Analytical and Experimental Study of a Tuned Liquid Column Damper Integrated with Flexible Membranes

This study investigates the vibration control performance of structures equipped with a novel Tuned Liquid Column Damper (TLCD) integrated with flexible elastomer membranes. The system combines the passive damping characteristics of a TLCD with the adaptive properties of deformable membranes, enabling enhanced vibration suppression under dynamic loading. A comprehensive mathematical model is developed to capture the coupled interaction among the liquid motion, the membrane’s hyperelastic response, and the thermodynamic behavior of the enclosed air volume. A simplified analytical formulation is derived to predict the steady-state response of the coupled structure–damper system using a harmonic balance approach. Numerical simulations and experimental validation under harmonic and broadband excitations demonstrate strong agreement and confirm the accuracy of the analytical model. The results show that the integration of flexible membranes significantly improves vibration attenuation, broadens the eHective damping bandwidth, and allows for tunability of the control performance. Compared with conventional TLCDs, the proposed TLCD–membrane system exhibits superior adaptability in mitigating structural vibrations. These findings highlight the potential of hybrid fluid–membrane devices for advanced vibration control in civil and mechanical structures, including tall buildings, wind turbines, and oHshore platforms.