Tuned Mass Dampers for the Great Belt East Bridge

An aerolastic model of the entire multi-span approach bridge to the Great Belt East Bridge, currently under construction in Denmark, was designed, built and tested in 1992. The objectives of the tests were to investigate vortex-shedding induced oscillations and to determine an effective means to reduce them. To meet the lateral objective, a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) system was designed. The wind tunnel tests of the multi-span, continuous beam bridge showed that a 3-D aerolastic model was a valuable design tool for testing measures to mitigate vortex-shedding induced oscillations, including the use of TMDs. TMDs can be modelled at small scales to optimise their tuning. Their effectiveness can be determined early in the design process of a bridge with the use of full bridge aero-elastic models.