Journal of Sound and Vibration (1995) 181(1), 7183

ENERGY-BASED EVALUATION OF MODAL

DAMPING IN STRUCTURAL CABLES WITH
AND WITHOUT DAMPING TREATMENT
H. Y:x:cicni :Nb R. Abnii:ri
Department of Civil Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Urawa,
Saitama 338, Japan
(Received 19 Janaury 1993, and in nal form 6 December 1993)
The modal damping characteristics of single structural cables are analytically
investigated in this paper. An energy-based representation of modal damping in structural
cables is rst derived in the form of the product of modal strain energy ratio and loss factor.
The ratio of the modal strain energy to the total potential energy associated with modal
vibration is next calculated numerically for both axial and bending deformation, by
applying a nite element method, and the characteristics of each strain energy ratio in each
mode of the structural cable is studied. It is deduced from the present analysis that the
modal damping in a structural cable is generally very low because of the very large
contribution of the initial cable stress to the total potential energy, causing very small modal
strain energy ratios. The modal damping of the damping treated structural cable [1] is also
estimated by using the same energy-based representation. The performance and the
eectiveness of this damping treatment on structural cables is nally discussed, based on
the estimated values of the modal damping.
1. INTRODUCTION
Over the past several decades, cables have gained wide popularity as structural members
because of their light weight and high strength. Recent advances in structural and
constructional technologies have also enabled engineers to use the cable eciently in
relatively large structures such as long span cable-supported bridges. However, it is well
known that structural cables, because of their high exibility, light weight and low damping
characteristics, are easily excited into severe oscillations through the dynamic eects of
wind or rainwind interaction. In order to predict the dynamic behavior of a single
structural cable, or of the whole cable structure, estimation of modal damping is
indispensable because the dynamic response depends signicantly on the modal damping
ratios. However, it is dicult to estimate analytically the modal damping of cable
structures. As a result, the present day practice of estimating the damping performance
of cable structures, such as cable-stayed bridges, is based on an empirical approach based
on eld experimental data, rather than on an analytical approach.
In this paper, the energy approach is adopted to evaluate analytically the modal
damping of a single structural cable. The evaluation of the total potential energy and the
strain energy associated with each vibration mode gives one the modal damping, based
on the loss factor. The loss factor is dened, for the possible deformation of the cable,
as the ratio of the energy dissipated to the elastic energy stored per cycle of vibration. The
ratio of the modal strain energy to the total modal potential energy, which appears
explicitly in the energy-based representation of modal damping of the structural cable, is
71
0022460X/95/110071 +13 $08.00/0 7 1995 Academic Press Limited
n. .:x:cicni :Nb r. :bnii:ri 72
Figure 1. A cross-section of a damping-treated structural cable.
calculated numerically for both axial and bending deformations, by a nite element
method. The characteristics of each strain energy ratio, in each mode of the structural
cable, is rst studied based on the analytical results. The modal damping of the structural
cable is then discussed.
This energy-based approach is next extended to estimate the modal damping of
structural cable with a damping treatment, previously studied in reference [1]. In the
damping treatment proposed in the reference, a layer of viscoelastic material is supposed
to be introduced between the existing outer cover and the inner wire strands of a structural
cable, as shown in Figure 1. The main idea of the damping treatment is to increase the
modal damping of structural cables at the material level, in order to reduce cable vibrations
to serviceable limits, without the use of any external damping devices [2], or without the
application of any extra external energy supply, as required in active control [3]. The
material damping imparted by such a damping treatment applied to structural cables was
investigated in reference [1], in terms of the loss factor. In the present paper, the
energy-based approach is applied to evaluate the structural damping of a single suspended
structural cable in order to investigate the eectiveness of such a damping treatment in
terms of modal damping. Only the increment in the modal damping ratio induced by the
damping treatment is estimated, it being assumed, as in reference [1], that the introduction
of such viscoelastic material does not alter the original damping characteristics of the
structural cable. The eectiveness of the damping treatment is then discussed, based on
the estimated value of the modal damping increment.
2. EVALUATION OF MODAL DAMPING RATIOS
Modal damping is dened as the damping associated with each mode of vibration of
a damped system. According to the energy-based denition of the damping ratio [4], the
modal damping for the nth mode (j
n
) is evaluated as the ratio of the modal dissipated
energy per cycle (D
n
) to the modal potential energy (U
n
):
j
n
=D
n
/4pU
n
. (1)
Cables in cable structures are applied with initial tension in order to maintain the static
equilibrium. This initial tension gives rise to the geometrical stiness which constitutes a
dominant part in the total stiness of the cable. In the case of structural cables under
vibration, the initial tension in the cable also performs work against the dynamic strain
in the cable, which is equivalent to the potential energy associated with the geometrical
stiness [5]. Therefore, in the case of cables, the total potential energy (U
n
) is composed
of the modal potential energy of the initial tension in the cable (U
tn
), the modal strain
energy due to the axial deformation (U
an
) and the modal strain energy due to the bending
deformation (U
bn
): that is,
U
n
=U
tn
+U
an
+U
bn
. (2)
rNrrc.-n:srb rv:ii:1ioN or c:nir b:xiiNc 73
Note that the bending deformation is also taken into account in this paper to evaluate
the modal damping of the cable, while the bending stiness is generally neglected in the
mechanics of ordinary structural cables. This is because the bending deformation might
contribute to some extent to the total modal damping of the cable, especially when the
cable has a damping treatment.
As for the modal dissipated energy in the structural cable (D
n
), there can be various
sources of energy dissipation. However, since the main objective of the present study is
to investigate the inherent damping characteristics of structural cables, only the internal
sources are considered, and the external sources of dissipation, such as aerodynamic
damping, are neglected. Two internal sources of energy dissipation can be identied in the
case of exural vibration of cables: the energy dissipated by the axial deformation (D
an
)
and the energy dissipated by the bending deformation (D
bn
). Although the energy
dissipation by the axial deformation (D
an
) is the major source of internal damping in the
case of ordinary structural cables [6, 7], the energy dissipation due to the bending
deformation (D
bn
) may not be negligible in the case of damping treated cables because of
the larger value of the bending loss factor [1]. The loss factor h is one of the damping
parameters and is dened by the ratio of the dynamically dissipated energy to the strain
energy stored per cycle [8]. Upon introducing this loss factor for each deformation, the
modal energy dissipation associated with the axial and the bending deformations are
represented by
D
n
=D
an
+D
bn
=2p(U
an
h
a
+U
bn
h
b
), (3)
where h
a
and h
b
are the axial and bending loss factors of the structural cables.
Substituting equations (2) and (3) into equation (1) gives the nal form of the expression
for the nth modal damping as
j
n
=
1
2
0
U
an
U
n
h
a
+
U
bn
U
n
h
b
1
. (4)
From equation (4), it is evident that the evaluation of the modal potential energy
ratios, as well as the loss factors, is indispensable for the estimation of modal damping
and for the investigation of the eectiveness of the damping treatment in structural
cables.
3. MODAL POTENTIAL ENERGY IN STRUCTURAL CABLES
3.1. 1nrorr1ic:i rxirrssioN ror io1rN1i:i rNrrc. or iNi1i:ii. s1rrssrb c:nirs
Structural cables are initially stressed in order to support other structural members. The
static equilibrium conguration of such an initially stressed structural cable is chosen here
as a reference state of the cable dynamics. The variational principle for initially stressed
problems, given in reference [5], is then directly applied to the present problem. Upon
denoting the initial stress (induced in the cable by the distributed load f
0i
per unit arc length
of the cable) by s
0
and assuming no bending stiness in the cable, the static equilibrium
equation for the initial conguration x
i
is then given as [9]
d
ds
0
As
0
dx
i
ds
1
+f
0i
=0, i =1, 2, 3, (5)
where s is the initial arc length and A is the cross-sectional area of the cable.
n. .:x:cicni :Nb r. :bnii:ri 74
Now consider an additional dynamic distributed force f
i
(including the inertia force)
which causes an additional stress s and an additional displacement u
i
from the initial state.
The principle of virtual work for this initial stress problem is then derived as
g
L
0
A(s
0
+s)do ds
g
L
0
(f
0i
+f
i
)du
i
ds =0, (6)
where L is the initial cable length and the summation convention is applied with respect
to the subscript i. In equation (6), o is the axial strain from the initial state and is dened
as [10]
o =
dx
i
ds
1u
i
1s
+
1
2
1u
i
1s
1u
i
1s
. (7)
Substitution of equations (5) and (7) transforms equation (6) into
g
L
0
Asdo ds +
g
L
0
As
0
1u
i
1s
du
i
1s
ds
g
L
0
f
i
du
i
ds =0. (8)
The rst term of equation (8) gives the following expression for the strain energy in the
cable due to the dynamic stress from the initial state:
U
a
=
1
2
g
L
0
EAo
2
ds. (9)
Here E is the Youngs modulus of the cable. The second term in equation (8), on the other
hand, would give the following potential energy (U
t
) due to the initial stress s
0
:
U
t
=
1
2
g
L
0
As
0
1u
i
1s
1u
i
1s
ds. (10)
Note that only the non-linear part of the axial strain given by the second part of equation
(7) constitutes the potential energy of the initial stress of the cable [5].
The bending strain energy of a cable is also evaluated in this study, in order to take into
account the energy dissipation due to bending deformation. The bending moment of a
curved bar is related to the curvature change from the initial state, which is the same as
an initially straight bar, and the bending strain energy can be represented by [11]
U
b
=
1
2
g
L
0
EIk
2
ds, (11)
where I is the cross-sectional moment of inertia and k is the curvature change of the cable
from the initial state and is dened as
k =k* k
0
. (12)
In equation (12), k* and k
0
are the curvature of the vibrating cable conguration and that
of the initial cable conguration, respectively, and are obtained from [12]
k*
2
=
1
2
(x
i
+u
i
)
1s
2
1
2
(x
i
+u
i
)
1s
2
, k
2
0
=
1
2
x
i
1s
2
1
2
x
i
1s
2
. (13a, b)
3.2. riNi1r rirxrN1 xr1nob ror rv:ii:1ioN or xob:i io1rN1i:i rNrrc.
In order to evaluate the modal potential energy in cables under exural vibration, nite
element analysis was conducted. A three-node non-linear cable element with a quadratic
polynomial shape function [1315] was used. The static conguration of the cable was rst
analyzed non-linearly under the action of its self-weight, and then the eigenvalue problem
rNrrc.-n:srb rv:ii:1ioN or c:nir b:xiiNc 75
was solved for small oscillations about the static equilibrium position. From the calculated
normal mode vectors, the additional axial strain, the curvature change, and hence each
component of modal potential energy were calculated for each nite element.
The ith component of the initial static position vector x
i
at any point on the cable
element is expressed in terms of the nodal variable X
a
i
at the node a as
x
e
i
(s
e
) = s
3
a =1
N
a
(s
e
)X
a
i
, i =1, 2, 3, (14)
where the superscript e is used for element variables and N
a
(a =1, 2, 3) are the quadratic
shape functions given in references [1315]. The ith component of the nth modal
displacement u
ni
is then described in the same form with the calculated normal mode vector
{f
a
ni
} and the natural frequency v
n
,
u
e
ni
(s
e
, t) = s
3
a =1
N
a
(s
e
)A
r
f
a
ni
cos v
n
t, i =1, 2, 3, (15)
where A
r
is the reference amplitude of vibration. When the modal potential energy per
cycle is considered, only the time invariant part in equation (15) is to be used for the
evaluation of the three components of the modal potential energy given in equations (9),
(10) and (11) along with equations (7), (12) and (13). In this case, the dynamic strain
amplitude should be carefully dened especially for highly sagged cables as was discussed
in reference [7]. It is also worth mentioning that the integrations for each element
were done by applying Gauss integration to obtain accurate values of the potential
energy [16].
Once each component of the modal potential energy has been calculated for single
suspended cables, the energy ratios which are necessary for the estimation of the modal
damping are easily calculated. The sag-to-span ratio is taken as one of the main parameters
in the analysis of the modal energy ratios because modal characteristics of single suspended
cables are aected signicantly by the sag-to-span ratio [9, 10]. Since the non-linear
straindisplacement relations are used for the evaluation of the axial strain and the
curvature associated with the modal vibrations, the amplitude of modal vibration is also
varied in the analysis. A 200 m spanned steel cable with a diameter of 015 m was analyzed
as an example, and, after checking the convergence of solutions, 40 elements were used
in the cable for the nite element analysis.
Figure 2. The modal energy ratio versus the sag ratio. (a) Axial strain energy ratio; (b) bending strain energy
ratio. , The rst symmetric mode; , the rst asymmetric mode; - - - - - -, the second symmetric mode;
, the second asymmetric mode.
n. .:x:cicni :Nb r. :bnii:ri 76
3.3. cn:r:c1rris1ics or xob:i io1rN1i:i rNrrc. r:1ios iN s1ric1ir:i c:nirs
The changes in the modal potential energy ratios with respect to the variation in
sag ratio were calculated and are shown in Figure 2 for the rst four modes. The
modal amplitude of vibration was kept at 01% of the span length in this case. As is
seen in Figure 2, the axial as well as the bending strain energy ratios, for asymmetric
modes, increase monotonically with increasing sag ratio. On the contrary, the energy
ratio of the symmetric modes has a relatively large increase in certain ranges of the
sag ratio. These are known as the modal transition regions, where the lower symmetric
mode of vibration changes into a higher one [9, 10]. It is also seen in Figure 2 that the
magnitude of the axial energy ratio for the shallow cables, the sag ratio of which is
less than 001, is at most of the order of 10
2
and that the bending energy ratio is
even smaller. This is because the main contribution to the total potential energy is from
the initial tension, as depicted in Figure 3, where the comparison of each energy
component, non-dimensionalized by EAL, is made for dierent modes. In most cases, the
potential energy of initial tension is several orders greater than the axial strain energy. The
only exception is the axial strain energy of symmetric modes, in the modal transition region
of the sag ratio. The maximum value of the modal axial strain energy in the modal
transition region is almost the same in magnitude as the initial tension potential. It is also
conrmed, from Figure 3, that the axial strain energy is always larger than the bending
strain energy, but the dierence is not very large except for the symmetric modes in the
modal transition region. Furthermore, the total potential energy of each mode decreases
monotonically with increasing sag ratio, mainly because of a decrease in the magnitude
of the initial tension. This induces the increasing tendency of the energy ratios with sag
ratio in Figure 2.
Figure 3. The modal energy versus the sag ratio. (a) The rst symmetric mode; (b) the rst asymmetric mode;
(c) the second symmetric mode; (d) the second asymmetric mode. , Total energy; - - - - -, potential energy
of initial tension; , axial strain energy; , bending strain energy.
rNrrc.-n:srb rv:ii:1ioN or c:nir b:xiiNc 77
Figure 4. The modal energy ratio versus the modal amplitude of vibration. (a) Axial strain energy ratio;
(b) bending strain energy ratio. , The rst symmetric mode; , the rst asymmetric mode; - - - - - -, the
second symmetric mode; , the second asymmetric mode.
The inuence of the amplitude of vibration on the modal potential energy ratio is shown
in Figure 4 for a sag ratio of 0005. The abscissa of the gure is the reference amplitude
of vibration A
r
, non-dimensionalized by the cable span length L*. In Figure 4(a) is shown
a non-linear dependency of the axial energy ratio on the amplitude of vibration. It is seen
in Figure 4(a) that the axial energy ratio for the rst mode is nearly constant, but for the
higher modes it increases with increasing the amplitude. This is because of the involvement
of the nonlinear term in equation (7) for the axial straindisplacement relation. As is
Figure 5. The modal dynamic strain amplitude versus the modal amplitude of vibration. (a) The rst symmetric
mode; (b) the rst asymmetric mode; (c) the second symmetric mode; (d) the second asymmetric mode.
, Linear; , non-linear.
n. .:x:cicni :Nb r. :bnii:ri 78
indicated in Figure 5, where comparisons between linear and non-linear components of
modal dynamic strain for dierent modes are made, the non-linear strain amplitude of the
rst symmetric mode is always smaller than its linear value, whereas the non-linear
dynamic strain amplitude of the rst and the second asymmetric modes are always greater
than their linear values. The linear values of dynamic strain amplitudes for asymmetric
modes are practically zero. The non-linear dynamic strain amplitude for the second
symmetric mode of vibration, in Figure 5(c), is less than its linear value up to a certain
amplitude of vibration and then it becomes much larger than the linear value for the higher
amplitudes of vibrations. Therefore, it can be concluded that the linear strain is dominant
only in the case of the rst symmetric mode, and the non-linear term of the axial strain
expression is the main source of dynamic strain for the second symmetric mode with larger
amplitude and for the asymmetric modes.
As for the bending energy, it is evident from Figure 4(b) that the dependency of the
bending strain energy ratio on the amplitude of vibration is very weak. This is because
the dynamic curvature of the cable has a very weak nonlinear dependency on the amplitude
of vibration, and the vibration amplitude considered here is still small; hence the
non-linearity cannot be recognized even though the non-linear relation for the curvature
is used.
4. MODAL DAMPING OF STRUCTURAL CABLES
4.1. crNrr:i cn:r:c1rris1ics or xob:i b:xiiNc iN s1ric1ir:i c:nirs
The modal damping of ordinary or damping-untreated structural cable can now be
investigated quantitatively by neglecting the bending term in equation (4). The per cycle
energy dissipation in ordinary structural cables has been experimentally investigated [17]
and it is easily estimated from that study that the loss factor of structural cable has a value
between 004 to 006. Furthermore, it is seen in Figure 2 that the rst mode axial energy
ratio, for the sag ratio of 0005, which is a typical value for the cable in cable-stayed
bridges, is about 8 10
2
. Therefore, the modal damping ratio of the rst symmetric
mode, which gives the maximum modal damping, is estimated to be 0002 (00125 in
logarithmic decrement) by taking the average value of the loss factor, namely 005. Since
it is generally observed, from eld experiments, that the modal damping of structural
cables in long cable-stayed bridges is about 001 or less, based on the logarithmic
decrement, the present analytical estimate of modal damping is very consistent. If there
had been no initial stress in the cable, the energy ratio would have been 10, which gives
a modal damping ratio of 0025, more than ten times greater than the damping ratio of
the initially stressed cable. As was discussed earlier in this paper, the potential energy of
the initial stress of the cable is very high and does not contribute to the energy dissipation
in exural vibration. Therefore, it is concluded that the modal damping of structural cables
cannot be large because of the existence of the initial stress in the structural cables.
As can be seen from the energy-based denition of the modal damping in equation (4),
there could be two alternative ways to increase the modal damping of strutural cables:
either increase the modal energy ratios or increase the loss factors. The modal energy ratios
can be increased by increasing the sag ratio, because an increase in sag ratio decreases the
amount of initial tension potential energy and hence gives higher energy ratio, as depicted
in Figures 2 and 3. This in turn induces increased damping. However, increasing the sag
ratio is not recommended because it results in the reduction of the stiness of the structure.
Increasing the loss factors should, therefore, be considered in order to realize a high
damping cable, and the damping treatment shown in Figure 1 will be considered next.
rNrrc.-n:srb rv:ii:1ioN or c:nir b:xiiNc 79
4.2. ioss r:c1ors or b:xiiNc 1rr:1rb s1ric1ir:i c:nirs
In the authors previous paper [1], the loss factors of damping treated structural cable
were discussed and explicit formulae for the axial loss factor and the bending loss factor
were derived analytically, by using the complex stiness approach. The results are
summarized below.
The axial loss factor h
a
is obtained as
h
a
h
v
=
e
v
EA/(EA)
cable $
{4t
v
(t
v
+1) +1}
6
(1 +2N)
2
1 +3N+3N
2
7
1
%
, (16)
where h
v
is the loss factor of the viscoelastic material in the damping treatment, e
v
(=E
v
/E
cable
) is the ratio of the Youngs modulus of the viscoelastic material to that of the
cable strand, t
v
(=T
v
/d) is the thickness of the viscoelastic layer non-dimensionalized by
the diameter of untreated original cable without the outer cover (see Figure 1), and N is
the number of strand layers in the cable. The axial stiness ratio of the damping treated
cable to the original cable, appearing in the denominator of equation (16), is given by
EA
(EA)
cable
=
EA
sv
EA
cable
+{4e
v
t
v
(t
v
+1) +4e
co
t
co
(t
co
+2t
v
+1)}
6
(1 +2N)
2
1 +3N+3N
2
7
, (17)
where e
co
(=E
co
/E
cable
) and t
co
(=T
co
/d) are the Youngs modulus and the thickness ratios
of the outer cover, respectively.
The expression for the bending loss factor h
b
is given as
h
b
h
v
=
1
EI/(EI)
cable
(a
1
a
2
+a
3
), (18)
with
a
1
=e
v
{(1 +2t
v
)
4
1}, (19a)
a
2
=4e
v
t
v
6
(1 +t
v
)
2
+
t
2
v
3
+
2
3
t
v
(1 +t
v
)
7
(1 +2t
v
+t
co
)
1
(1 +g)
2
+(gh
v
)
2
, (19b)
a
3
=8e
co
t
co
6
(1 +2t
v
+t
co
)
2
+
t
2
co
3
7
(1 +2t
v
+t
co
)
g
(1 +g)
2
+(gh
v
)
2
, (19c)
g =(G/4p
2
E
co
t
co
t
v
)l
2
, l =(2L/nd), (19d, e)
where G
v
is the shear modulus of the viscoelastic material, l is the non-dimensional
wavelength, L is the length of the cable and n is the mode number. The bending stiness
ratio appearing in the denominator of equation (18) is given by
EI/(EI)
cable
=1 +e
v
{(1 +2t
v
)
4
1} +e
co
{(1 +2t
v
+2t
co
)
4
(1 +2t
v
)
4
}
8e
v
t
2
v
6
(1 +t
v
)
2
+
t
2
v
3
+
2
3
t
v
(1 +t
v
)
7
(1 +2t
v
+t
co
)/t
v
1 +g
16e
co
t
co
t
v
6
(1 +2t
v
+t
co
)
2
+
t
2
co
3
7
(1 +2t
v
+t
co
)/t
v
1 +g
. (20)
The axial loss factor ratio, as given by equation (16), along with equation (17), is plotted
in Figure 6(a) for e
co
=10 and t
co
=005. The Youngs modulus ratio e
v
and the thickness
ratio t
v
of the viscoelastic material are taken as the main parameters in Figure 6(a).
Equation (18), dening the bending loss factor ratio, is also plotted in Figure 6(b) against
the Youngs modulus ratio of the viscoelastic material for dierent non-dimensional
n. .:x:cicni :Nb r. :bnii:ri 80
Figure 6. The loss factor versus the Youngs modulus ratio of viscoelastic material [1]. (a) Axial loss factor
ratio. , tV =000; - - - - - -, tV =005; , tV=010. (b) Bending loss factor ratio. , l=267 10
3
;
, l =133 10
3
; - - - - -, l =889 10
3
; , l=667 10
3
.
wavelengths which are estimated for the rst four vibration modes of a 200 m span cable
with a diameter of 015 m. The other parameters of the damping treatment are e
co
=10,
t
co
=005 and t
v
=005. In the analysis, these parameters of the damping treatment were
selected as being practically reasonable and the loss factor of the viscoelastic material h
v
is assumed to be 10 in the subsequent discussions. As can be seen in Figure 6, the bending
loss factor is much larger than the axial loss factor if a soft viscoelastic material, with small
Youngs modulus, is used for the damping treatment. However, for a sti treatment, there
is no dierence in magnitude between the axial loss factor and the bending loss factor.
This is in contradiction with the damping treatment applied to plates or beams, where a
viscoelastic material with a relatively higher Youngs modulus is recommended in order
to achieve a higher damping eect. In cases of beams or plates, the main source of damping
in such a damping treatment lies in the shear deformation of the viscoelastic material. In
the case of cables, however, it is not very easy to induce shear deformation in a relatively
stier viscoelastic material because of the long wavelengths of vibration in cables
undergoing exural vibrations. Therefore, if a stier viscoelastic material is used in
damping treatment of long structural cables, the main source of damping becomes the axial
deformation rather than the shear deformation.
4.3. rrrrc1ivrNrss or b:xiiNc 1rr:1xrN1 or s1ric1ir:i c:nirs
The eectiveness of damping treatment of structural cables is investigated by estimating
the increase of the modal damping ratio of the cable caused by the damping treatment.
For this, the energy ratios previously obtained in Figures 2 and 4 are combined with the
loss factors calculated and depicted in Figure 6. The results of the analysis for the modal
damping increment are shown in Figures 7 and 8. Sag ratios of 0005 or 001 only are
considered, because our main concern is the structural cable used in long spanned
cable-stayed bridges. Although slight changes in the mode shapes can be identied with
the increase in the sag ratio even up to a sag ratio of 001, it is assumed, for simplicity,
that the change in the mode shape or the wavelength is negligible.
In Figure 7 is depicted the increment of the modal damping ratio, in the damping treated
cable with the sag ratio of 0005, subjected to an amplitude of vibration equal to 01%
of the span length. The Youngs modulus ratio of the viscoelastic material, e
v
, is taken as
a variable in Figure 7. As is seen in equation (4), the modal damping is a function of both
the modal potential energy ratios and the loss factors, and hence the tendency of the modal
rNrrc.-n:srb rv:ii:1ioN or c:nir b:xiiNc 81
Figure 7. The modal damping ratio versus the Youngs modulus ratio of viscoelastic material. , The rst
symmetric mode; , the rst asymmetric mode; - - - - -, the second symmetric mode; , the second
asymmetric mode.
damping curve is a reection of both the characteristics of the loss factor and the
characteristics of the energy ratio. From Figure 7, it is seen that the modal damping, i.e.,
the eectiveness of the damping treatment, is strongly dependent on the mode shape. This
is not only because the bending loss factor is strongly dependent on the wavelength, but
also because the modal energy ratios are dierent for dierent modes. If vibration control
of the rst mode is of most concern, then a stier viscoelastic material would be preferred,
whereas a softer viscoelastic materal would be more eective in suppression of higher
modes of vibration. From Figure 7, one sees that the maximum value of the modal
damping ratio for the case considered here is only about 00004, which corresponds to a
logarithmic decrement of 0003. It is generally observed, from wind tunnel experiments,
that an additional damping required for suppression of rainwind induced vibration of
cables, in cable-stayed bridges, is of the order of 001 or 002 (based on the logarithmic
decrement), which is equivalent to modal damping ratios of 16 10
3
or 32 10
3
respectively. Therefore, it should be concluded that the damping treatment proposed in
reference [1] is not very eective in this case.
Figure 8. The modal damping ratio versus the modal amplitude of vibration. (a) Sag ratio =0005; (b) sag
ratio =001. , The rst symmetric mode; , the rst asymmetric mode; - - - - -, the second symmetric
mode; , the second asymmetric mode.
n. .:x:cicni :Nb r. :bnii:ri 82
The eect of the amplitude of vibration on the modal damping of the damping treated
cable is shown in Figure 8, for e
v
=0025. Figure 8(a) is for a sag ratio of 0005 and
Figure 8(b) is for a sag ratio of 001. It is clear that the modal damping curve reects both
the characteristics of the loss factor and the characteristics of the energy ratio, and since
the energy ratio has amplitude dependency, the modal damping is also dependent on the
amplitude of vibration. The modal damping of higher modes increases and approaches that
of the rst mode as the amplitude of vibration increases. Nevertheless, the eectiveness
is very low for the cable with a sag ratio of 0005 (Figure 8(a)). If the sag ratio of the cable
can be set as large as in Figure 8(b), then the additional modal damping can be increased
to 0002 in damping ratio (or 0013 in logarithmic decrement) and the damping treatment
in this case may have some value.
5. CONCLUSIONS
From the present study of the general damping characteristics of structural cables and
the eectiveness of damping treatments on the structural cables, the following conclusions
can be drawn.
(1) The modal damping ratio of a structural cable is dened in terms of the modal
potential energy ratios and the loss factors for the axial and bending deformations.
(2) The potential energy of the initial tension in shallow structural cables is much larger
than the axial strain energy, which in turn is larger than the bending strain energy.
Therefore, the modal strain energy ratios in the energy-based damping denition generally
have very small values, whereas the energy ratios are dependent on cable sag and the
amplitude of vibration.
(3) Due to the passive behavior of the initial tension potential energy with respect
to energy dissipation, and because of its very high magnitude, the damping of structural
cable is generally very low.
(4) The modal damping of the damping treated cable is strongly dependent on the mode
shape. Sti viscoelastic material is recommended for the damping treatment on the
structural cables if control of rst symmetric mode is of main concern, whereas soft
viscoelastic material is more eective for higher mode control.
(5) The damping treatment formed by inserting a viscoelastic material into the
structural cable, which was proposed in the previous paper [1], does not give very high
additional damping to structural cables.
Despite conclusion (5), the damping treatment may have more value if either the energy
ratio or the loss factor of the damping treated structural cable is increased. For example,
the modal damping of the damping treated cable can be increased by using viscoelastic
materials with loss factors higher than the present assumed value of 10. Another
alternative would be to apply layers of damping tapes spirally wound all around the wire
strands so that even in axial deformation of the cable, there is large energy loss due to
the shear deformation in the damping tape. This may be expected to yield an overall higher
axial loss factor of the damping treated structural cable, thereby increasing the modal
damping.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to express their deep appreciation to Mr S. Shimada of Saitama
University for carrying out the necessary calculations in this study.
rNrrc.-n:srb rv:ii:1ioN or c:nir b:xiiNc 83
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