Case Study: Pearson International Airport stops terminal floor vibration with Thornton Tomasetti tuned mass dampers

Pearson International Airport stops Terminal 3 floor vibration with Thornton Tomasetti’s 3 tuned mass dampers

Pearson International Airport faced a challenge with sustained floor vibrations on the departure level of its busy Terminal 3 in Toronto, which was also suspected of damaging the terrazzo flooring. The airport engaged the engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti to analyze the cause of this vibration and develop a corrective solution.

Thornton Tomasetti designed and implemented a solution involving three tuned mass dampers (TMDs), each consisting of two tons of steel plates with springs and dashpots, engineered to fit within the constrained space between floors. The vendor provided full on-site supervision of installation and commissioning, including rigorous full-scale testing that confirmed the TMDs effectively eliminated the vibration issue, meeting all specifications upon project completion in 2012.

Pearson International Airport