Experimental study on the mechanical properties of a multi-dimensional vibration control damper

The load and structural response of large-span spatial structures have obvious multi-dimensional characteristics. In contrast to double-layer structures, single-layer reticulated large-span spatial structures are usually subjected to a combination of the multi-dimensional internal force. In this study, a multi-dimensional vibration control damper (MD-damper) for single-layer reticulated large-span spatial structures was developed. The MD-damper provided multi-dimensional carrying capacity and achieved vibration control. The theoretical analysis of the mechanical properties of the damper was performed. The vibration reduction mechanics model and the theo-retical formula of the restoring force calculation of the damper were derived from the geometric decoupling and mechanical analysis. A calculation program was developed for solving the theoretical formula. An experimental study on the mechanical properties of MD-damper was performed to verify the theoretical results, and the finite element software ABAQUS was used for simulation analysis. The theoretical and simulation results were compared with that of the experimental results to verify the accuracy of the theoretical formula and the applicability of the simulation analysis method. The energy consumption mechanism of the MD-damper and the effect of vibration reduction were revealed. The results exhibited that the hysteresis curves of the experimental results were in good agreement with that of the simulated data. The deviation between the theoretical and simulation results of peak restoring force was in the range of 0.34-5.00% compared with that of the experimental results. The MD-damper exhibited optimum energy consumption performance and provided effective multi-dimensional vibration reduction. Hence, MD-Damper is an effective vibration control damper that can be used for single-layer reticulated large-span spatial structures.