Design of Motion Dampers

Introduction

WINTECH offers ‘turn-key’ installation and commissioning of Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLDs). Our high performance, low cost system has been successfully deployed and fully proven. It has several key benefits over Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs) and traditional TLDs including:

• It can be tuned to both sway modes with the same tank (TMDs will need two separate masses which would end up being twice the weight and occupy approximately the same space).
• It can double up as a fire hydrant tank.
• TMDs require ongoing maintenance, including tuning as their performance drops off significantly when out of tune. The performance of our high-performance system is not as sensitive to tuning.
• It can last for at least 40yrs without the need for maintenance.
• It costs approximately the same as the traditional TLDs but with less than half the space requirements.
• It is significantly less sensitive to tuning than a traditional TLD system.

Long Term Monitoring

WINDTECH BMS performs a complete range of structural motion monitoring services to analyse the dynamic response of structures. This includes long term monitoring of completed structures, short term monitoring to provide a structural health ‘snap shot’ and spot measurements during the construction phase. This service complements Windtech BMS’s auxiliary structural damper design and commissioning service.

Windtech BMS uses ultra-low frequency range accelerometers with micro-g resolution combined with custom designed and built signal conditioning equipment to measure the motion of the structure. This equipment is integrated with a local data logger which transfers the data offsite in real time and provides redundancy should there be a temporary loss of connection.

Outputs can include translational components of acceleration and water level if a Tuned Liquid Damper is installed. Continuous recording of accelerations allow the comparison between measured accelerations and local events such as thunderstorms or earthquakes. The natural frequencies of the structure and damping characteristics can also be monitored and any changes due to the aging of the structure quantified. When long term monitoring of the structure is conducted in conjunction with the commissioning of an auxiliary structural damper, the performance of the damper can also be monitored.