Ph.D, Associate Professor

   Department of Disaster Mitigation for Structures,

   College of Civil Engineering,Tongji University.

   1239 Siping Road, Yangpu, Shanghai 200092, China

   E-mail: zhangruifu@tongji.edu.cn

Ruifu Zhang received his PhD in civil engineering from Tongji University in 2012. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley and Tohoku University. He also has industry experience and joined Tongji University in 2015, where he is an Associate Professor in the College of Civil Engineering.

His research focuses on structural dynamics, vibration control, and the seismic resilience of energy and civil infrastructure, integrating theory, materials, devices, intelligent methods, and experimental validation.

Ruifu Zhang began exploring inerter applications in 2008 and started focused research in 2012. The Ruifu Zhang Group at Tongji University was an early contributor in China to inerter research for disaster mitigation in civil engineering. The group conducts systematic research on inerter theory, design methods, and engineering applications.

Representative original contributions include the damping enhancement principle and equation for inerter systems, real inertial force in inerter systems, analytical solutions for stochastic responses, demand-based design and stochastic response mitigation ratio-based design, and lightweight tuning methods for tuned mass–inerter systems (TMIS).

Dr. Zhang Ruifu has been consistently recognized as one of the world's top 2% scientists in the Stanford University's global ranking of top scientists and has also been listed among the top 0.5% scholars globally by ScholarGPS.

For 2027 admission, prospective master's and doctoral students are welcome to contact the group. Please see the Chinese group page for current openings. Postdoctoral enquiries are also welcome.

Research interests:

• Seismic isolation, energy dissipation, and structural vibration control

• Inerter theory and advanced vibration control devices

• Wind turbine and urban environmental vibration control

• High-damping materials and dynamic metamaterials

• Structural monitoring, intelligent optimization, and digital assessment

• Seismic safety of energy systems and major infrastructure

Further research interests include vibration energy harvesting, wave propagation control, and applications to mechanical and electromechanical systems.

Key original contributions

Selected original contributions of the Ruifu Zhang Group at Tongji University, with representative publications:

1. Damping enhancement principle and equation for inerter systems

   Zhang RF, Zhao ZP, Pan C, et al. (2020).
   https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.2523

2. Closed-form stochastic response solutions and mitigation ratio-based design

   Pan C and Zhang RF (corresponding author) (2018).
   https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.2169

3. Demand-based optimal design of inerter systems

   Pan C, Zhang RF (corresponding author), et al. (2018).
   https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.2051

4. Real inertial force in inerter systems

   Zhang RF, Wu MJ, and Pan C (2024).
   https://doi.org/10.16385/j.cnki.issn.1004-4523.2024.11.006

5. Lightweight tuning methods for tuned mass–inerter systems (TMIS)

   Zhang RF, Zhao ZP, and Dai KS (2019).
   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.11.020

   Zhang RF, Cao YR, and Dai KS (2021).
   https://doi.org/10.12989/was.2021.32.6.573

ORCID: 0000-0003-2988-4412

Selected Journal Papers:

• Ruifu Zhang; Qian Tao; Zhipeng Zhao; Wentao Wang; Xilin Lu. Anti-slosh design and experimental investigation of liquid storage tank with a non-intrusive isolation system. Structures. 2026.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2026.111656

• Li Zhang; Ruifu Zhang; Yuying Xia; Zhipeng Zhao. A lightweight pendulum tuned mass inerter system for enhanced vibration control. Engineering Structures. 2025.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2025.120555

• Rui Zhang; Songtao Xue; Xinlei Ban; Ruifu Zhang; Liyu Xie; Michael Krommer. System Identification of a Structure Equipped with a Cable‐Bracing Inerter System Using Adaptive Extended Kalman Filter. Structural Control and Health Monitoring. 2024.
  https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/4930237

• Li Zhang; Ruifu Zhang; Liyu Xie; Songtao Xue. Dynamics and isolation performance of a vibration isolator with a yoke-type nonlinear inerter. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences. 2023.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2023.108447

• Xiuyan Hu; Zhipeng Zhao; Ruifu Zhang; Zhaohui Lu; Ming Guo; Liang Guo. Capacity Spectrum-Based Retrofitting Method and Quick Design for Viscously Damped Structures by Utilizing the Concept of Uniform Damping Ratio. Buildings. 2023.
  https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071812

• Jia YQ, Wang C, Li LZ, Zhang RF, Lu ZD. Residual Seismic Performance of Fire-Damaged Reinforced Concrete Frame Structure with Metallic Yielding Dampers. Journal of Structural Engineering. 2022.
  https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0003284

• Zhang RF, Cao YR, Dai KS. Response control of wind turbines with ungrounded tuned mass inerter system (TMIS) under wind loads. Wind and Structures. 2021.
  https://doi.org/10.12989/was.2021.32.6.573

• Zhang RF, Wu MJ, Lu WS, Li X, Lu XL. Seismic retrofitting of a historic building by using an isolation system with a weak restoring force. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. 2021.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2021.106836

• Zhang RF, Zhao ZP, Pan C, Ikago K, Xue S. Damping enhancement principle of inerter system. Structural Control and Health Monitoring. 2020.
  https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.2523

• Jia YQ, Li LZ, Wang C, Lu ZD, Zhang RF. A novel shape memory alloy damping inerter for vibration mitigation. Smart Materials and Structures. 2019.
  https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-665X/ab3dc8

• Zhang RF, Zhao ZP, Dai KS. Seismic response mitigation of a wind turbine tower using a tuned parallel inerter mass system. Engineering Structures. 2019.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.11.020

• Pan C, Zhang RF, Luo H, Li C, Shen H. Demand-based optimal design of oscillator with parallel-layout viscous inerter damper. Structural Control and Health Monitoring. 2018.
  https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.2051

• Pan C, Zhang RF. Design of structure with inerter system based on stochastic response mitigation ratio. Structural Control and Health Monitoring. 2018.
  https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.2169

• Luo H, Zhang RF, Weng DG. Mitigation of liquid sloshing in storage tanks by using a hybrid control method. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. 2016.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2016.08.037