General knowledge about mass dampers
Mass Dampers
Reducing vibration levels can be difficult. In many cases, the simplest and most cost-effective solution is the installation of a Vibration Damper, often called a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD). A Vibration Damper is a simple, robust mechanical device that absorbs mechanical energy from a vibrating structure and then converts this energy into heat.
Dampers with added mass
Many widely used types of damper involve off-axis motions. This introduces so-called added mass. The effects of added mass are far from intuitive and must be understood, when a damper is designed. Because the optimal performance as well as the optimal tuning are significantly altered!
We have worked extensively on this problem, and contributed original research to the litterature, see [Effective mass of tuned mass dampers, Tophøj, Grathwol et al.]. And we are ready to help you!
In each case, the effective mass of the damper is significantly reduced due to added mass.
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The curves indicate motion with low damping (red) and motion with high damping (blue).
