What Is a Tuned Mass Damper Design?
Tuned mass dampers (the TMD — the massive weight — the pendulum or the sliding — tuned to the building's frequency) reduce the wind's motion (the acceleration — the occupants' comfort; the 5-10 milli-g). The design: the tuning (the frequency's — the ratio; the 1-2% mass), the damping (the dashpots' — the energy's), and the space (the penthouse's — the room). The tall building's — the motion's control.
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How TMDs work
The tuning (the frequency — the building's; the ratio's; the 1-2% — the mass's), the counter-motion (the out-of-phase — the energy's; the dashpots' — the dissipation), and the effect (the acceleration's — the halved; the comfort's — the criteria).
Design
The mass (the 300-800 tons — the 1-2%; the concrete/steel), the frequency (the measured — the tuned; the temperature's — the drift), the damping (the viscous — the dashpots'; the 10-20%), the stroke (the ±3-5 feet — the space's), and the maintenance (the inspections' — the bearings').
Alternatives
The TLD (the liquid — the sloshing; the tanks'), the viscous (the dampers' — the distributed; the outriggers'), and the aerodynamic (the shaping — the corner's; the tapering). The TMD is the retrofit's — the existing's motion fixed; the new's — the shaping first.
The bottom line
Tune mass dampers to the building's frequency (1-2% mass, viscous damping) to halve wind accelerations for occupant comfort — consider TLD, viscous outriggers, or aerodynamic shaping as alternatives.
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