Experimental and numerical study on the seismic mitigation performance of particle dampers on transmission tower-line system

To address the limitation of traditional tuned mass dampers (TMDs) in controlling high-frequency vibrations at the lower part of transmission tower structures under earthquakes, this study adopts particle dampers (PDs) to control the seismic response of the transmission tower-line system (TTLS). A shaking table test is conducted on a scaled model of the TTLS to compare the control effects of PD and TMD. A discrete-element-finite-element coupling simulation method using ABAQUS is developed to model the TTLS with PD, accounting for the nonlinearities from multiple particle collisions within the PD and the tower-line coupling effect in the transmission system. The simulation method and the robustness of the PD are validated through the experiments. The results indicate that PD outperforms TMD in bandwidth with comparable auxiliary mass. The performance of TMD can be affected by the space-varying and the time-varying characteristics of seismic excitations. In contrast, due to the non-linear damping capability, PD suppresses acceleration responses in the lower part more effectively and reduces deformations in the upper part of the transmission tower. This makes PD a more robust option for the vibration control of TTLS.