A novel Distributed Tuned Mass Damper design approach

Abstract

The Distributed Tuned Mass Damper system, which is defined as the multiple Tuned Mass Damper design based on one specific vibration mode of the main structure, is investigated in this study. As those for single TMD design cases, the challenge work in this area is to attain the best vibration suppression performance through an optimally designed DTMD system. In the traditional DTMD or TMD design, the general approach is to focus on the attached spring(s) and damper(s). In this study, a novel DTMD design methodology will be proposed, in which the design parameters are the attached masses in the DTMD system under assumed constant spring(s) and damper(s). The presented method provides a simple and straight-forward way to design the DTMD system, and may provide a more cost-efficient approach in manufacturing, installation and also maintenance than the traditional design. The numerical examples will be presented to illustrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed DTMD design approach. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.