Efficiency of tuned mass dampers with uncertain parameters on the performance of structures under stochastic excitation

Abstract Tuned mass dampers serve the purpose of damping vibrations of structures such as earthquake-induced vibrations. In their design, two types of uncertainty are relevant: the stochastic excitation (e.g. earthquake record) and the inherent uncertainty of internal parameters of the devices themselves. This paper presents a new framework that admits the combination of stochastic processes and interval-type parameter uncertainty, modelled by random sets. The approach is applied to show how the efficiency of tuned mass dampers can be realistically assessed in the presence of uncertainty.