Optimization design and shaking table test of tuned mass damper for enhancing seismic performance in thermal power plants

This study aimed to improve the seismic performance of traditional thermal power plant structures. Taking a certain thermal power plant as the research object, a simplified three-floor equivalent model was designed, aiming to achieve similar fundamental periods and considering the floor height and mass distribution. A coal bunker was used as the mass unit in the tuned mass damper (TMD) design. The optimal TMD design parameters for the two orthogonal directions of the structure were determined using the steady-state complex modal decomposition method and fixed-point theory. Moreover, a velocity-dependent and adjustable damping electromagnetic damping device were designed as the damping unit in the TMD. Shaking table tests were conducted in two orthogonal directions to investigate the control effects in the interstory drift angle, floor acceleration, and top-floor displacement response, thus verifying the effectiveness and feasibility of the TMD scheme. The effectiveness of the vibration control under the abovementioned optimal TMD design scheme was further validated through finite element simulations of the original thermal power plant structure. This study demonstrates that due to the process requirements of thermal power plant structures, the coal hunker has a massive weight and is positioned at a high location. Based on this characteristic, directly using coal bunkers as mass units for the TMD with the optimal parameter design can significantly reduce the various seismic responses, achieving a 25 % to 45 % seismic reduction rate.