ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT The report reviews research in Adaptive Structures for Aerospace applications and proposes an application to prevent failure of high rise buildings subjected to large earthquakes. One definition of Adaptive Structures is a structural system whose geometric and inherent structural characteristics can be changed beneficially to meet mission requirements either through remote commands or automatically in response to external stimulations. The proposed approach is to incorporate the actuator and sensor directly into structural members that are part of the load carrying structure of the building. The activation of the actuator is at a pre-specified load in the structural member that corresponds to large earthquakes. The strategy in the actuation process is full utilization of the energy dissipation capacity of the building to prevent loads leading to structural collapse.
