Optimizing DVA placement using evolutionary algorithms for dynamic beam loading

Abstract Danamic vibration absorbers (DVAs) are used to suppress the excessive structural response due to dynamic loading. To maximize their effectiveness, the placement and characteristics of DVAs need to be carefully chosen. To address this challenge, a methodology that enables this task to be accomplished by means of an evolutionary algorithm is presented in this paper. A beam subjected to a sequence of forces with random amplitudes, which move at random time instances with a constant velocity, is considered. The beam has either one or a set of two arbitrarily located DVAs. The loading is modeled using a filtered Poisson process, while the DVAs are modeled as single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems. It is shown that the proposed algorithm can serve as a powerful tool when selecting an arrangement of DVAs, in turn effectively mitigating any undesired structural response. Moreover, the optimization of DVAs leads to the asymmetry of the absorber’s position along the length of a bridge’s beam. The obtained results can be used to evaluate the correctness of calculations conducted for the purpose of assessing structural damping requirements.