Design and Commissioning of a New Liquid Damper System for Wind- Induced Vibrations of Buildings

Abstract

<p>An innovative damper to reduce wind-induced vibrations in tall buildings was developed by Thornton Tomasetti in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). The system is a collection of small liquid column dampers equipped with air springs and presents a number of performance, cost and practical advantages over traditional tuned mass dampers. A first implementation of the system was installed in 2016 on a residential building in Brooklyn, NY. This paper relates the design process of this prototype, which evolved during construction of the building as its dynamic properties became known with more certainty. The active and passive tests performed to tune and commission the damper are then described. The paper finally reports on the performance of the system measured after installation.</p>