Tuned Mass Damper

run

pause

reset

k

2

/

k

1

=

0.0453

m

2

/

m

1

=

0.05

c

2

/

k

1

=

0.03

Δt = 0.4

slowest

slow

normal

fast

Frequency ratio: 1.00819

A tuned mass damper is used to dampen the vibrations of a larger mass

(

m

1

) connected to a fixed support, usually the ground, via a spring with stiffness

k

1

using a relatively much smaller mass

(

m

2

). The smaller tuning mass is connected in series to the larger mass via a spring with stiffness

k

2

and a dashpot with viscosiity

c

2

. Carefully choosing the connecting spring and dashpot gives a system that rapidly attenuates the motion of the larger mass. In this demonstration, try to choose combinations of masses (ratios of

m

2

/

m

1

), combinations of spring stiffnesses (ratios of

k

2

/

k

1

), and dashpot viscosity ratio

(

c

2

/

k

1

) to get the best attenuation. You can run, pause, and reset the initial conditions of the system at any time.