Design of an active mass damper for a tall TV tower in Nanjing, China

The design of an active mass damper to reduce the effects of wind vibrations on a tall (340 m) communication tower in Nanjing, China is presented herein. The existing tower has excessive vibrations under the design wind loads, beyond the comfort level. The design of a mass damper needs to meet several constraints resulting from space, strength and power limitations. The selection of an active alternative for the mass damper is the result of economical and performance considerations within the specified constraints. The paper emphasizes the use of a single mode approach for the design evaluations vs the multi-modal approach. Nonlinear control strategies combined with the design constraints produce a feasible solution for the damper design. The paper emphasizes the system approach to the design in which the performance, the physical constraints and the implementation issues, such as power-force relations and frictional effects, are simultaneously considered. Neglecting any of the above issues may result in an inadequate solution.