Flutter control of truss-type suspension bridges with a tuned mass damper based on the mass polar moment of inertia's optimum configuration

In suspension bridges, flutter is the primary source of instability, commonly controlled by a tuned mass damper (TMD). In torsional motions, such as flutter, the shape of the mass block, indicating its distribution around the torsion axis, is critical; indeed, an optimal distribution results in a more effective and lighter device. The flutter analysis of the Vincent Thomas suspension bridge was performed using the multi-mode method in this article. Then, a new optimal configuration was used to avoid it; in addition to common parameters such as mass ratio, damping ratio, and frequency ratio, a set of parameters called shape variables was also considered. These parameters take into account the manner in which mass is distributed around the torsion axis. The performance of the aforementioned configuration was compared to that of the other recommended TMD configurations. Additionally, a general formulation of TMD was represented, which included the other configurations. Finally, the effectiveness of TMD was evaluated in comparison to other control systems. The results indicated that the optimal configuration was reliable and that it reduced the mass ratio by up to 0.2 percent by optimizing its distribution around the torsion axis compared to other existing configurations.