Response of a SDOF System with an Inerter-Based Tuned Mass Damper Subjected to Non-stationary Random Excitation

Inerter-based tuned mass dampers (TMDs) have been developed recently with the goal of improving upon the performance of traditional TMDs. However, studies investigating the response of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems with inerter-based TMDs have been primarily limited to ones considering harmonic loads and stationary random excitation. Various relevant random loads have non-stationary characteristics (their frequency contents and/or amplitude change with time); therefore, these load types should be considered in the design of inerter-based TMDs. This paper presents an investigation to evaluate the mean squared response of SDOF systems with inerter-based TMDs that are subjected to a random non-stationary excitation. The non-stationary excitation considered is an evolutionary spectrum of the ground acceleration. The results of this study are used to determine the influence of the non-stationary excitation on the optimal damper properties in comparison to designs considering a stationary process.