Wind-Induced Vibration Monitoring and Control of a Communication Tower in Fujian, China

Aiming at the significant vibration response of monotube communication towers under natural wind loads in the coastal areas of Fujian and the lack of field-measured validation for control effects, this study takes a 40-meter-high monotube tower in Quanzhou as the research object to evaluate the wind-induced vibration control performance of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) in practical engineering. First, field vibration tests were conducted under ambient wind conditions, and the fundamental dynamic parameters, such as natural frequencies and periods, were identified through forced vibration testing. Second, the peak and root-mean-square (RMS) indicators were calculated based on the measured acceleration and displacement time-history data before and after the TMD installation to quantitatively assess its damping performance. The results indicate that the installation of the TMD does not significantly alter the inherent dynamic characteristics of the structure, with a variation in the first-order natural frequency of only 3.74%. Under natural wind excitation, the peak control rates for acceleration and displacement reach 33.70%~40.42% and 35.77%~46.82%, respectively. The study concludes that the field measurements verify the engineering applicability and effectiveness of TMDs in controlling wind-induced vibrations of low-cost monotube towers, providing a practical basis for the vibration detection and mitigation design of similar slender structures in coastal regions.