Reliability analysis of bridges retrofitted with tuned mass dampers

Abstract

This paper investigates the enhancement in the performance of bridges resulting from the use of tuned mass dampers (TMD) to reduce vibration induced by bridge-vehicle interaction. The enhancement in performance is demonstrated through the relative improvement of the reliability index of the structure once TMDs are retrofitted. In computing the reliability index the paper considers statistical variability in both the vehicle loading and the bridge resistance. Improvements in the bridge response due to installation of TMD are evident from improvement in the reliability index computed using the first order second moment (FOSM) method. The vehicle is modelled as a standard quarter car while the bridge is modelled as an Euler Bernoulli beam element. Performance of bridge often deteriorates with time due to several factors. The efficiency of TMDs in improving the reliability of the bridge response with respect to degradation of the bridge condition with time is also shown.