Series multiple tuned mass dampers for vibration control of high-speed railway bridges

This paper presents Series Multiple Tuned Mass Dampers (STMDs) in vibration control of railway bridges under the passage of high-speed trains. In solution, the bridge is assumed as a Bernoulli-Euler beam, and the train is simulated as a series of moving forces with constant speed. A classic single TMD, and parallel Multiple TMD (MTMD) devices are also considered for the purpose of comparison. It is assumed that total absorber mass is the same for the devices considered. Optimum absorber parameters are obtained for the criterion based on the minimization of the maximum dynamic displacements of the beam at its midpoint. Control effectiveness and robustness of STMDs are discussed in comparison with other types of absorbers considered.