Tonight we had the pleasure of hosting at IaaC a Lecture by TU Berlin Researcher Arndt Goldack as part of the Fall Term Lecture Series of 2013.
There is a trend in architecture and structural engineering towards more and more lightweight structures, as such structures are not only elegant but also minimizing the use of material. They are sustainable in the true sense. An inherent feature of lightweight structures is their tendency to be lively. Numerous exciting and breath taking structures such as membrane roofs, cable net structures and cable-supported footbridges have been built and they all require additional engineering efforts, regarding dynamics. Early lightweight footbridges have caused comfort problems for the users. Today engineers have learnt their lessons from several disasters and have included “dynamics” in the curriculum of engineering students. At our chair at the Technical University Berlin (TU Berlin) it has become an important research aspect. Beyond passive tuned mass dampers, investigation on semi-active vibration control will enable us to go beyond present limits towards more lightweight and elegant, more sustainable structures.
