TMD mass dampers for bridges and footbridges

TMD - Tuning mass damper

Tuned mass dampers serve to significantly reduce the amplitude of bridge deck vibrations without the need for reaction to a fixed support.

In principle, the damper is designed as a weight placed on springs. The tuning of the natural frequency of the oscillating "weight-spring" system is in a certain relationship to the natural frequency of the bridge deck. Parallel to the springs, hydraulic damping elements with a given attenuation are connected, whose task is to dissipate the energy of the resulting vibrations. The damper is placed on the bridge deck at the point of the greatest oscillation of the bridge deck in the so-called "oscillation zone".

The resulting effect is a multiple reduction in vertical or horizontal vibrations of the bridge deck and thus a significant increase in comfort for pedestrians and cyclists, including compliance with permitted vibration limits according to relevant standards, in particular according to ČSN 73 6209.

KGF HYDRAULIC successfully manufactured, designed and put into operation a mass vertical vibration damper for a footbridge over the Berounka River in the village of Hýskov near Beroun.

The damper is built into the bridge deck so that it does not exceed the profile of the bridge deck and does not disrupt the architectural view of the footbridge.

Technical parameters of the tuned vertical mass damper TMDV-1500 for the Hýskov footbridge:

See how we installed on the Troja Bridge here