Adaptive Tuned Mass Damper for the Construction of Concrete Piers

In this paper the authors have studied and proposed a control system for an adaptive tuned mass damper (TMD) for self-climbing formworks to be used in some critical construction phases of concrete piers. This dynamic vibration absorber will move together with the formwork, and must change the tuned parameters (frequency, damping) for an optimal situation in each instant of the pier construction. With this device, the structural damping of the pier will increase and consequently personal comfort (e.g., sickness and acceleration levels) and structural security (stress level) will improve. The numerical results are based on a finite element model (FEM) for the 92 m concrete pier of La-Miel Viaduct (Nerja, Spain). This model has been adjusted by means of acceleration records obtained on the top of the pier. On the basis of this model several approaches of adaptive TMDs have been studied and finally a feasible solution has been suggested.