Optimum design of tuned mass dampers for different earthquake ground motion parameters and models

Tuned mass dampers are frequently used for passive control of vibrations in civil structures subject to seismic and wind actions. Their efficiency depends on selection of their mechanical properties in relation to main system and excitation characteristics. This paper proposes an optimum design strategy of single tuned mass dampers to control vibrations of principal mode of structures excited by earthquake ground motion. The main purpose of the paper is to investigate the influence of the time modulation of earthquake excitation upon the optimal tuned mass dampers design parameters: frequency and damping ratio. The study is based on numerical analyses carried out with different stochastic models for earthquakes: a simple filtered white noise model and two time modulated filtered white noise models. The numerical analyses are carried out to solve an optimization problem with a performance index defined by the reduction of the standard deviation of either the structure displacement or its inertial acceleration as objective function. To complete the work, the influence of the bandwidth excitation over the values of the optimal tuned mass damper parameters is investigated, as well the optimum mass ratio and the structure frequency. The results of the numeral analyses carried out infer that the earthquake excitation characteristics, including its modulation in time domain, highly affect the optimum tuned mass damper design parameters values.