Experimental Study on Tuned Mass Dampers for Vibration Control of Rigid Slender Suspenders in Steel Arch Bridges

In view of poor aerodynamic performance of rigid slender suspenders commonly used in steel arch bridges,preliminary parameter design of tuned mass dampers (TMD) for wind induced vibration control of such suspenders is firstly proposed. On this basis,tuned mass dampers with eddy current damping are developed to satisfy the requirements of vibration mitigation of suspenders. The advantages of the proposed TMD is that on one hand damping and stiffness components are thoroughly separated,on the other hand damping ratios can be easily adjusted by changing the magnetic gap between permanent magnets and conductor plates. Test and analysis results show that the developed TMD has good durability and feasibility for engineering applications.