• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.267-281
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• 2001

Transient and quasi-steady-state vertical vibrations of a multi-span beam steel bridge located on a single-track railway line are considered, induced by a superfast passenger train, moving at speed 120-360 km/h. Matrix dynamic equations of motion of a simplified model of the system are formulated partly in the implicit form. A recurrent-iterative algorithm for solving these equations is presented. Excessive vibrations of the system in the resonant zones are reduced effectively with passive dynamic absorbers, tuned to the first mode of a single bridge span. The dynamic analysis has been performed for a series of types of bridges with span lengths of 10 to 30 m, and with parameters closed to multi-span beam railway bridges erected in the second half of the $20^{th}$ century.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2017

Passive dynamic vibration absorbers (DVAs) are often used to suppress the excessive vibration of a large structure due to their simple construction and low maintenance cost compared to other vibration control techniques. A new type of passive DVA consists of two pendulums connected with spring and dashpot element is investigated. This research evaluated the performance of the DVA in reducing the vibration response of a two degree of freedom shear structure. A model for the two DOF vibration system with the absorber is developed. The nominal absorber parameters are calculated using a Genetic Algorithm(GA) procedure. A parametric study is performed to evaluate the effect of each absorber parameter on performance. The simulation results show that the optimum condition for the absorber frequencies and damping ratios is mainly affected by pendulum length, mass, and the damping coefficient of the pendulum's hinge joint. An experimental model validates the theoretical results. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed technique is able be used as an effective alternative solution for reducing the vibration response of a multi degree of freedom vibration system.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.203-217
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• 2014

Due to the shift in paradigm from passive control to adaptive control, smart tuned mass dampers (STMDs) have received considerable attention for vibration control in tall buildings and bridges. STMDs are superior to tuned mass dampers (TMDs) in reducing the response of the primary structure. Unlike TMDs, STMDs are capable of accommodating the changes in primary structure properties, due to damage or deterioration, by tuning in real time based on a local feedback. In this paper, a novel adaptive-length pendulum (ALP) damper is developed and experimentally verified. Length of the pendulum is adjusted in real time using a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuator. This can be achieved in two ways i) by changing the amount of current in the SMA wire actuator or ii) by changing the effective length of current carrying SMA wire. Using an instantaneous frequency tracking algorithm, the dominant frequency of the structure can be tracked from a local feedback signal, then the length of pendulum is adjusted to match the dominant frequency. Effectiveness of the proposed ALP-STMD mechanism, combined with the STFT frequency tracking control algorithm, is verified experimentally on a prototype two-storey shear frame. It has been observed through experimental studies that the ALP-STMD absorbs most of the input energy associated in the vicinity of tuned frequency of the pendulum damper. The reduction of storey displacements up to 80 % when subjected to forced excitation (harmonic and chirp-signal) and a faster decay rate during free vibration is observed in the experiments.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.15-42
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• 2024

A flexible-base coupled-two-beam (CTB) discrete model with equivalent tuned mass dampers is used to assess the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI) and different types of lateral resisting systems on the design of passive dynamic absorbers (PDAs) under the action of along-wind and across-wind loads due to vortex shedding. A total of five different PDAs are considered in this study: (1) tuned mass damper (TMD), (2) circular tuned sloshing damper (C-TSD), (3) rectangular tuned sloshing damper (R-TSD), (4) two-way liquid damper (TWLD) and (5) pendulum tuned mass damper (PTMD). By modifying the non-dimensional lateral stiffness ratio, the CTB model can consider lateral deformations varying from those of a flexural cantilever beam to those of a shear cantilever beam. The Monte Carlo simulation method was used to generate along-wind and across-wind loads correlated along the height of a real shear wall-frame building, which has similar fundamental periods of vibration and different modes of lateral deformation in the xz and yz planes, respectively. Ambient vibration tests were conducted on the building to identify its real lateral behavior and thus choose the most suitable parameters for the CTB model. Both alongwind and across-wind responses of the 144-meter-tall building were computed considering four soil types (hard rock, dense soil, stiff soil and soft soil) and a single PDA on its top, that is, 96 time-history analyses were carried out to assess the effect of SSI and lateral resisting system on the PDAs design. Based on the parametric analyses, the response significantly increases as the soil flexibility increases for both type of lateral wind loads, particularly for flexural-type deformations. The results show a great effectiveness of PDAs in controlling across-wind peak displacements and both along-wind and across-wind RMS accelerations, on the contrary, PDAs were ineffective in controlling along-wind peak displacements on all soil types and different kind of lateral deformation. Generally speaking, the maximum possible value of the PDA mass efficiency index increases as the soil flexibility increases, on the contrary, it decreases as the non-dimensional lateral stiffness ratio of the building increases; therefore, there is a significant increase of the vibration control effectiveness of PDAs for lateral flexural-type deformations on soft soils.