The current work describes the optimum design of a tuned mass damper inerter (TMDI) to control a benchmark 10-story base-excited linear shear building under seismic excitations. Mass and inertance ratios are preselected, and optimum free vibration parameters of the TMDI (i.e., natural frequency and damping ratios) are calculated for single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) and multi degree-of-freedom (MDOF)models with different configurations of single and double inerter TMDIs at different locations using the colliding bodies optimization technique. Four different inherent damping values are considered for each analysis. Minimizing the H∞ norm of the roof displacement transfer function is considered as the objective function for robust control of the building. Additionally, the optimum designed damper performance and its robustness is assessed in both the frequency and time domains. Results show that while being robust, the SDOF-based optimized TMDI approach should be used with caution and it is recommended to optimize and employ the TMDI using the MDOF model. Results indicate the superior performance of the proposed well-tuned damper with proper configuration in comparison to a same weight/mass classical TMD.
