Design of series tuned mass dampers for seismic control of structures using simulated annealing algorithm

The effectiveness of the series tuned mass dampers (STMDs) in reducing the dynamic vibrations of the structures under the ground motion is investigated, and their optimum parameters are obtained based on the simulated annealing (SA) optimization. The STMD is one of the most well-known passive control devices which consists of two TMD units arranged in series. However, only a few studies are available on the control performance and optimum parameters of the STMDs for structural systems subjected to ground motion. Thus, the goal of this study is to carry out a thorough optimization analysis based on the SA algorithm for the structures equipped with an STMD under the effect of ground motion. The objective function is selected as the reduction of the displacement response of the structure. It is proved that the optimum STMD has better effectiveness than the optimum TMD in suppressing the maximum story displacement of the structure. Further, the effect of the frequency shift on the effectiveness of the optimally designed STMD is investigated.