Study on the damping mechanisms of a suspended particle damper attached to a wind turbine tower

Intensive attention has been given to mitigating the dynamic responses of wind turbine towers (WTs) under wind and seismic excitations to ensure their safety and serviceability. This study details the damping mechanisms of a suspended particle damper (suspended PD) on the vibration control of a horizontal-axis WT. This damper combines the benefits of a tuned mass damper (TMD) and fixed PD, and can be effective without an external damping system. It therefore is a more practical solution for the vibration control of a WT. In this study, a finite element WT is built, and two damper systems with a TMD and suspended PD are modeled and compared. Ground motions and strong lateral winds are applied as external excitations to the operational and parked turbines, respectively. A full factorial study using a statistical method is conducted to determine the interaction effects of key parameters of the suspended PD. Results show that the damping effectiveness of a suspended PD is not sensitive to the external damping system under specific parameters, and it can be effective in detuned cases. Finally, a comparison between the optimal TMD and suspended PD on the vibration control of a WT is performed. The comparative results indicate that the performance of the suspended PD is considerably more robust than the TMD in wind-seismic excitations.