Vibration Control of Irregular Bridges Using Spatially Distributed TMD-Type Counterweights

This paper proposes using spatially distributed TMD-type counterweights for the multiple-mode vibration control of irregular bridges subjected to wind loads. In particular, the governing equations of the bridge with TMD-type counterweights that are spatially distributed at any transverse and/or longitudinal positions of the bridge girder are established. Four objective functions are formulated and compared, and an optimum design method is developed to obtain the optimal design parameters of the TMD-type counterweights for each objective. Subsequently, an irregular cable-stayed bridge equipped with counterweight blocks is chosen as the prototype to demonstrate the control effectiveness of TMD-type counterweights. The results show that the proposed method is feasible for the multiple-mode vibration control of irregular bridges, and TMD-type counterweights show good control efficiency and robustness performance, providing an attractive alternative to traditional counterweights in the vibration control, especially multiple-mode vibration control, of irregular bridges.