applied

sciences
Article
Experimental Study on Vibration Control of
Suspended Piping System by Single-Sided Pounding
Tuned Mass Damper
Jie Tan 1,2,3 , Siu Chun Michael Ho 2, *, Peng Zhang 4 and Jinwei Jiang 2, *
1 Hubei Key Laboratory of Earthquake Early Warning, Institute of Seismology, China Earthquake
Administration, Wuhan 430071, China; tanjie@hust.edu.cn
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun, Houston, TX 77024, USA
3 Wuhan Institute of Earthquake Engineering, Wuhan 430071, China
4 Institute of Road and Bridge Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116023, China;
peng.zhang47@dlmu.edu.cn
* Correspondence: smho@uh.edu (S.C.M.H.); jjiang7@uh.edu (J.J.);
Tel.: +1-832-7157801 (S.C.M.H.); +1-832-726-9256 (J.J.)




Received: 20 December 2018; Accepted: 10 January 2019; Published: 15 January 2019


Featured Application: The presented device aims to passively suppress the vibrations of
suspended piping systems and improve structural resiliency and occupant safety.

Abstract: Suspended piping systems often suffer from severe damages when subjected to seismic
excitation. Due to the high flexibility of the piping systems, reducing their displacement is important
for the prevention of damage during times of disaster. A solution to protecting piping systems
during heavy excitation is the use of the emerging pounding tuned mass damper (PTMD) technology.
In particular, the single-sided PTMD combines the advantages of the tuned mass damper (TMD) and
the impact damper, including the benefits of a simple design and rapid, efficient energy dissipation.
In this paper, two single-sided PTMDs (spring steel-type PTMD and simple pendulum-type PTMD)
were designed and fabricated. The dampers were tested and compared with the traditional TMD
for mitigating free vibration and forced vibration. In the free vibration experiment, both PTMDs
suppressed vibrations much faster than the TMD. For the forced vibration test, the frequency response
of the piping system was obtained for three conditions: without control, with TMD control, and with
PTMD control. These novel results demonstrate that the single-sided PTMD is a cost-effective
method for efficiently and passively mitigating the vibration of suspended piping systems. Thus,
the single-sided PTMD will be an important tool for increasing the resilience of structures as well as
for improving the safety of their occupants.

Keywords: vibration control; pounding tuned mass damper; impact damper; PTMD; suspended
piping system

1. Introduction
Suspended piping systems, which consist of water/gas pipes and cable ducts, play a crucial role
in commercial buildings due to their functionality. However, the suspended piping systems can suffer
not only from the dynamic loads induced by interior heat and fluid, but also from exterior seismic
loads [1]. Often due to the lack of professional design for vibration mitigation, piping systems are
more susceptible to damage than other structural components during earthquakes. Failed piping
systems, depending on the situation, can lead to the loss of life and property. First, piping systems
make up a considerable proportion of the total investment in most buildings [2], which means that

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285; doi:10.3390/app9020285 www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 2 of 17
Appl. Sci. 2018, 9, x 2 of 17

damages to piping systems can incur high repair costs and lead to significant economic losses.
damages to piping systems can incur high repair costs and lead to significant economic losses. Second,
Second, the damage to piping systems will induce serious secondary disasters, such as the severe and
the damage to piping systems will induce serious secondary disasters, such as the severe and extensive
extensive flooding damage that happened in the Hawaii earthquake (2006) [3] and the Chile
flooding damage that happened in the Hawaii earthquake (2006) [3] and the Chile earthquake (2010) [4].
earthquake (2010) [4]. Furthermore, damage to the piping system may interrupt the entire building’s
Furthermore, damage to the piping system may interrupt the entire building’s functionality and inflict
functionality and inflict further economic loss. In past earthquake disasters, the functional
further economic loss. In past earthquake disasters, the functional interruption of hospitals [5], fire
interruption of hospitals [5], fire sprinkler systems [6], and water supply systems [7] affected
sprinkler systems [6], and water supply systems [7] affected thousands of people for several weeks.
thousands of people for several weeks.
The results of the historical earthquake damage survey showed that a major contributor to the
The results of the historical earthquake damage survey showed that a major contributor to the
damage of piping systems was the large displacement of the pipes during earthquakes. Piping systems
damage of piping systems was the large displacement of the pipes during earthquakes. Piping
collide with surrounding components such as ceilings and beams when under large displacement [8],
systems collide with surrounding components such as ceilings and beams when under large
and the differential deformation caused by large displacement will lead to fractures in the piping
displacement [8], and the differential deformation caused by large displacement will lead to fractures
system. There are two main types of suspended piping systems: one is to evenly arrange the vertical
in the piping system. There are two main types of suspended piping systems: one is to evenly arrange
rods along the direction of a single pipe to hold the pipe (as shown in Figure 1a), and the other is to use
the vertical rods along the direction of a single pipe to hold the pipe (as shown in Figure 1a), and the
the trapeze-shape basket to support pipes (as shown in Figure 1b). The common denominator between
other is to use the trapeze-shape basket to support pipes (as shown in Figure 1b). The common
these two piping systems is that there are no lateral braces, which means that the lateral stiffness of
denominator between these two piping systems is that there are no lateral braces, which means that
the piping system is very small and allows for large displacement during earthquakes. Therefore,
the lateral stiffness of the piping system is very small and allows for large displacement during
reducing the displacement of suspended piping system is an important issue to minimize damage
earthquakes. Therefore, reducing the displacement of suspended piping system is an important issue
during seismic activity.
to minimize damage during seismic activity.

(a) (b)
Figure 1.
Figure 1. Two
Twokinds
kindsofof
suspended piping
suspended systems:
piping (a) A(a)
systems: single rod piping
A single system;
rod piping (b) A trapeze
system; piping
(b) A trapeze
system.system.
piping

Generally, there
Generally, there are
are two
two methods
methods to to reduce
reduce thethe displacement
displacement of of the
the piping
piping system
system under
under seismic
seismic
excitation. One method is adding braces, and the other is employing dampers
excitation. One method is adding braces, and the other is employing dampers for vibration control. for vibration control.
The braces
The braces connect
connect the
the pipe
pipe to
to aa fixed
fixed structure
structure tightly,
tightly, and
and limit
limit the
the displacement
displacement of of pipes.
pipes. However,
However,
the limited
the limited displacement
displacement willwill lead
lead toto large
large internal
internal forces
forces [9,10].
[9,10]. Another
Another disadvantage
disadvantage of of the
the braces
braces
is that
is that the
the implementation
implementation on on suspended
suspended piping piping systems
systems is is typically
typically impractical
impractical duedue toto deficient
deficient
space when
space when various
various facilities
facilities are
are installed
installed around
around the the pipes.
pipes. Dampers
Dampers are are often used for
often used for piping
piping
system vibration control in industrial structures such as nuclear plants [11]. Both
system vibration control in industrial structures such as nuclear plants [11]. Both elasto-plastic support elasto-plastic
support[12,13]
devices devicesand
[12,13] anddampers
friction friction dampers
[14] have [14]
beenhave beentostudied
studied reduce tothereduce
dynamic theresponse
dynamicofresponse
nuclear
of nuclear
power plantpower
pipes.plant pipes.studies
Numerical Numerical studies
also show also
that show fluid
viscous that dampers
viscous fluid dampers
[15] have [15]prospect
a good have a
good prospect in the vibration control of piping systems. However, they are
in the vibration control of piping systems. However, they are rarely used in non-industrial settings rarely used in non-
industrial
due to theirsettings dueand
high cost to their high coststructure.
complicated and complicated structure.
Recent decades
Recent decades have
haveseenseenthe therapid
rapiddevelopment
development in structural
in structuralvibration control
vibration [16,17],
control and
[16,17],
commonly
and commonlyused techniques includeinclude
used techniques active vibration control [18–20],
active vibration controlsemi-active vibration control
[18–20], semi-active [21–
vibration
24], passive
control vibration
[21–24], passivecontrol [25–30],
vibration controland[25–30],
hybrid andvibration
hybrid control [31–35].
vibration Active
control and semi-active
[31–35]. Active and
controls require
semi-active vibration
controls requiresensors
vibration [36], and [36],
sensors due and
to their
due advantages of fast of
to their advantages response [37], wide
fast response [37],
availability in different shapes and sizes [38,39], and low cost, piezoceramic transducers are
commonly used to sense structural vibrations [40,41]. Compared to passive devices, active and semi-
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 3 of 17

wide availability in different shapes and sizes [38,39], and low cost, piezoceramic transducers are
commonly used to sense structural vibrations [40,41]. Compared to passive devices, active and
semi-active controls are more effective at suppressing vibrations; however, the control devices require
power sources, and components are normally more complex and more likely to fail [42]. In general,
passive damping devices have the advantages of simple structure, easy maintenance, and high
reliability, and have been widely implemented in mechanical, civil, and aerospace structures [43,44].
Commonly used passive vibration dampers include TMDs (tuned mass damper) [45,46], viscoelastic
dampers, impact dampers [47,48], particle dampers [49,50], oil dampers, friction dampers [51,52],
shape memory alloy (SMA) dampers [53–55], eddy current dampers [56–58], among others [59–62].
In addition, pounding tuned mass damper (PTMD) is a new type of passive control damper [63]
that has received extensive attention in recent years [64–68]. It combines the advantages of the effective
vibration control of a tuned mass damper (TMD), the quick energy dissipation of an impact/pounding
damper, and the high energy dissipation of a viscous damper. Theoretical analysis and experimental
results have demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of PTMD on vibration control [69–71],
including traffic signal poles [72,73], subsea jumpers [74], and power transmission towers [75], among
others. However, it has never been applied to the vibration control of a suspended piping system.
Therefore, in this paper, pounding tuned mass dampers (PTMDs) were designed to mitigate
the vibration response of the suspended piping system. In the PTMD experiments, viscoelastic (VE)
material was used for energy dissipation. Both TMD and PTMD were tested in free vibration and
forced vibration respectively, to compare their performance regarding vibration control. The results
showed that the PTMD system had good vibration control performance in both cases. The significance
and originality of this work is the application of the emerging PTMD technology to suspended piping
systems in an effort to increase the resilience of buildings that are prone to seismic activities and also
improve the safety of the occupants therein.

2. Pounding Tuned Mass Damper (PTMD)

As reviewed in the last section, the tuned mass damper (TMD) is one of the most popular dampers
because of the effectiveness in vibration suppression near the resonance frequency [76,77]. It connects
a mass to the superstructure by a spring, as shown in Figure 2a, and the frequency of the spring-mass
is tuned to that of the superstructure. The TMD can absorb the kinetic energy; however, its own
energy cannot be dissipated effectively. Therefore, the TMD is often used with other energy dissipating
components, which may require continuous maintenance [78]. In addition, a TMD’s performance
is sensitive to the frequency variation of the superstructure. As shown in Figure 2b, an impact
damper includes a single mass or multiple masses with motion delimiters. The impact/pounding
between the mass and the delimiters dissipates energy. The impact damper has some advantages [79]
such as simple construction, easy adjustment, high energy dissipation, low cost, and robustness to
frequency variations.
The pounding tuned mass damper (PTMD) was developed to combine the advantages of a TMD
and an impact damper with the help of viscoelastic materials [63]. Similar to a TMD, a PTMD connects
the mass to the structure by a spring, and the natural frequency of the spring-mass system is tuned
close to that of the superstructure. However, unlike a TMD, the displacement of the mass in the
PTMD is limited by two delimiters. The spring-mass system consumes energy similar to a TMD
when the displacement is small, while the collision between the mass and the delimiter effectively
dissipates energy when the displacement is large. In order to improve the vibration suppression
capacity during the impact, an energy-dissipating material is bonded to the delimiters. Commonly
used energy dissipating materials include viscoelastic materials [80,81] and shape memory alloys [82].
Figure 2c shows the schematic of the PTMD. In addition, experimental studies have shown the good
impact fatigue life of the viscoelastic materials [83]. Both analytical and experimental studies have
shown that a PTMD is much more robust to frequency variation as compared to a TMD [67,70].
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 4 of 17

Based on the original double-sided PTMD proposed in [63], Wang et al. [64] proposed a novel
single-sided PTMD. In the single-side PTMD, the mass is in close contact with the only delimiter in
the initial equilibrium state, and the mass can move only in one direction relative to the equilibrium
Appl.
state, asSci. 2018, 9,in
shown x Figure 2d. This proposed method has several significant advantages, including 4 of 17 a

simple structure and ease of design, since the design parameter of the gap between the mass and the
simple structure and ease of design, since the design parameter of the gap between the mass and the
delimiter is now eliminated. Specifically, for the single-sided PTMD, the moving mass is in simple
delimiter is now eliminated. Specifically, for the single-sided PTMD, the moving mass is in simple
contact with the viscoeleastic delimiter during idle times. There are no preloads to press the mass
contact with the viscoeleastic delimiter during idle times. There are no preloads to press the mass
against the delimiter. There is no need to design the size of the gap between the mass and the delimiter.
against the delimiter. There is no need to design the size of the gap between the mass and the
Since there is no gap, the PTMD will not work similar to a TMD, even at low amplitudes. Additionally,
delimiter. Since there is no gap, the PTMD will not work similar to a TMD, even at low amplitudes.
theAdditionally,
single-sided the PTMD is more PTMD
single-sided efficient than efficient
is more the double-sided PTMD regarding
than the double-sided PTMDenergy
regarding dissipation.
energy
During the working process of the single-sided PTMD, when the mass returns
dissipation. During the working process of the single-sided PTMD, when the mass returns to the to the equilibrium
position, the kinetic
equilibrium energy
position, of the mass
the kinetic energyand the mass
of the primary
and structure is at
the primary its maximum
structure is at itsin the opposite
maximum in
the opposite direction; thus, the impact dissipates the largest amount of energy.
direction; thus, the impact dissipates the largest amount of energy.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure
Figure 2. Schematic
2. Schematic ofof
(a)(a)tuned
tunedmass
massdamper
damper(TMD);
(TMD); (b)
(b) Impact
Impact damper;
damper;(c)
(c)Double-sided
Double-sidedpounding
pounding
tuned mass damper (PTMD); (d) Single-sided
tuned mass damper (PTMD); (d) Single-sided PTMD. PTMD.

In In previous
previous studies,the
studies, thePTMD
PTMDshowed
showedexcellent
excellent performance
performance regarding
regardingstructural
structuralvibration
vibration
control in various complex environments [84–86]. Thus, in this paper, the single-sided
control in various complex environments [84–86]. Thus, in this paper, the single-sided PTMD PTMD model
model is
is selected
selected to accomplish
to accomplish the vibration
the vibration control
control of the
of the suspended
suspended piping
piping system.
system.

3. Modal
3. Modal Analysis
Analysis ofof the
the PipingSystem
Piping System
A suspended
A suspended pipingsystem
piping systemthat
thatisisused
used toto transport
transport water
water was
was selected
selectedasasthe
theexperiment
experiment
structure to test the effectiveness of the designed PTMDs. The piping system consists
structure to test the effectiveness of the designed PTMDs. The piping system consists of a galvanizedof a galvanized
steel pipe, an aluminum beam, two steel bars, and fixtures, as shown in Figure 3a. Two threaded steel
steel pipe, an aluminum beam, two steel bars, and fixtures, as shown in Figure 3a. Two threaded steel
bars connect the pipe to the beam by fixtures. The beam in the experiment has the same rigidity as
bars connect the pipe to the beam by fixtures. The beam in the experiment has the same rigidity as
the ceiling in the actual engineering, and there is no deformation on the beam during the movement
the ceiling in the actual engineering, and there is no deformation on the beam during the movement
of the pipe. The length of the pipe is 1133 mm, and the length of the thread steel bars is 195 mm. The
of the pipe. The length of the pipe is 1133 mm, and the length of the thread steel bars is 195 mm.
total mass of the pipe, bars, and fixtures is 9.3 kg. The detailed dimensions of the piping system are
Theshown
total mass of the pipe, bars, and fixtures is 9.3 kg. The detailed dimensions of the piping system are
in Table 1. In order to understand the dynamic characteristics of the piping system, the finite
shown in Table 1. In order
element (FE) model to understand
was developed the dynamic
by ABAQUS, characteristics
as shown of the
in Figure 3b. piping system,
According the finite
to the results of
element
FE analysis, the first mode of the piping system is lateral movement, and the second modeofisFE
(FE) model was developed by ABAQUS, as shown in Figure 3b. According to the results
longitudinal
analysis, the firstmovement,
mode of the as piping
shown system
in Figureis 3c,d.
lateralIt movement,
should be noted thatsecond
and the due tomode
the softness of the
is longitudinal
suspension bars compared to the pipe, all of the deformation occurred at the suspension bars, and
movement, as shown in Figure 3c,d. It should be noted that due to the softness of the suspension bars
the pipe did not experience deformation.
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 5 of 17

compared to the pipe, all of the deformation occurred at the suspension bars, and the pipe did not
experience deformation.
Appl. Sci. 2018, 9, x 5 of 17
Appl. Sci. 2018, 9, x 5 of 17

(a) (b)
(a) (b)

(c) (d)
(c) (d)
Figure
Figure 3. Piping
3. Piping systemmodel
system modelandandits
itsfinite
finiteelement
element model:
model: (a)
(a) Suspended
Suspendedpiping
pipingsystem;
system;(b)(b)
Finite
Finite
Figure 3. Piping system model and its finite element model: (a) Suspended piping system; (b) Finite
element
element (FE)
(FE) model;
model; (c)(c) Firstvibration
First vibrationmode
modeshape;
shape; (d)
(d) Second
Second vibration
vibrationmode
modeshape.
shape.
element (FE) model; (c) First vibration mode shape; (d) Second vibration mode shape.

TheThe natural
natural frequenciesofofthe
frequencies thefirst
firsttwo
two modes
modes are are 2.54
2.54 Hz
Hz and
and8.14
8.14Hz,
Hz,respectively.
respectively.The The first
first
The natural frequencies of the first two modes are 2.54 Hz and 8.14 Hz, respectively. The first
mode had low frequency and large displacement; thus, the PTMDs in this
mode had low frequency and large displacement; thus, the PTMDs in this paper were designed to paper were designed to
mode had low frequency and large displacement; thus, the PTMDs in this paper were designed to
control
control thethe first
first vibrationmode
vibration modeofofthethepiping
pipingsystem.
system. ItIt should
should be benoted
notedthat
thatininpractice,
practice,FEFEanalysis
analysis
control the first vibration mode of the piping system. It should be noted that in practice, FE analysis
willwill
helphelp
guideguidethe the designofofthe
design thePTMD.
PTMD.In Inthe
theabsence
absence of of FE
FE analysis,
analysis, experimentally-based
experimentally-based
will help guide the design of the PTMD. In the absence of FE analysis, experimentally-based modal
modal
modal
analysis
analysis is a viable
is aisviable option.
option. The free vibration of the piping system was tested by applying an initial
analysis a viable option.The
Thefree
freevibration
vibration of
of the
the piping systemwas
piping system wastested
testedby byapplying
applying anan initial
initial
displacement
displacement to to
thethe middleofofthe
middle thepipe.
pipe.The
The experimental
experimental result
result showed
showed that
thatthe
the frequency
frequency ofof
thethe
first
first
displacement to the middle of the pipe. The experimental result showed that the frequency of the first
mode was 2.55 Hz, and the structural equivalent viscous damping ratio was 0.58% (amplitude from
mode was 2.55 Hz, and the structural equivalent viscous damping ratio was 0.58% (amplitude from
mode was 2.55 Hz, and the structural equivalent viscous damping ratio was 0.58% (amplitude from
15 mm to 10 mm) using the logarithmic decrement method. Figure 4a,b show the free vibration
15 mm
15 mm to 10tomm)
10 mm) usingusing the logarithmic
the logarithmic decrement
decrement method.
method. Figure
Figure 4a,b show
4a,b show the freethevibration
free vibration
history
history and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) amplitude in the frequency domain, respectively.
andhistory
the fastand the fasttransform
Fourier Fourier transform (FFT) amplitude
(FFT) amplitude in the frequency
in the frequency domain, domain, respectively.
respectively.

(a) (b)
(a) (b)
Figure 4. Displacement response and its fast Fourier transform (FFT) amplitude of the pipe (measured
Figure 4. Displacement
Displacement response andand
its fast Fourier transform (FFT) amplitude of the pipe (measured
Figure 4. laser
by the displacementresponse
sensor near theitsmiddle
fast Fourier transform
of the pipe): (a) Free(FFT) amplitude
vibration of (b)
response; theFFT
pipe
by the laser displacement sensor near the middle ofmiddle
the pipe): (a) pipe):
Free vibration response; (b) FFT
amplitude.
(measured by the laser displacement sensor near the of the (a) Free vibration response;
(b)amplitude.
FFT amplitude.
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 6 of 17

Table 1. Dimension of the piping system.

No. Component Description Value

Material Steel
Outer diameter (mm) 115
1 Pipe Wall thickness (mm) 2.1
Length (mm) 1133
Weight (kg) 6.68
2 Fixtures Weight (kg) 2.62
Material Steel
3 Bar Diameter of thread (mm) 6.35
Length (mm) 195
Material Aluminum
Length (mm) 1220
4 Beam
Width (mm) 80
Height (mm) 40

4. Experimental Setup
In the experiment, a TMD and a PTMD were employed separately to control the vibration of
the piping system. In order to compare the effectiveness of two dampers, the mass ratio, which is an
important factor in damper design, remained the same in TMD and PTMD. It is well-known that a
larger mass ratio will lead to a better control effect; however, having a large mass is unfavorable for
engineering applications. Thus, it is essential to select an appropriate mass ratio, whose used range in
practice is from 1% to 5%. In the experiment, the same mass block (0.403 kg) was used for TMD and
PTMDs, and the corresponding mass ratio is 4.33%.
In this experiment, the control fixture was placed in the middle of the pipe (Figure 5a) due to
two main factors. First, by placing the control fixture in the middle of the pipe, the torsion caused by
eccentricity will be reduced. The reduced torsion will improve the control efficiency of the PTMDs.
Secondly, the PTMDs were leveled with the pipe, thus freeing up space above and below the pipe.
The extra space may help avoid making modifications to existing suspension systems and thus facilitate
the retrofitting of existing piping systems. The TMD, which was tested separately, is composed of
mass and spring steel, as shown in Figure 5b. The PTMD consists of mass, a swing arm, and energy
dissipation material. Two types of PTMDs were designed: one used a spring steel and the other used a
simple pendulum, as shown in Figure 5c,d. Due to its stable mechanical properties and outstanding
fatigue resistance, the spring steel was chosen as the swing arm of the TMD and also for one of the
PTMDs. Additionally, using a simple pendulum as the swing arm of the PTMD has the advantages of
simple structure and easy adjustment of the frequency.
In order to understand the dynamic characteristics of the TMD and the PTMD, free vibration tests
were conducted on the spring steel-mass systems. The result shows that the frequency of TMD and
PTMD was 2.55 Hz and 1.28 Hz, and the corresponding damping ratios (only of the spring steel and
mass) were 0.06% and 0.04%, respectively. From previous studies, when the single-sided PTMD is
working, the mass will pound the energy-dissipating material and then rebound, and the PTMD’s
working frequency will be twice the free vibration frequency. In other words, since the structure’s
free vibration frequency is 2.55 Hz, the PTMD frequency should be tuned to 1.28 Hz. Thus, the free
vibration frequency of the single-sided PTMD is designed to be close to half the frequency of the
piping system. In the experiment, viscoelastic material (3M Inc., Maplewood, MN, USA, as shown in
Figure 5c) was used to dissipate energy, and its thickness was 6 mm. The detailed parameters of the
TMD and PTMDs are shown in Table 2.
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 7 of 17
Appl. Sci. 2018, 9, x 7 of 17

(a)

(b) (c) (d)

Figure 5.
Figure 5. (a)
(a)Control
Controlfixture
fixture installed
installed on on piping
piping system;
system; (b) Tuned
(b) Tuned mass mass
damper damper
(TMD)(TMD) only;
only; (c) (c)
Spring
Spring steel-type
steel-type poundingpounding tuned
tuned mass mass damper
damper (PTMD) (PTMD) in idle
in idle state; state; (d)
(d) Simple Simple pendulum-type
pendulum-type PTMD in
PTMD
idle in idle state.
state.

Table 2. Parameters of TMD and PTMDs.

Table 2. Parameters of TMD and PTMDs.
Frequencyofofthe
Frequency thespring
spring steel-mass
steel-masssystem
system 2.552.55
Hz Hz

Component
Component Description
Description Value
Value
TMD Material
Material Spring
Spring steelsteel
TMD
Spring steel Length
Length(mm)
(mm) 79 79
Spring steel Width (mm) 20
Width (mm)
Thickness (mm) 0.4
20
Thickness (mm) 0.4
Frequency of the spring steel-mass system 1.28 Hz
Frequency of the spring steel-mass system 1.28 Hz
Component Description Value
Component Description Value
Material
Material Spring
Springsteelsteel
PTMD (Spring Steel Type) Length (mm) 170
PTMD (Spring Steel Type) Spring steel Length
Width (mm) 6.5 170
Spring steel (mm)
Width (mm)
Thickness (mm) 0.4 6.5
Thickness
Energy-dissipating material (mm) VE material0.4(6 mm)
Energy-dissipating material
Frequency of the simple pendulum-mass system VE 1.28
material
Hz (6 mm)
Frequency of the simple pendulum-mass
Component Description
system 1.28 Hz
Value
PTMD (Simple Pendulum Type)
Component Description Value
Material Nylon
PTMD (Simple Pendulum Type) Nylon rope Material Nylon
Nylon rope Length (mm) 128
Length (mm) 128
Energy-dissipating material VE material (6 mm)
Energy-dissipating material VE material (6 mm)
Material Steel
Mass for TMD and PTMDs Material Steel
Mass for TMD and PTMDs Weight (kg) 0.403
Weight (kg) 0.403

The
The experimental
experimental setup
setup isisshown
shownininFigure
Figure6a,b.
6a,b.AAlaser
laserdisplacement
displacementdetection
detectionsensor
sensor(MX1A-A,
(MX1A-
IDEC Tokyo, Japan) with a maximum range of ±
A, IDEC Sensors, Tokyo, Japan) with a maximum range of ±40 mm was used to measure the lateral
Sensors, 40 mm was used to measure the lateral
horizontal displacementof
horizontal displacement ofthe
thesuspended
suspendedpiping
piping system.
system. TheThe
pipepipe displacement
displacement was was generated
generated by a
by a wheel
wheel chairchair
motormotor (DG-158A,
(DG-158A, AVIC,
AVIC, Beijing,
Beijing, China)
China) driven
driven bybya apower
power supply
supply (CSI3020SW,
(CSI3020SW,
CircuitSpecialists, Tempe, AZ,
CircuitSpecialists, Tempe, AZ, USA).
USA). Data
Data was
was measured
measured using
using aa data
data acquisition
acquisition card
card (NI
(NI USB
USB XX
Series 6361, National Instruments, Austin, TX, USA) at a sampling frequency of 200
Series 6361, National Instruments, Austin, TX, USA) at a sampling frequency of 200 Hz. Through aHz. Through
rotating arm, a motor was used to excite the structure, and a bungee cable was used as a force
transmission rope. One side of the bungee cable was attached to the arm of the motor, while the other
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 8 of 17

a rotating arm, a motor was used to excite the structure, and a bungee cable was used as a force
Appl. Sci. 2018, 9, x 8 of 17
transmission rope. One side of the bungee cable was attached to the arm of the motor, while the other
Appl.
side
side was
wasSci.connected
2018, 9, x totothe
connected the middle
middle of the
of the pipe,
pipe, andand a pulley
a pulley was used
was used to ensure
to ensure that
that the the
pipe 8 excited
pipe
was of 17
was
excited by a horizontal excitation in a single direction. In the experiment, different frequency
by a horizontal excitation in a single direction. In the experiment, different frequency excitations were
side was connectedthe to the middle of the pipe, and a pulley was used to ensure that the pipe was
excitations
realized by were
changingrealized rotation
by changing
speedthe
of rotation
the speed of the motor.
motor.
excited by a horizontal excitation in a single direction. In the experiment, different frequency
excitations were realized by changing the rotation speed of the motor.

(a)
(a) (b)
(b)
Figure
Figure
Figure 6. 6. Experimentalsetup:
6. Experimental
Experimental setup:(a)
setup: (a)Forced
(a) Forcedexcitation
Forced excitation system
excitation system with
system withmotor;
with motor;(b)
motor; (b)Data
(b) Dataacquisition
Data acquisition
acquisitionsystem.
system.
system.

5. 5. Experiment
Experiment
5. Experiment ofof
of PipingSystem
Piping
Piping SystemVibration
System VibrationControl
Vibration Control
Control
In In
In this
this
this section,
section,
section, a aset
a setof
set ofofexperiments
experimentswere
experiments were conducted
were conducted to
conducted to compare
to comparethe
compare theresponses
the responsesofof
responses ofthe suspended
the
the suspended
suspended
piping
piping
piping system
system
system underdifferent
under
under differentworking
different working conditions,
working conditions, including
conditions, including
including without
withoutcontrol,
without control,with
control, withTMD
with TMD
TMD control,
control,
control,
with
with spring
spring steel-type
steel-type PTMDcontrol,
PTMD control,and
andwith
with simple
simple pendulum-type
pendulum-type PTMD
PTMD control.
control.Each
Eachcondition
condition
with spring steel-type PTMD control, and with simple pendulum-type PTMD control. Each condition
waswas tested in two loading cases:free
free vibrationand
and forced vibration.
vibration.
was tested
tested in
in two
two loading
loading cases:
cases: free vibration
vibration and forced
forced vibration.
5.1.5.1. Control
Control PerformanceofofFree
Performance FreeVibration
Vibration
5.1. Control Performance of Free Vibration
5.1.1.
5.1.1. Free
Free Vibration
Vibration withTMD
with TMD
5.1.1. Free Vibration with TMD
When
When thethe structureisiscontrolled
structure controlledby byTMD,
TMD, the
the displacement
displacement attenuation
attenuationofofthethestructure
structurebecomes
becomes
slowerWhen
slower
than the
thestructure
than the case
case iswithout
without controlled
control by TMD,
control
under under the displacement
free vibration,
free vibration, as shown attenuation
asinshown
Figure in7.ofThe
theinitial
Figurestructure
The becomes
7. displacement
initial
slower than
displacement the ofcase
the without
free control
vibration is 20under
mm. free
When vibration,
there is no as shown
control on
of the free vibration is 20 mm. When there is no control on the piping system, the displacement in
the Figure
piping 7. The
system, initial
the
displacement
displacement
attenuates of
to 10% the free
attenuates vibration
to 10%value
of the initial is 20
of theafter mm.
initial When
value
26.5 there is no control
after 26.5 s.itHowever,
s. However, on
takes 48.8it stakesthe piping
48.8 swhen
to settle system,
to settle
thewhen the
piping
displacement
the piping
system attenuates
system is
is controlled to 10%
controlled
through of
TMD. the initial
through TMD. value after 26.5 s. However, it takes 48.8 s to settle when
the piping system is controlled through TMD.
25
25 Without TMD control
20 With TMD control
Without TMD control
20 With TMD control
15

1510
Displacement(mm)

10 5
Displacement(mm)

50

0 -5

-5-10

-10-15

-15-20

-20-25 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Time(s)
-25
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Figure7.7.Experiment
Figure Experimentresults
results of
of free vibrationwith
free vibration
Time(s)
withTMD.
TMD.

This phenomenon Figure

can be 7.
predicted by the
Experiment DenofHartog
results closed-form
free vibration equation [87] for the optimal
with TMD.
damping:
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 9 of 17

Appl. Sci. 2018, 9, x 9 of 17

This phenomenon can be predicted by the Den Hartog closed-form equation [87] for the
optimal damping:
3𝑎
ζ (1)
s
= 3a
ζopt = 8(1 + 𝑎)3 (1)
8(1 + a )
𝑚a
m
a𝑎== (2)
(2)
m𝑚
where ζζopt
where opt is
is the
the optimal
optimal damping ratio of the TMD, and a is the mass ratio (maa is the mass of the TMD,
and m is
and is the
the mass
mass of of the
the structure).
structure). According
According to to Equation
Equation (1), (1), for
for aa mass
mass ratio
ratio of
of 0.433%,
0.433%, thethe optimal
optimal
damping ratio
damping ratio isis 11.96%.
11.96%. Since Since the TMD damping
the TMD damping ratio ratio is 0.06%, the
is 0.06%, the addition
addition ofof the
the TMD
TMD did did not
not
improve the vibration suppression, and in this case, it even amplified the vibration. The beating
improve the vibration suppression, and in this case, it even amplified the vibration. The beating
observed in
observed in Figure
Figure 77 was was included
included in in the
the settling
settling time
time (48.8
(48.8s) s)ofofthe
thevibrations.
vibrations.
To further
To furtherunderstand
understandthe thereason
reason causing
causing thethe
lowlow raterate of attenuation,
of attenuation, a numerical
a numerical simulation
simulation was
was performed. Figure 8 illustrates the numerical study results of free vibration with TMD in three
performed. Figure 8 illustrates the numerical study results of free vibration with TMD in three different
different
cases: cases:
ζpiping > ζζTMD
piping, > ζTMD,=ζpiping
ζpiping ζTMD = ,ζζTMD , ζpiping
piping < ζTMD
< ζTMD , where
, where ζpipingand
ζpiping andζTMD
ζTMD are
are the
the damping
damping ratioratio ofof
the piping
the piping system
system and and thethe TMD.
TMD. In In the
the numerical
numerical study;study; the the damping
damping ratio
ratio of
of the
the piping
piping system
system is is
0.58%, and
0.58%, andthe the damping
damping ratios
ratios of the ofTMD the under
TMD threeundercases threearecases
0.06%,are 0.06%,
0.58%, and 0.58%, and 1.10%,
1.10%, respectively.
respectively.
When ζpiping >WhenζTMD ,ζas > ζTMD
shown
piping in, Figure
as shown in Figure
8a, the 8a, the attenuation
displacement displacement attenuation
rate rate of the
of the superstructure
superstructure becomes slower, which is consistent with the experimental piping
becomes slower, which is consistent with the experimental results. When ζ results. When
= ζ TMD ζpiping
, the = ζTMD,
envelope
thedisplacement
of envelope of attenuation
displacement attenuation
is almost is almost
identical, as shownidentical,
in Figureas shown in Figure
8b. When ζpiping <8b.
ζTMDWhen
, TMDζpiping
can<
ζTMD, TMD
promote thecan promote the
suppression suppression
of vibration, of vibration,
as shown in Figureas shown
8c. in Figure 8c.

(a) (b)

(c)
Figure 8.
Figure 8. Numerical
Numericalresults
resultsofof
free vibration
free with
vibration TMD
with control:
TMD (a) ζ(a)
control: pipingζ> ζTMD>; (b)
piping ζpiping
ζTMD = ζζTMD
; (b) ζTMD=;
piping
ζ(c)
TMDζpiping
ζTMD < ζ; TMD
(c) ζζTMD . < ζTMD ζTMD .
piping

5.1.2. Free Vibration with PTMD

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 10 of 17

Appl. Sci. 2018, 9, x 10 of 17

5.1.2. Free Vibration with PTMD
Figure 9a
Figure 9a illustrates
illustrates the
the free
free vibration
vibration ofof the
the piping
piping system
system with
with spring
spring steel-type
steel-type PTMD
PTMD control.
control.
The displacement
The displacement of of the
the pipe
pipe isis quickly
quickly reduced
reduced to to aa very
very small
small level
level compared
compared to to the
the case
case of
of without
without
control. The
control. The time
time taken
taken for
for suppressing
suppressing displacement
displacement fromfrom 2020 mm
mm toto two
two mmmm reduces
reduces from
from 26.5
26.5 ss
(uncontrolled) to
(uncontrolled) to 1.6
1.6 s,
s, and
and the
the damping
damping ratio
ratio of
of the
the system
system is
is correspondingly
correspondingly increased
increased from
from 0.06%
0.06%
to 10.4%.
to 10.4%. The
The free
free vibration result for
vibration result for the
the simple
simple pendulum-type
pendulum-type PTMD PTMD is is shown
shown in in Figure
Figure 9b.
9b. It
It takes
takes
2.85 ss for
2.85 for the
the displacement
displacement to to decay
decay toto two
two mm,
mm, and
and thethe damping
damping ratio
ratio increases
increases toto 5.6%.
5.6%. Two PTMDs
Two PTMDs
demonstrated good
demonstrated good performance
performance under under free
free vibration,
vibration, and
and the
the decay
decay times
times of
of the
the same
same displacement
displacement
reduces to
reduces to 6%
6% and
and 10.8%
10.8% of of the
the free
free vibration
vibration without
without control.
control. The
The spring
spring steel-type
steel-type PTMD
PTMD adds adds
nearly twice
nearly twice the
the damping
damping as as the
the simple
simple pendulum-type
pendulum-type PTMD, PTMD, andand suppresses
suppresses the the free
free vibration
vibration
more efficiently.
more efficiently.

25 25
Without PTMD control Without PTMD control
20 With PTMD control 20 With PTMD control

15 15

10 10
Displacement(mm)
Displacement(mm)

5 5

0 0

-5 -5

-10 -10

-15 -15

-20 -20

-25 -25
0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20
Time(s) Time(s)

(a) (b)
Figure 9.
Figure 9. Experimental
Experimental results
results of free vibration:
of free vibration: (a)
(a) With spring steel-type
With spring steel-type PTMD;
PTMD; (b)
(b) With
With simple
simple
pendulum-type PTMD.
pendulum-type PTMD.

Comparing the
Comparing thefree
freevibration
vibrationexperiments
experimentsbetween
betweenTMDTMD and
and PTMDs,
PTMDs, it can
it can be observed
be observed thatthat
the
the PTMDs can mitigate the vibration of the piping system far more effectively than TMD. If the
PTMDs can mitigate the vibration of the piping system far more effectively than TMD. If the damping
damping
ratio ratio is
of a TMD ofsmaller
a TMD than
is smaller
that ofthan that of system,
the piping the piping system,
it will it will not
not suppress thesuppress
vibrationthe vibration
or may even
or may even
prolong prolong the
the vibration. vibration.
However, bothHowever,
PTMDs can bothincrease
PTMDsthe candamping
increaseratio
the damping ratiosystem
of the piping of the
piping system
significantly andsignificantly and
stabilize the stabilizewithin
vibration the vibration within a short time.
a short time.

5.2.
5.2. Control
Control Performance
Performance of
of Forced
Forced Vibration
Vibration
In
In the
the forced
forced vibration
vibration experiment,
experiment, different
different frequencies
frequencies of
of excitations
excitations are
are realized
realized by
by changing
changing
the rotation speed of the motor. The displacement responses of the piping system
the rotation speed of the motor. The displacement responses of the piping system under four under four
working
working
conditionsconditions
(without (without control,
control, with TMDwith TMDwith
control, control,
steelwith steel spring-type
spring-type PTMDand
PTMD control, control,
with
and with simple pendulum-type PTMD control) are recorded at different frequencies
simple pendulum-type PTMD control) are recorded at different frequencies and plotted as and plotted as aa
frequency-displacement
frequency-displacement curve,
curve, as
as shown
shown inin Figure
Figure 10.
10.
The black line in Figure 10 is the frequency response curve of the piping system without control.
When the excitation frequency is 2.57 Hz, the maximum response displacement is 18.90 mm. When the
piping system is controlled by the TMD, two peaks appear on the frequency spectra of the piping
system, as shown in the figure (green line). The frequencies of the two peaks are 2.12 Hz and 3.02 Hz,
and the corresponding displacements are 16.98 mm and 12.86 mm, which are 90% and 68% of the
uncontrolled resonant amplitude. In the frequency range of 2.3 Hz to 2.9 Hz, the TMD can effectively
reduce the displacement of the piping system by more than 80%. When the excitation frequency is
close to 2.6 Hz, the pipe displacement is close to zero. The blue line describes the frequency response
of the piping system with the spring steel-type PTMD control. The frequency response curve only has
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 11 of 17

one peak (2.46 Hz), which is on the left side of the uncontrolled resonance frequency. Additionally,
the peak displacement is 9.72 mm, which is 51% of the uncontrolled resonant amplitude. Similar to
spring steel-type PTMD, there is only one peak of the amplitude frequency curve controlled by the
simple pendulum-type PTMD. The peak frequency is also 2.46 Hz, and the corresponding amplitude
is 9.24 mm, which is 49% of the uncontrolled resonant amplitude. The appearance of only one peak
Appl.
afterSci.
the2018, 9, x
addition of the PTMD was also observed in other cases [64,68]. 11 of 17

20
Without control
18 With TMD control
With PTMD control (Spring steel)
16 With PTMD control (Pendulum)

14
Displacement (mm)

12

10

0
2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.2
Frequency (Hz)

Figure
Figure 10.
10. Experiment
Experiment results
results of
of forced
forced vibration.
vibration.

At the
The resonance
black frequency
line in Figure 10 is (2.57 Hz) of the
the frequency piping curve
response system, of the
the control effects without
piping system of the following
control.
When the excitation frequency is 2.57 Hz, the maximum response displacement is 18.90 mm.PTMD,
systems are arranged in the order from largest to smallest: TMD, simple pendulum-style When
spring
the pipingsteel-style
system PTMD. The corresponding
is controlled by the TMD, two displacement
peaks appearratios are frequency
on the 3%, 42%, and 47%,ofrespectively.
spectra the piping
Figure 11
system, asshows
shownthe vibration
in the responses
figure (green ofThe
line). the frequencies
piping system before
of the twoand after
peaks arethe PTMD
2.12 Hz and is released.
3.02 Hz,
and the corresponding displacements are 16.98 mm and 12.86 mm, which are 90% and 68% with
After the release of the PTMDs, the piping system reaches a new steady state in a short time, of thea
displacementresonant
uncontrolled amplitude of about half
amplitude. that
In the from before
frequency theofPTMD
range 2.3 Hzistoreleased. In TMD
2.9 Hz, the the whole frequency
can effectively
domain, the rank of vibration control effectiveness under three conditions
reduce the displacement of the piping system by more than 80%. When the excitation frequency isis simple pendulum-type
PTMD
close to>2.6
spring
Hz, the steel-type PTMD > TMD,
pipe displacement andto
is close the corresponding
zero. The blue line displacements
describes thewere reduced
frequency to 49%
response
Appl. Sci. 12a),
(Figure 2018, 9,51%
x (Figure 12b), and 90% (Figure 12c), respectively. 12 of 17
of the piping system with the spring steel-type PTMD control. The frequency response curve only
has one peak (2.46 Hz), which is on the left side of the uncontrolled resonance frequency.
Additionally, the peak displacement is 9.72 mm, which is 51% of the uncontrolled resonant
amplitude. Similar to spring steel-type PTMD, there is only one peak of the amplitude frequency
curve controlled by the simple pendulum-type PTMD. The peak frequency is also 2.46 Hz, and the
corresponding amplitude is 9.24 mm, which is 49% of the uncontrolled resonant amplitude. The
appearance of only one peak after the addition of the PTMD was also observed in other cases [64,68].
At the resonance frequency (2.57 Hz) of the piping system, the control effects of the following
systems are arranged in the order from largest to smallest: TMD, simple pendulum-style PTMD,
spring steel-style PTMD. The corresponding displacement ratios are 3%, 42%, and 47%, respectively.
Figure 11 shows the vibration responses of the piping system before and after the PTMD is released.
After the release of the PTMDs, the piping system reaches a new steady state in a short time, with a
displacement amplitude of about half that from before the PTMD is released. In the whole frequency
domain, the rank of vibration control effectiveness under three conditions is simple pendulum-type
PTMD > spring steel-type (a)PTMD > TMD, and the corresponding displacements
(b) were reduced to 49%
(Figure 12a), 51% (Figure 12b), and 90% (Figure 12c), respectively.
Figure 11.
Figure 11. Experiment
Experiment results
results of
of forced
forced vibration
vibration with
with PTMD
PTMD released:
released: (a)
(a) Spring
Spring steel-type
steel-type PTMD;
PTMD;
(b) Simple
(b) Simple pendulum-type
pendulum-type PTMD.
PTMD.

25 25
Without PTMD control Without PTMD control
20 With PTMD control 20 With PTMD control

15 15

10 10
placement(mm)

placement(mm)

5 5

0 0

-5 -5
 (a) (b)
Figure 11. Experiment results of forced vibration with PTMD released: (a) Spring steel-type PTMD;
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 12 of 17
(b) Simple pendulum-type PTMD.

25 25
Without PTMD control Without PTMD control
20 With PTMD control 20 With PTMD control

15 15

10 10
Displacement(mm)

Displacement(mm)
5 5

0 0

-5 -5

-10 -10

-15 -15

-20 -20

-25 -25
0 4 8 12 16 20 0 4 8 12 16 20
Time(s) Time(s)

(a) (b)
30
Without TMD control
25 With TMD control

20

15
Displacement(mm)

10

-5

-10

-15

-20

-25
0 4 8 12 16 20
Time(s)

(c)
Figure 12.
Figure 12. Comparison
Comparison of
of resonant
resonant vibration:
vibration: (a)
(a) With
With simple
simple pendulum-type
pendulum-type PTMD;
PTMD; (b)
(b) With spring
With spring
steel-type PTMD;
steel-type PTMD; (c)
(c) With
With TMD.
TMD.

6. Conclusions
6. and Future
Conclusions and Future Work
Work
In this
In thisstudy,
study,two
two pounding
pounding tuned
tuned massmass dampers
dampers (PTMDs)
(PTMDs) were designed
were designed to the
to mitigate mitigate the
vibration
vibration of a suspended piping system. A tuned mass damper (TMD) and the two designed PTMDs
of a suspended piping system. A tuned mass damper (TMD) and the two designed PTMDs were
were tested
tested under under free vibration
free vibration and vibration
and forced forced vibration to compare
to compare their effectiveness
their effectiveness regarding regarding
vibration
control. Both spring steel-type PTMD and simple pendulum-type PTMD were investigated to verify
their vibration suppression performance.
In the free vibration experiment, the TMD decreased the vibration attenuation capability of the
piping system, and the time for reducing displacement from 20 mm to two mm increased from 26.5 s
to 48.8 s. Both kinds of PTMDs added considerable damping (spring steel-type with 10.4% and simple
pendulum-type with 5.6%) to the piping system; thus, the free vibration of the piping system was
rapidly attenuated. The time taken to reduce the vibration displacement to two mm was reduced from
26.5 s (without control) to 1.6 s (with spring steel-type control) and 2.85 s (with simple pendulum-type
control), respectively. The comparison shows that for this experiment, the spring steel-type PTMD is
more effective.
In the forced vibration experiment, TMD can reduce the displacement of the pipe to almost
zero at the tuned frequency. However, it also leads to new resonant regions on both sides of the
original frequency spectra (2.12 Hz and 3.02 Hz) with displacement ratios of 90% and 68%. In the
frequency domain, the amplitude frequency responses controlled by PTMDs have only one peak,
which is 2.46 Hz. Both PTMDs provide considerable damping and reduce the displacement response
significantly. The vibration mitigation performance of simple pendulum-type PTMD is slightly better
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 285 13 of 17

than spring steel-type PTMD, and the displacements are reduced by 51% (simple pendulum type) and
49% (spring steel type), respectively.
In practice, there are wires, liquids, etc. in the piping system, which can affect the effectiveness of
the PTMD. According to [67,70], the PTMD is robust for a moderate range of frequencies (e.g., if the
PTMD is detuned or an unexpected mass is added to the pipe). If the operator can anticipate the
presence of additional mass, such as liquid, the PTMD can be designed beforehand to target the
expected mass of the pipe during operation. Furthermore, the larger the amplitude of vibration,
the stronger the impact between the mass and the delimiter becomes. Thus, there is an inherent
adaptive behavior of the PTMD to both weak and strong vibrations. However, the limit to this
adaptation has not yet been explored fully, and to keep the paper concise, only a certain level of
amplitude has been investigated. The effects of the nonlinearity in the PTMD on how it can adapt
to different amplitudes will be our future work. Another subject for future work is the design
considerations for vertically placed pipes. For vertical pipes, gravity will need to be taken into account,
which will require modifications to the fixture design. Also, as can be seen in Figure 4b, multiple,
smaller peaks are present alongside the peak of the structural response. These peaks, while having a
negligible impact on the overall results, were neither present in the FE analysis nor in the subsequent
experimental results, and are generated by a currently unknown source. Thus, another facet of future
work will include a more in-depth investigation of these additional peaks. As an additional limitation
of this study, the vibration excitation was generated by a harmonic load. However, the response of
the piping system under earthquake load will be different from a harmonic load. Future work will
investigate the vibration performance of the piping system with PTMD under an earthquake load to
further verify its effectiveness.

Author Contributions: All authors discussed and agreed upon the idea, and made scientific contributions. J.T.
and J.J. designed the experiments and wrote the paper. J.T., and P.Z. performed the experiments and analyzed the
data. S.C.M.H. revised the paper.
Funding: The authors are grateful for financial support from the Earthquake Emergency Youth Foundation
of China Earthquake Administration (CEA_EDEM-2019) and National Natural Science Foundation of China
(No. 51808092). The authors would also like to thank the support from China Scholarship Council and China
Earthquake Administration.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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