Family of smart tuned mass dampers with variable frequency under harmonic excitations and ground motions: closed-form evaluation

A family of smart tuned mass dampers (STMDs) with variable frequency and damping properties is analyzed under harmonic excitations and ground motions. Two types of STMDs are studied: one is realized by a semi-active independently variable stiffness (SAIVS) device and the other is realized by a pendulum with an adjustable length. Based on the feedback signal, the angle of the SAIVS device or the length of the pendulum is adjusted by using a servomotor such that the frequency of the STMD matches the dominant excitation frequency in real-time. Closed-form solutions are derived for the two types of STMDs under harmonic excitations and ground motions. Results indicate that a small damping ratio (zero damping is the best theoretically) and an appropriate mass ratio can produce significant reduction when compared to the case with no tuned mass damper. Experiments are conducted to verify the theoretical result of the smart pendulum TMD (SPTMD). Frequency tuning of the SPTMD is implemented through tracking and analyzing the signal of the excitation using a short time Fourier transformation (STFT) based control algorithm. It is found that the theoretical model can predict the structural responses well. Both the SAIVS STMD and the SPTMD can significantly attenuate the structural responses and outperform the conventional passive TMDs.