Smart control of flutter of suspension bridges using optimized passive tuned mass damper

Suspension bridges are particularly vulnerable to dynamic loads, such as wind, due to their long span. Among the wind effects on bridges, arguably the most detrimental is flutter. If the flutter velocity of the bridge is insufficient, more instruments are required to raise it. The tuned mass damper, or TMD for short, is a mechanical passive device that is frequently used to control flutter. The mass ratio, damping ratio, and tuning frequency are the three primary parameters. It is extremely susceptible to tuning errors, which significantly reduces its performance. As a result, its parameters should be set to their optimal values. The improved TMD is used to regulate the flutter of the Vincent Thomas suspension bridge in this study. To get the optimal values, a meta-heuristic population-based optimization method called sun and leaf optimization is used. Simultaneously, optimization is carried out to achieve the maximum velocity possible given the parameters of each span. The results suggested that the center span's TMD had a lower mass ratio and a higher damping ratio than the side spans. Furthermore, optimizing TMD can significantly enhance flutter velocity.