Application of eddy current damper technology for passive tuned mass damper systems within footbridges

Abstract Footbridges are prone to vibrations induced by pedestrians depending on the bridges natural frequencies. Well-known measures to increase the structural damping of a footbridge and hence control the risk of vibrations are Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD). One of the main parameters defining the overall effectiveness of a TMD is its damping mechanism; for this purpose eddy current dampers are an innovative solution, which can improve TMD performance significantly. This paper describes the design of an eddy current damper as part of a passive tuned mass damper. First, the theoretical potential is analyzed analytically. A detailed discussion on the optimization of TMD parameters combined with the characteristics of eddy current dampers shows its advantages. In the second part a TMD construction using an eddy current damper is designed based on a case study of a footbridge.