TMD control analysis of suspension bridge flutter based on mode space

Abstract

This paper deals with the TMD (tuned mass damper) control of a suspension bridge considering multimode-coupled flutter based on modal coordinates. The differential equations governing the motion of the structure with TMDs are established, in which the effects of aerodynamic self-excited force are taken into account. The revised automatic analysis for multimode-coupled flutter, which is the single parameter searching method without iterations, is adapted for the flutter control analysis of structure-TMDs system. Taking a three-tower suspension bridge being built crossing the Yangtze River for a numerical example, both flutter analysis of the original bridge and flutter control analysis of bridge-TMDs system are performed. The TMD parameters, which include the mass, the damping ratio, the frequence of TMDs and the install location, are discussed to enhance the flutter critical wind speed expressed by the parameter of flutter control efficiency. The numerical results show that the revised automatic analysis method has the remarkable capability of flutter control analysis and for the control of bridge flutter. The TMD parameter design has an important role for flutter control of long-span bridges.