A bidirectional and homogeneous tuned mass damper: A new device for passive control of vibrations

Passive tuned-mass dampers (TMDs) are a very efficient solution for the control of vibrations in structures subjected to long-duration, narrow-band excitations. In this study, a Bidirectional and Homogeneous Tuned Mass Damper (BH-TMD) is proposed. The pendular mass is supported by cables and linked to a unidirectional friction damper with its axis perpendicular to the direction of motion. Some advantages of the proposed BH-TMD are: (1) its bidirectional nature that allows control of vibrations in both principal directions; (2) the capacity to tune the device in each principal direction independently; (3) its energy dissipation capacity that is proportional to the square of the displacement amplitude, (4) its low maintenance cost. Numerical results show that, under either unidirectional or bidirectional seismic excitations, the level of response reduction achieved by the proposed BH-TMD is similar to that obtained from an “ideal” linear viscous device. Moreover, experimental shaking table tests performed using a scaled BH-TMD model confirm that the proposed device is homogeneous, and, hence, its equivalent oscillation period and damping ratio are independent of the motion amplitude.