• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.39-42
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• 2007

It is necessary to estimate the dynamic characteristics of stay cables ie., the natural frequencies and the damping ratios of the stay cables to design cable damper for appropriate mitigation of cable vibrations and/or to estimate the tension of cables in service. In this study, a cable exciting robot for evaluating dynamic characteristics of stay cables has been developed, and the feasibility of the developed system has been demonstrated through a field test on the stay cable installed at the test yard of Highway and Transportation Technology Institute (HTTI). The dynamic characteristics of the stay cable were estimated based on acceleration data as well as displacement measured by digital image processing technique.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.361-379
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• 2023

In cable structure maintenance, particularly for cable-stayed bridges, cable safety assessment relies on estimating cable tension. Conventionally, in Japan, cable tension is estimated from the natural frequencies of the cable using the higher-order vibration method. In recent years, dampers have been installed on cables to reduce cable vibrations. Because the higher-order vibration method is a method for damper-free cables, the damper must be removed to measure the natural frequencies of a cable without a damper. However, cables on some cable-stayed bridges have two dampers: one on the girder side and another on the tower side. Notably, removing and reinstalling the damper on the tower side are considerably more time- and labor-intensive. This paper introduces a tension estimation method for cables with two dampers, using natural frequencies. The proposed method was validated through numerical simulation and experiment. In the numerical tests, without measurement error in the natural frequencies, the maximum estimation error among 100 models was 3.3%. With measurement error of 2%, the average estimation error was within 5%, with a maximum error of 9%. The proposed method has high accuracy because the higher-order vibration method for a damper-free cable still has an estimation error of 5%. The experimental verification emphasizes the importance of accurate damper modeling, highlighting potential discrepancies between existing damper design formula and actual damper behavior. By revising the damper formula, the proposed method achieved accurate cable tension estimation, with a maximum estimation error of approximately 10%.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.653-667
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• 2019

Using cross-ties to connect cables together when forming a cable network is regarded as an efficient method of mitigating cable vibrations. Cross-ties have been extended and fixed on bridge decks or towers in some engineering applications. However, the dynamics of this kind of system need to be further studied, and the effects of extending cross-links to bridge decks/towers on the modal response of the system should be assessed in detail. In this paper, a system of two cables connected by an inter-supported cross-link with another lower cross-link extended to the ground is proposed and analyzed. The characteristic equation of the system is derived, and some limiting solutions in closed form of the system are derived. Roots of cable system with special configurations are also discussed, attention being given to the case when the two cables are identical. A predictable mode behavior was found when the stiffness of inter-connection cross-link and the cross-link extended to the ground were the same. The vector of mode energy distribution and the degree of mode localization index are proposed so as to distinguish global and local modes. The change of mode behaviors is further discussed in the case when the two cables are not identical. Effects of cross-link stiffness, cross-link location, mass-tension ratio, cable length ratio and frequency ratio on $1^{st}$ mode frequency and mode shape are addressed.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1003-1021
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• 2015

MR dampers have been proposed for the control of cable vibration of cable-stayed bridge in recent years due to their high performance and low energy consumption. However, the highly nonlinear feature of MR dampers makes them difficult to be designed with efficient semi-active control algorithms. Simulation study has previously been carried out on the cable-MR damper system using a semi-active control algorithm derived based on the universal design curve of dampers and a bilinear mechanical model of the MR damper. This paper aims to verify the effectiveness of the MR damper for mitigating cable vibration through a full-scale experimental test, using the same semi-active control strategy as in the simulation study. A long stay cable fabricated for a real bridge was set-up with the MR damper installed. The cable was excited under both free and forced vibrations. Different test scenarios were considered where the MR damper was tuned as passive damper with minimum or maximum input current, or the input current of the damper was changed according to the proposed semi-active control algorithm. The effectiveness of the MR damper for controlling the cable vibration was assessed through computing the damping ratio of the cable for free vibration and the root mean square value of acceleration of the cable for forced vibration.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.471-484
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• 2003

The rain-wind induced vibration of stays is a phenomenon discovered recently and not well explained yet. As it is influenced by a wide range of physical parameters (cable size and shape, wind speed, direction and turbulence, rain intensity, material repellency and roughness, cable weight, damping and pre-strain), this peculiar phenomenon is difficult to reproduce in laboratory controlled conditions. A successful wind tunnel experimental campaign, in which some basic physical quantities were measured, allowed an extensive analysis as to identify the parameters of the rain-wind induced excitation. The unsteady pressure field and water thickness around a cable model were measured under rainy-excited conditions. The knowledge of those parameters provided helpful information about the air-flow around the cable and allowed to clarify the physical phenomenon which produces the excitation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.231-237
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• 1999

A geometric non-linear finite element formulation of spatial ocean cable under currents is presented using multiple noded curved cable elements. Tangent stiffness and mass matrices for the isoparametric cable ele¬ment are derived and the initial equilibrium state of ocean cable subjected to self-weights, buoyancy, and current as well as support motions is determined using the load incremental method. Free vibration analysis of ocean cables is performed based on the initial equilibrium configuration. Numerical examples are presented and discussed in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the present finite element method and investigate dynamic characteristics of ocean cables.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Advanced Composite Structures
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2015

Compared with a strong axial rigidity due to large intial tension, cable has a weak laterally flexural rigidity. A variety of dynamic loads such as traffic loads and wind loads etc. cause the cables to vibrate significantly and affect the mechanical properties and the performance of cables. Therefore, vibration reduction design is an urgent task to control the vibration of cable-supported bridges. Because a various kind of dampers have shown to reduce the amplitude and duration time of vibration of cable from measured date in field test, damper can be considered that it is effective device significantly to reduce the amplitude and duration time in vibration of cable. Vibration characteristics of cable can change according to manufacturing method and type of established form, and damper has been designed according to distribution of natural frequencies and vibration modes. In this study, numerical analysis is used to show the reduction effects of vibrations and present the design of damper for vibration reduction of cable.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.35-53
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• 2012

Mechanical dampers have been proved to be one of the most effective countermeasures for vibration mitigation of stay cables in various cable-stayed bridges over the world. However, for long stay cables, as the installation height of the damper is restricted due to the aesthetic concern, using passive dampers alone may not satisfy the control requirement of the stay cables. In this connection, semi-active MR dampers have been proposed for the vibration mitigation of long stay cables. Although various studies have been carried out on the implementation of MR dampers on stay cables, the optimal damping performance of the cable-MR damper system has yet to be evaluated. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of MR damper as a semi-active control device for the vibration mitigation of stay cable. The mathematical model of the MR damper will first be established through a performance test. Then, an efficient semi-active control strategy will be derived, where the damping of MR damper will be tuned according to the dynamic characteristics of stay cable, in order to achieve optimal damping of cable-damper system. Simulation study will be carried out to verify the proposed semi-active control algorithm for suppressing the cable vibrations induced by different loading patterns using optimally tuned MR damper. Finally, the effectiveness of MR damper in mitigating multi modes of cable vibration will be examined theoretically.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.615-639
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• 2016

Although the underlying mechanism of rain-wind induced vibrations (RWIVs) of stay cables has not been fully understood, some countermeasures have been successfully applied to mitigating this kind of vibration. Among these, installing dampers near the bridge deck was widely adopted, and several field observations have shown its effectiveness. In this study, the effectiveness of dampers to RWIVs of stay cables is numerically investigated comprehensively by means of finite difference method (FDM). Based on the free vibration analysis of a taut string, it is found that the 3-points triangle scheme, which can be easily implemented in FDM, can offer an excellent approximation of the concentrated damping coefficient (expressed as a Dirac delta function) at the location where the damper is installed. Then, free vibration analysis of a 3-D continuous stay cable attached with two dampers is carried out to study the relationship of modal damping ratio and damping coefficient of the dampers. The effects of orientation of the dampers and cable sag on the modal damping ratio are investigated in detail. Finally, the RWIV response of a 3-D continuous stay cable attached with two dampers is examined. The results indicate that 0.5% of damping ratio is sufficient to reduce the RWIV vibration of the Cable A20 on the No.2 Nanjing Bridge over Yangtze River.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.485-498
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• 2003

This paper presents a mechanical model of Rain-Wind Induced Vibration (RWIV) of stay cables. It is based on the physical interpretation of the phenomenon as given in Cosentino, et al. (2003, referred as Part I). The model takes into account all the main forces acting on cable, on the upper water rivulet (responsible of the excitation) and the cable-rivulet interaction. It is a simplified (cable cross-sectional and deterministic) representation of the actual (stochastic and three-dimensional) phenomenon. The cable is represented by its cross section and it is subjected to mechanical and aerodynamic (considering the rivulet influence) forces. The rivulet is supposed to oscillate along the cable circumference and it is subjected to inertial and gravity forces, pressure gradients and air-water-cable frictions. The model parameters are calibrated by fitting with experimental results. In order to validate the proposed model and its physical basis, different conditions (wind speed and direction, cable frequency, etc.) have been numerically investigated. The results, which are in very good agreement with the RWIV field observations, confirm the validity of the method and its engineering applicability (to evaluate the RWIV sensitivity of new stays or to retrofit the existing ones). Nevertheless, the practical use of the model probably requires a more accurate calibration of some parameters through new and specifically oriented wind tunnel tests.