Performance of Tuned Mass Dampers in Vibration Response Control of Base-Excited Structures

Abstract

The behavior of structures in recent years indicates that moderate and severe earthquakes lead to substantial damages, extensively higher than what is expected. One solution in order to reduce the seismic response of the structures, especially in relative story displacements is usage of tuned mass dampers (TMD). In this study, comparisons between uncontrolled and controlled cases have been evaluated. Results for an 8-story shear building under specified records show that active tuned mass dampers (ATMD) have more appropriate efficiency in structural displacement response reduction compared to passive tuned mass dampers (PTMD) in spite of high cost of installation. In addition, implementation of PTMD would lead to more desirable results in comparison with uncontrolled case regarding acceleration and displacement time history responses, especially when the natural structures’ frequency is different from the dominant frequency of the records. In addition, usage of ATMD results in significant reduction in the story shear response, whereas PTMD equipped system decreases story shear with a limited margin.