Experimental investigations of tall/slender structure vibration control

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Towers are used as the optimal physical supports for many applications. They enable, for example, the installation of large television, radio and mobile communication platforms. Similarly, the most common configuration of a wind turbine tower that harvests wind energy consists of a three-bladed rotor/gear/generator system sitting on top of a tall, slender tower typically constructed of tubular steel or precast concrete. These are lightweight structures with great flexibility, and are characterized by their high sensitivity to dynamic excitation. Thus there are concerns about the structural safety of these slender structures under dynamic loading such as that caused by wind or earthquakes. By using a state-of-the-art testing method implemented by University of Toronto research team, and building upon the experience of the industry partner, the proposed study will experimentally investigate the dynamic behaviour of a supplemental damping device (i.e., ring-shaped TLD) designed to mitigate the vibrations of slender structures. The resulting experimental data base will enable the efficient design of this cost-effective and maintenance-free supplemental energy dissipation device, which in turn will facilitate safe and economical construction of taller structures