted by sandwiching the acceleration gear 36 between the rack-and-pinion 14 and the wheel 32, thereby amplifying the rotational speed of the wheel 32. This makes it possible to increase the mass effect while using the same number of wheels, thereby reducing the number of wheels required and further reducing the weight of the entire device. Note that when installing the acceleration gear 36, space can be secured in the left-right direction. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 5(2), a gear mechanism 44 for securing space may be used in combination. This gear mechanism 44 has a gear 46 that meshes with the pinion 28. The gear 46 is fixed to the upper side of the rotation shaft 48, and the large-diameter gear 38 of the acceleration gear 36 is provided below the rotation shaft 48. This configuration ensures a certain amount of space between the acceleration gear 36 and the rack 26.

[0044] (Verification of the effects of the present invention) Figure 6 shows the results of an analysis comparing the vibration control performance of an embodiment of the present invention (vibration control device 100) with that of a comparative example that uses only a TMD. In the figure, "No control" indicates the response displacement of building S where no vibration control device 100 or TMD is installed. This embodiment uses an effective mass that is half that of the comparative example, but it has been confirmed that the vibration control performance of both is nearly equal. From the above, it can be seen that this embodiment can achieve vibration control performance at the same level as conventional TMDs while reducing the actual mass.

[0045] As described above, the vibration damping device of the present invention is a vibration damping device for suppressing vibration of an object to be damped, and includes a TMD having a cone that is provided so as to be movable in one direction along the object to be damped, a rigidity mechanism that imparts unidirectional rigidity to the cone, and a rack and pinion that converts translational movement of a rack provided on the cone into rotational movement of a pinion that is provided so as to be rotatable relative to the object to be damped.Since the movement of the cone is converted into rotational movement of the pinion via the rack, an inertial force is generated due to the rotational inertia mass, and the apparent mass increases.Therefore, it is possible to provide a lightweight vibration damping device that has vibration damping effect equivalent to that of conventional TMDs.

[0046] Furthermore, in accordance with another vibration damping device according to the present invention, the pinion can be changed to one with a different radius, and therefore the generated rotational inertia mass effect can be easily changed by changing the radius of the pinion used, making it relatively easy to retune the vibration damping device after installation.

[0047] In addition, another vibration damping device according to the present invention is provided with at least one wheel that is fixed coaxially to the rotation axis of the pinion and can rotate integrally with the pinion, thereby increasing the rotational inertia mass effect that is generated.

[0048] Furthermore, another vibration damping device according to the present invention includes at least one wheel that can rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion, and a gear mechanism for adjusting the rotational speed of the wheel is provided between the rack and pinion and the wheel, so that the rotational inertia mass effect that is generated can be increased or decreased.

[0049] Furthermore, according to another vibration damping device of the present invention, a rotational spring is provided between the pinion and the object to be damped to ensure a biasing force in the rotational direction of the pinion, thereby making it possible to adjust rigidity.

[0050] In another vibration damping device according to the present invention, the rigidity mechanism is composed of at least one of a mechanism provided between the object to be damped and the cone and including a tension spring that expands and contracts in one direction, and a mechanism provided between the pinion and the object to be damped and including a rotation spring that ensures a biasing force in the rotational direction of the pinion. Therefore, when the rigidity mechanism is composed only of a mechanism including a rotation spring, it is possible to save space and reduce the number of parts. Furthermore, when the rigidity mechanism is composed of a mechanism including a tension spring and a mechanism including a rotation spring, it is possible to improve rigidity.

[0051] Furthermore, since the building according to the present invention is equipped with the vibration control device described above, it is possible to provide a building equipped with a lightweight vibration control device that has vibration control effects equivalent to those of conventional TMDs.

[0052] The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 international goals that were adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015. The vibration control device according to this embodiment and a building equipped with the device can contribute to achieving one of the 17 SDGs, for example, goal 11, "Make cities and towns inclusive and sustainable." [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] As described above, the vibration control device of the present invention and the building equipped with it are useful for vibration control objects using TMDs, and are particularly suitable for achieving vibration control effects equivalent to those of conventional TMDs while reducing the actual volume. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 cones 12 Rigidity mechanism 14 Rack and Pinion 16 Floor 18 Guide Slider 20 Guide rail 22 Pull spring 24 Wall 26 racks 28 Pinion 30 Rotation axis 32 wheels 34 Rotating spring 36 Acceleration gear (gear mechanism) 100~500 Vibration control device S Building (vibration control target)

Claims

1. A vibration damping device for suppressing vibration of an object to be damped, a TMD having a cone provided so as to be movable in one direction along the object to be damped, and a rigidity mechanism for imparting rigidity in one direction to the cone; a rack and pinion that converts translational movement of a rack provided on the cone into rotational movement of a pinion that is rotatable relative to the object to be damped.

2. 2. The vibration damping device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion is changeable to one with a different radius.

3. 3. The vibration damping device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one wheel that is fixed coaxially to a rotation axis of the pinion and that can rotate integrally with the pinion.

4. 3. The vibration damping device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one wheel that can rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion, and a gear mechanism for adjusting the rotational speed of the wheel is provided between the rack and pinion and the wheel.

5. 3. The vibration damping device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation spring provided between the pinion and the object to be damped, for ensuring a biasing force in the rotational direction of the pinion.

6. The vibration damping device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rigidity mechanism is composed of at least one of a mechanism provided between the object to be damped and the cone and having a tension spring that expands and contracts in one direction, and a mechanism provided between the pinion and the object to be damped and having a rotational spring for ensuring a spring force in the rotational direction of the pinion.

7. A building comprising the vibration control device according to claim 1 or 2.

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