Vibration control of a traffic signal pole using a pounding tuned mass damper with viscoelastic materials (II): experimental verification

Abstract

In the first part of this paper, the theoretical and simulation analyses have been studied to prove the effectiveness of the pounding tuned mass damper (PTMD) to control the vibration of a traffic signal pole. In order to further verify the control effect of the PTMD, an experimental structure was prepared to test the novel approach in the lab. A horizontal and a vertical steel pipe are used to model the traffic signal pole. An L-shaped beam and a pounding collar covered on the interior with viscoelastic materials are used as the PTMD device. Both free and excited vibration tests were performed with and without PTMD control on the structure. It was found that the damping device was very effective in controlling the vibrations of the structure in both out-plane and in-plane vibrations.