Performance Evaluation of Inerter-Based Dynamic Vibration Absorbers for Wind-Induced Vibration Control of a Desulfurization Tower

High-rise flue gas desulfurization towers are susceptible to wind loads, which can cause instability and failure in the along-wind and across-wind directions. The tuned mass damper (TMD) has been widely applied in the wind-induced vibration control of high-rise structures. To enhance the control performance and reduce the auxiliary mass of TMD, this study focuses on inerter-based dynamic vibration absorbers (IDVAs) for controlling the vibration response of a desulfurization tower. The dynamical equations of the tower–IDVA systems are established under wind loads, and a parameter optimization strategy for IDVAs is proposed by using the genetic algorithm. The performance of the traditional TMD and six IDVAs in the vibration control of the tower are systematically compared. Numerical simulations demonstrate that both the TMD and IDVAs can substantially mitigate the vibration response of the tower. However, compared to the TMD with the same response mitigation ratio, more than 34% of the auxiliary mass can be reduced by two optimal IDVAs. In addition, the energy dissipation enhancement and lightweight effect of the two IDVAs are explained through parametric studies.