Modeling and design of a tuned liquid damper using triangular-bottom tank by a concentrated mass model

Abstract

Rectangular flat-bottom liquid tanks known as tuned liquid dampers (TLDs) are often used as passive mechanical dampers. Sloped- and triangular-bottom TLDs have been reported to be more effective than flat-bottom TLDs, but optimum tuning and damping of sloped- and triangular-bottom TLDs have not yet been proposed, and nonlinear analysis of such TLDs has not been performed. This study aims to establish a practical analytical model for nonlinear sloshing in a triangular-bottom TLD and a method for designing a TLD using a triangular-bottom tank. We modify the concentrated mass model proposed in our previous paper to simulate nonlinear shallow water wave phenomena in a triangular-bottom tank. To confirm the validity of the modified model, its results are compared with the natural frequencies in a triangular-bottom tank obtained from FEM and experimental results for a triangular-bottom tank. All the model results agree well with the FEM and experimental results. Furthermore, optimum tuning and damping based on the concentrated mass model are derived in the case of a triangular-bottom TLD, and the physical reason why a triangular-bottom TLD is more effective than a flat-bottom TLD is investigated.