VIBRATION SUPPRESSION MEASURES FOR STAY CABLES

Habib Tabatabai and Armin B. Mehrabi

Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc.
5420 Old Orchard Road
Skokie, Illinois 60077
ABSTRACT
Incidences of large-amplitude vibrations of stay cables
have been reported worldwide on a number of cable-
stayed bridges. The phenomenon of rain-wind vibration
has been cited as the cause of these vibrations in many
cases. In this paper, the available methods for
suppression of cable vibrations are briefly reviewed. In
a research project sponsored by the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), a non-dimensional finite
difference formulation for free vibration of cables has
been developed that includes the effects of intermediate
springs, dampers, cable bending stiffness, and cable
sag. Using this formulation, the effects of mechanical
viscous dampers on enhancement of the overall cable
damping are quantified. Simplified non-dimensional
relationships and design charts are presented that can
be used for selection of the size and location of external
dampers to achieve desired cable damping ratios. Using
the developed design tool and based on the available
criteria for suppression of rain-wind and galloping
vibrations, the minimum required cable damping ratios
can be determined.
NOMENCLATURE
D = cable outside diameter
EA = axial rigidity of cable
El = flexural rigidity of cable
H = horizontal force in cable
L = cable chord length
N = number of discretized cable elements
Sc = Scruton number
c = damping coefficient of mechanical
viscous damper
m = mass per unit length of cable
ld =
damper location parameter
8
=
damping ratio attributed to mechanical
A.z
damper (in percent)
=
sag-extensibility parameter
p =
mass density of air
~ = bending stiffness parameter
\1' = non-dimensional damping parameter for
mechanical viscous damper
INTRODUCTION
Incidences of large-amplitude vibrations (on the order of
1 to 2 meters) of inclined stay cables in cable-stayed
bridges have been reported worldwide when certain
combinations of rain and moderate wind exist[
11
Formation and movements of water rivulets on the
cables are believed to be the main contributing factors
for this phenomenon. This issue has raised great
concern for the bridge engineering community (due to
heightened fatigue stress ranges) and has been a cause
of deep anxiety for the observing public.
In general, stay cables consist of a bundle of 15.2-mm-
diameter, seven-wire strands with a nominal strength of
1860 MPa. The strand bundle is typically encased in a
polyethylene (or sometimes steel) pipe. Strands could
be uncoated, epoxy-coated, or individually greased and
coated with polyethylene sheathing. In U.S. practice,
cement grout is commonly injected into the pipe t ~
provide additional protection for the strands. Tabataba1
et al 1
2
1 developed a database of over 1400 stay cables
from 16 bridges. Based on this database, the average
length of a stay cable is 128 m, the average force is
4500 kN, and the average outside diameter is 0.182 m.
Irwin 1
3
1 proposes the following relationship as a means
of controlling cable vibrations due to the rain-wind
phenomenon:
m8
Sc = I 00 pD2 > I 0
Where Sc = Scruton number; m = mass per unit length;
8 is the damping ratio in percent; p = density of air; and
D= cable diameter. Based on the information in the
database of stay cables, a cable damping ratio of 0.7%
1237
would meet the above requirement for more than 90%
of stay cables in the database. The actual stay cable
damping ratios are generally in the range of 0.05% to
0.5% [
4
J.
VIBRATION CONTROL MEASURES
In general, three different types of vibration control
measures have been utilized in cable-stayed bridges. In
the most common method, neoprene washers (rings)
are placed in the annular space between the outside
diameter of the cable and a steel guide pipe (attached to
the bridge deck or tower) near the two cable
anchorages. Although, this neoprene washer adds
some level of damping to the cable, its presence has
typically not been sufficient to control the rain-wind
vibration phenomenon. The main purpose for this
neoprene device is to control flexural fatigue stresses at
the cable anchorages by providing partial support for the
cable at a relatively short distance away from the
anchorages. In lieu of the common neoprene washers,
a set of proprietary viscoelastic ring dampers is also
available.
In the second method, cross cables (or cross ties) that
transversely connect different cables together are
utilized. In such cases, special attention is required in
the design of the cable-cross tie connection, the level of
prestress in the cross cable, and fatigue considerations
for the cable, cross cable, and the connection. Cross
cables may also negatively impact the aesthetics of a
cable-stayed bridge. The level of damping contributed
by cross cables is not currently clear. Based on a set of
small-scale laboratory tests, Yamaguchi r
5
l concludes
that there is "more or less a damping-increase function"
in crossing main structural cables with secondary
cables. The damping increment can be caused by
additional damping from other cables, as well as energy
dissipation in the cross cables r
5
J. Yamaguchi r
5
l
suggests that the damping contribution of the cross
cables would be increased if "more flexible and more
energy-dissipative ties were used". Failure of cross
cables has been noted on at least one prominent cable-
stayed bridge r
6
l.
The third method for vibration control of stay cables
involves the use of mechanical viscous dampers
attached to the cables and supported by the bridge
deck. Such devices are generally attached to the cable
at a distance of 2 to 6% (of cable length) from the deck
level anchorage. This paper addresses the design
procedures for these types of cable dampers in detail.
DESIGN OF MECHANICAL VISCOUS
DAMPERS
External viscous dampers have been used to suppress
transverse cable vibrations, mostly induced by wind
excitation. However, simple and accurate damper
design provisions that concurrently consider all
important cable parameters such as cable sag and
bending stiffness are lacking. In most previous
treatments of this problem, stay cables have been
idealized as taut strings. In this way, the combined
effects of some of the parameters affecting dynamic
behavior of cables were ignored. The most important of
these parameters are sag-extensibility and bending
stiffness parameters which have been shown to
influence dynamic characteristics of stay cables [7].
In a research project sponsored by the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) r
2
l, the governing differential
equation for cable vibration was first converted to a
complex eigenvalue problem containing non-
dimensional parameters including those related to cable
bending stiffness, sag-extensibility, and viscous
dampers. Figure 1 shows the cable model with a
viscous damper attached at a distance Ld from one end.
The discretized non-dimensional form of the differential
equation greatly facilitated parametric studies for a vast
range of non-dimensional parameters for stay cables.
The database of stay cables r
2
J was utilized to identify
the range of relevant parameters in this study. Only
viscous dampers with constant damping factors were
considered. The non-dimensional complex eigenvalue
problem was repeatedly solved within the selected
range of parameters. Based on the results of these
parametric studies, the effects of dampers on the first
mode vibration frequencies and the additional first mode
damping ratios associated with external viscous
dampers were presented in non-dimensional format.
Furthermore, simplified relationships were proposed to
relate first mode damping ratios to non-dimensional
cable and damper parameters. Based on the proposed
simple relationships, design equations were presented
for use in the selection of dampers in stay cables. The
following section summarizes the proposed design
process based on the results of this research.
The non-dimensional parameters used to develop and
present the results of this study are as follows:
ljl = C/(Hm)
05
~ = L (H/Eil
5
where L = cable chord length; g = acceleration of
gravity; 8 = cable inclination angle; H = cable force
along the chord; EA =axial rigidity of cable; El = flexural
rigidity; C = damping factor for the damper; and,
(mgLcose I H) 2
Le:: L [I+ S ]
For any damper location, there is an optimum damper
parameter (ljle). This means that as the damping factor
of the damper (C) is increased, the damping ratio of the
cable increases up to a maximum value beyond which
the damping contribution decreases. Therefore, over-
design of dampers may be counter-productive. For a
damper located at 2, 4, or 6% of cable length from the
1238
anchorage (!d of 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06), the optimum
damper parameters are 20, 8, and 6, respectively.
First mode damping ratios (in percent) were calculated
and plotted for the ranges of "'A
2
and parameters
discussed earlier. The complete sets of plots are given
by Tabatabai et al. [
2
1. Figure 2 shows one of these plots
obtained for !d = 0.04 and \Jf = 8. The intrinsic damping
of cable has been ignored in these analyses. Therefore,
the entire calculated damping ratio is directly attributable
to the damper.
These analyses showed that the effect of mechanical
dampers is not very sensitive to sag-extensibility
parameter () ..
2
) for the range of A.
2
up to 1. This range
covers more than 95% of cables in the stay cable
database. For A.
2
values greater than 1, the damping
ratio, 8 (in percent) decreases slightly as ),
2
increases.
This reduction is most noticeable for bending stiffness
parameters larger than 100. Therefore, for A.
2
smaller
than 1, the damping ratio attributable to the damper can
be assumed to be independent of the sag-extensibility
parameter.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 show plots for damper locations of 2,
4, and 6 percent of cable length from one end,
respectively. For clarity, only a portion of calculated
data has been reported in these figures. For a damper
located at 2 percent (1 d = 0.02), the optimum damping
parameter (\Jf
8
) is 20. It can be noted in Fig. 3 that,
when bending stiffness parameters are less than
about 100, higher \Jf values result in higher damping
ratios than that of the optimum damping parameter.
However, since the vast majority of cables (more than
82 percent) in the database have parameters greater
than 100, the optimum \Jf value in this case is still
considered to be about 20. A more accurate selection
of optimum \Jf can be made for values for each
specific case by referring directly to relationship curves
presented. For !d of 0.04 and 0.06, the optimum
damping parameters are 8 and 6, respectively.
For damping parameters less than or equal to \Jfe, the
relationship between the first mode cable damping ratio
and the bending stiffness parameter can be
approximated by the following equation:
where, a, b, c, and d are defined for !d of 0.02, 0.04,
and 0.06 in Table 1. The above equation was derived
based on a series of regression analyses with a
minimum coefficient of determination, R
2
, of 0.96. For 0
< \Jf < 2, a linear interpolation can be used between 8
calculated for \Jf = 2 using the above equation and 8 = 0
for \Jf = 0.
Kovacs [SJ concluded that the maximum possible
damping ratio attainable in any mode is approximately
0.5 !d. This indicates maximum damping ratios of 1, 2,
and 3 percent for 1 d = 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06,
respectively. This relationship is a simple yet accurate
rule-of-thumb.
In this paper, the intrinsic damping of the cable is
conservatively ignored. The developed equations can
be used to design a damper (for specific attachment
locations near the deck anchorage).
Design Equation
The following design relationships are based on the
above equation:
when 2 S \jf S \Jfe
d (" b + )
= 2 89 \jf c; c <;:
\Jf . a u
when 0 < \jf < 2
When the subject cable includes neoprene rings and
transition near anchorages, the effective length concept
proposed by Tabatabai et al. [
2
1 can be utilized to convert
the problem into an effective cable without transitions
and neoprene rings before applying the damper
relationships presented in this chapter. Also, if the
mechanical viscous damper to be used for stay cables
incorporates an internal spring, the general finite
difference formulation developed by Tabatabai et al. [
2
1
can provide a solution to the damper selection problem.
In addition to the rain-wind design issues discussed
above, it is important that the designers consider the
minimum cable damping required for control of other
types of vibrations including galloping of cables at
maximum design wind speeds. Irwin [
3
1 makes
recommendations for the cable damping ratios required
for control of inclined cable galloping. The highest cable
damping ratio required to address all types of cable
vibrations can then be used to design the size and
location of damper based on the above equations.
Example
Assume that a cable with the following properties is in
need of a mechanical damper to suppress rain-wind
induced vibrations: L = 93 m; H = 5017 kN; = 119; D =
0.225 m; m = 114.09 kg/m; p = 1.29 kg/m
3
. To design a
damper located at Ld = 0.02 L (!d = 0.02) to suppress
rain-wind vibration, a minimum d of 0.57 (in percent)
would be required based on the above equation.
1239
With 8 = 0.57 and a trial and error process a lj.l of 8.43
is found using the above equation.
2.0 < lj.l = 8.43 < lj./e = 20
Similar results can be obtained directly from Fig. 3 using
8 = 0.57 a n d ~ = 119.
For a cable length of 93 m, a damper with a C value of
202 kN s/m (C = lj.l .jHiTi , lj.l = 8.43) should be attached
1.86 meters from the cable end.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
To prevent excessive vibration in stay cables (rain-wind
induced or galloping vibrations), a minimum damping
ratio is required for cables. Stay cables possess some
(relatively small) level of intrinsic damping. This
damping may not be adequate for suppressing
excessive vibrations in some cables. In this paper,
simple design equations were proposed for determining
the location and size of viscous dampers that can be
used for suppression of stay cable vibrations including
rain-wind induced vibrations. In the derivation of
recommended damping parameters for external viscous
dampers, the intrinsic damping of cables have been
conservatively ignored. When a damper is located in
the general vicinity of the specified locations in the
proposed equations, a linear interpolation may be used
to specify the required damper properties.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study presented in this paper was supported by the
Federal Highway Administration under Contract No.
DTFH-61-96-C-00029. Opinions expressed in this
paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily
represent those of the Federal Highway Administration.
REFERENCES
[1] Matsumoto, M., Shiraishi, N., and Shirato, H. (1992).
"Rain-wind induced vibration of cables of cable-
stayed bridges." J. Wind Engrg. and /ndust.
Aerodynamics, 41-44, 2011-2022.
[2] Tabatabai, H., Mehrabi, A.B., Morgan, B.J., and Lotti,
H.R. (1998). "Non-destructive bridge evaluation
technology: bridge stay cable condition
assessment." Report submitted to the Federal
Highway Administration, Construction Technology
Laboratories, Inc., Skokie, IL.
[3] Irwin, P.A. (1997). "Wind vibrations of cables on
cable-stayed bridges." Proc., ASCE Structures
Congress, Vol. 1, 383-387.
[4] PTI (1998), "Recommendations for Stay Cable
Design, Testing and Installation," 4th Draft, Post-
Tensioning Institute Committee on Cable-Stayed
Bridges, March 1998.
[5] Yamaguchi, H., "Passive Damping Control in Cable
Systems." Building for the 21st Century, Y.C. Loo,
Editor, EASEC-5 Secretariat, Griffith University,
Australia.
[6] Poston, R.W. (1998). "Cable-Stay Conundrum."
Civil Engineering, ASCE, August 1998, pp. 58-61.
[7] Mehrabi, A.B., and Tabatabai, H. (1998). "A unified
finite difference formulation for free vibration of
cables." J. Struc. Engrg., ASCE, November 1998.
[8] Kovacs, I. (1982). "Zur frage der seilschwingungen
und der seildampfung." Die Bautechnik, 10, 325-332
(in German).
Table I: Parameters used in design equation.
fct a b c d
0.02 0.259 2.080 5,613 -0.129
0.04 1.276 1.795 841 0.081
0.06 3.278 1.700 259 0.305
1240
H ... I ( ~ -
I
a
L
Figure 1. Cable with viscous damper
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
Figure 2. Damping ratio (%) for damper at r ct=0.04, \j/=8
1241
~ H
410
---\j/=2 ----\j/=4 - - - - - - - \j/=6 ---- -\j/=8 ----- \j/=10
---\j/=20
- -\j/=30 - - - -\j/=40 - - -\j/=50 - - -\j/=60
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
r.()
0.5
---------- .;..:..-.:.:.-..:.:.--=.:.-=-=
-------
-- --- ... - -- -- -- -------- - -- -
-- ,..,;; - -- --
, -' -- -..::,., ...-G'"' ;.._ -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
--
,. /...::;;.;. -- - - --- ------- ---- -- - -- --- - - -- -- --
________ ,.._._.._----------
,--- --
, ........... ______ ---------
0.4
,
---------------
---
----------
--
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Figure 3. Damping ratio for different bending stiffness parameters, damper at 1.?=0.01
---\j/=2 ----\j/=4 - - - - - - - \j/=6 \j/=8 ---- -\j/=10
- - - - - \j/=20 - -\j/=30 - - - - \j/=40 - - - \j/=50 -- -\j/=60
2.5
----------------------------------------
-----
----
---
---
2.0
1.5 .
----------------
---
------------- .. ----------------
1.0
------
---------------
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- ------------- -
-------------------
0.5 ------------------
0.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Figure 4. Damping ratio for different bending stiffness parameters, damper at rct=0.04, 1}=0.01
1242
500
---\j/=2 ----\j/=4 ---\j/=6 ---- -\j/=8 ----- \j/=10
- - - - - - - \j/=20 - -\j/=30 - - - \j/=40 - - -\j/=50 - - -\j/=60
3.5
3.0
------
-----------------------------------
2.5
2.0
tA:)
1.5
---------
--------------------------------------------
1.0 ---------------
-- -- -- -- - - - - - - ------ --
0.5
0.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Figure 5. Damping ratio for different bending stiffness parameters, damper at r ct=0.06, A?=O.O 1
1243