Optimal design formulas for viscous tuned mass dampers in wind-excited structures

Optimal design for tuned mass dampers (TMDs) with linear or nonlinear viscous damping is formulated in order for design practitioners to directly compute the optimal parameters of a TMD in a damped structure subjected to wind excitations. The optimal TMD tuning frequency ratio and damping coefficient for a viscous TMD system installed in a damped structure under 10 white noise excitations are determined by using the time-domain optimization procedure, which minimizes the structural response. By applying a sequence of curve-fitting schemes to the obtained optimal values, design formulas for optimal TMDs are then derived. These are expressed as a function of the mass ratio and damping power-law exponent of the TMD as well as the damping ratio of the structure. The feasibility of the proposed optimal design formulas is verified in terms of formulary accuracy and of comparisons with existing formulas from previous research works. In addition, one numerical example of the Taipei 101 building with a nonlinear TMD, which is redesigned according to the proposed optimal formulas, is illustrated in effort to describe the use of the formulas in the TMD design procedure and to investigate the effectiveness of the optimal TMD. The results indicate that the proposed optimal design formulas provide a convenient and effective approach for designing a viscous TMD installed in a wind-excited damped structure. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.