Applied Mathematical Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

www.elsevier.com/locate/apm

On the determination of natural frequencies and mode

shapes of cable-stayed bridges
F.T.K. Au *, Y.S. Cheng, Y.K. Cheung, D.Y. Zheng
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road,
Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
Received 11 May 1999; accepted 20 February 2000

Abstract
An accurate analysis of the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a cable-stayed bridge is fundamental to the
solution of its dynamic responses due to seismic, wind and trac loads. In most previous studies, the stay cables have
been modelled as single truss elements in conventional nite element analysis. This method is simple but it is inadequate
for the accurate dynamic analysis of a cable-stayed bridge because it essentially precludes the transverse cable vibrations. This paper presents a comprehensive study of various modelling schemes for the dynamic analysis of cable-stayed
bridges. The modelling schemes studied include the nite element method and the dynamic stiness method. Both the
mesh options of modelling each stay cable as a single truss element with an equivalent modulus and modelling each stay
cable by a number of cable elements with the original modulus are studied. Their capability to account for transverse
cable vibrations in the overall dynamic analysis as well as their accuracy and eciency are investigated. 2001
Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Cable-stayed bridges have become very popular over the last three decades because of their
aesthetic appeal, structural eciency, enhanced stiness compared with suspension bridges,
ease of construction and small size of substructures. With the rapid increase in span length,
combined with the trend to use high-strength materials and therefore more slender section for
the bridge deck, concern has been raised on the dynamic behaviour of cable-stayed bridges. An
accurate analysis of the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a cable-stayed bridge is
fundamental to the solution of its dynamic responses due to seismic, wind and trac loads.
The stay cables have been modelled as single truss elements in most previous dynamic analysis
studies, such as those by Morris [1], Fleming and Egeseli [2], Wang and Huang [3], AbdelGhaar and Nazmy [4], as well as Wilson and Gravelle [5]. This method is simple but it is
inadequate for the accurate dynamic analysis of a cable-stayed bridge because it essentially
precludes the transverse cable vibrations. In other words, the resulting mode shapes account
*

Corresponding author. Tel.: +852-2859-2650; fax: +852-2559-5337.

E-mail address: hrecatk@hku.hk (F.T.K. Au).

0307-904X/01/$ - see front matter 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 3 0 7 - 9 0 4 X ( 0 1 ) 0 0 0 3 5 - X

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F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

Notation
A
Ac
Dx2
d
db x2
dc x2
E
Ec
Eeq
H
Hc
h
I
k c ; mc
l
lc
L0
m
mbe
mce
P
T
T0
Th
u; v

cross-sectional area of a beam element

cross-sectional area of stay cable
global dynamic stiness matrix of the bridge
cable sag perpendicular to cable chord
dynamic stiness matrix of beam element
dynamic stiness matrix of cable element
modulus of elasticity of a beam element
eective material modulus of elasticity of stay cable
equivalent modulus of stay cable
horizontal component of the static cable tension
horizontal projected length of stay cable
horizontal component of dynamic part of the total cable tension
second moment of area of a beam section
stiness matrix and mass matrix of cable element
length of a beam element
chord length of stay cable
original length of cable element
mass per unit length of cable
total mass of a beam element
total mass of a cable element
axial force acting at a beam element
updated tension of cable element
original pre-tension of cable element
static cable tension at section where cable is parallel to cable chord
in-plane longitudinal and transverse vibrations, respectively, of a beam or
cable element as applicable
in-plane relative displacements, respectively, of one node of a cable element
uc ; vc
along and perpendicular to the cable chord with respect to the other node
w
weight per unit length of cable
x; y
coordinates to dene the static cable prole
local abscissa of the rth beam element
xr
local abscissa of the sth stay cable
xs
h
angle of inclination of cable chord measured from horizontal
q
mass density
the ith mode perpendicular to cable chord of the sth stay cable
/cis xs
/uir xr ; /vir xr the ith longitudinal and transverse vibration modes, respectively, of the rth
beam element
x
natural frequency of the bridge

for the vibrating deck and towers only, while neglecting the dynamic interaction among the
cables, the deck and the towers. This dynamic interaction has recently attracted the attention
of researchers such as Abdel-Ghaar and Khalifa [6], Tuladhar et al. [7] and Caetano et al.
[8,9].

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

1101

Abdel-Ghaar and Khalifa [6] investigated the eect of cable vibrations on the earthquakeresponse of a cable-stayed bridge using a three-dimensional nite element model in which each
stay cable was divided into a string of small elements. Many new vibration modes were obtained,
which included numerous complex pure cable vibration modes, and coupled deck-cable modes
involving bending and torsional motions of deck as well as vertical and swinging cable motions.
The eect of these modes on the participation factors of earthquake-response calculation was
shown to be signicant. The study also pointed out the inadequacy of using single truss elements
for cable modelling and recommended the use of multiple elements for each cable.
Subsequently, Tuladhar et al. [7] employed nite element method to study the inuence of
cable vibrations on seismic responses of cable-stayed bridges. They concentrated on the eects
of dierent mesh schemes, namely the single-element model and the multiple-element model
for each stay cable. Parametric studies were carried out on the bridge response under
dierent earthquakes using two-dimensional bridge models, and the parameters studied
included the number of elements per cable, the modulus of elasticity of the cables. They also
concluded that the cable vibration eects are important for seismic response calculations,
particularly when the cable fundamental frequencies are overlapping with the rst few
frequencies of the bridge.
More recently, Caetano et al. [8,9] performed an experimental investigation on shaking table as
well as numerical simulation using nite element method for a two-dimensional model of an
existing cable-stayed bridge to clarify the role of stay cables in the seismic response of cable-stayed
bridges.
In modern cable-stayed bridges, the stay cables are often closely spaced, with the cable lengths
and tensions gradually varying from position to position. The natural frequencies of their selfvibrations are therefore likely to be rather closely spaced as well. Such boundary-induced vibrations of the stay cables are likely to complicate the overall dynamic behaviour of the bridge. In
this paper, the determination of natural frequencies and mode shapes of cable-stayed bridges by
the conventional nite element method (FEM) and dynamic stiness method (DSM) are investigated. A cable-stayed bridge is idealized as a two-dimensional structural system. The deck and
towers are modelled as BernoulliEuler beam elements with axial forces in both nite element
method and dynamic stiness method. Both the single-element and multiple-element schemes of
cable modelling are investigated for the nite element method. Their capability to account for
transverse cable vibrations in the overall dynamic analysis as well as their accuracy and eciency
are investigated. The application of the dynamic stiness method to the present class of problem is
also investigated because of its superior accuracy. When dynamic stiness method is adopted,
each stay cable is modelled as an extensible sagging cable element. The solution obtained by the
dynamic stiness method suers little loss of accuracy even though each cable is modelled as only
one element. Not only is the number of elements in the global structural assembly greatly reduced,
but also the vibration characteristics of stay cables are automatically taken into consideration. A
typical cable-stayed bridge is chosen for evaluation of capability of various methods to account
for transverse cable vibrations in the overall dynamic analysis as well as their accuracy and
eciency.
2. Theory and formulation of the use of nite element method on cable-stayed bridges
When nite element method is used, each stay cable is modelled as either a single truss element
with an equivalent modulus or a number of cable elements with the original modulus. The deck
and towers are modelled as BernoulliEuler beam elements with axial forces.

1102

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

2.1. Stiness and mass matrices for a stay cable

2.1.1. Stiness matrix for cable with sag allowance
In the global analysis of cable-stayed bridges, one common practice is to model each cable as a
single truss element with an equivalent modulus to allow for sag. The element stiness matrix in
local coordinates for such a cable element can be written as
3
2
1 0
1 0
7
Ac Eeq 6
6 0 0 0 07
1
kc
lc 4 1 0 1 0 5
0 0 0 0
in terms of the equivalent modulus of elasticity Eeq given by
Eeq

Ec
1 wHc 2 Ac Ec =12T 3

where lc is the chord length, Hc is the horizontal projected length, Ac is the cross-sectional area, Ec
is the eective material modulus of elasticity, w is the weight per unit length and T is the updated
cable tension of the cable. A certain cable prole has been assumed to account for the eect of
cable sag. However, once the equivalent modulus has been obtained, the prole will not have a
role to play in the nal analysis, and hence the method cannot model the transverse vibrations of
the cables.
2.1.2. Stiness matrix for cable with the original modulus
Another approach to account for the transverse vibrations of cables is to model each cable by a
number of cable elements with the original modulus. Following the sign conventions adopted by
Broughton and Ndumbara [10], the element incremental stiness matrix in local coordinates can
be written as
3
2
L0 uc 2
vL0 uc
L0 uc 2
vL0 uc
7
6 vL0 uc
Ec Ac
v2c
vL0 uc
v2c
7
6
kc
2
2
vL0 uc L0 uc
vL0 uc 5
L0 L0 e2 4 L0 uc
v2c
vL0 uc
v2c
vL0 uc
2
3
v2c
vL0 uc
v2c
vL0 uc
2
6 vL0 uc L0 uc 2
T
vL0 uc
L0 uc 7
6
7;

3
2
2
34
vc
vL0 uc
vc
vL0 uc 5
L0 e
2
2
L0 uc
vL0 uc L0 uc
vL0 uc
where the updated element basic tension T and the element extension e along the deformed
element longitudinal axis are given, respectively, by
T T0 Ec Ac =L0 e;
q
e L0 uc 2 v2c

4
L0 :

T0 is the original cable element pre-tension, L0 is the original cable element length, and uc and vc
are, respectively, the relative displacements of one node acting along and perpendicular to the
cable chord with respect to the other node.

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

1103

2.1.3. Mass matrix for cable

The cable element mass matrix is the same for both the single-element and multiple-element
modelling methods. It is identical to the standard mass matrix for a truss element [11], as follows:
2
3
2 0 1 0
7
mce 6
6 0 2 0 1 7;
mc
6
6 41 0 2 05
0 1 0 2
in which mce is the total mass of the cable element.
2.2. Stiness and mass matrices for a BernoulliEuler beam
The deck and towers are modelled as BernoulliEuler beam elements with axial forces for both
modelling methods of cables. The beam element stiness matrix kb in local coordinates as shown
in Fig. 1 can be written as follows [12]:
3
2 AE
AE
S
0
0
S
0
0
l 5
l 5
12EI
6EI
12EI
6EI
6 0
S1
S
0
S1
S 7
6
l3
l2 2
l3
l2 2 7
6 0
6EI
4EI
6EI
2EI
S
S3
0
S
S4 7
7
6
l
l
l2 2
l2 2
7
kb 6 AE
7;
AE
0
0
S
0
0 7
6 l S5
l 5
7
6
12EI
6EI
12EI
6EI
4 0
S1
S
0
S1
S 5
l3
l2 2
l3
l2 2
6EI
2EI
6EI
4EI
0
S
S4
0
S
S3
l
l
l2 2
l2 2
where E is the material modulus of elasticity, A is the cross-sectional area, I is the moment of
inertia of the cross-section and l is the length of beam element. Stability functions Si
i 1; 2; . . . ; 5 which represent the beam-column eect in bending members can be expressed in
terms of the member axial force P and the end moments Mab and Mba .
For a member carrying a compressive axial force, the stability functions are
3

S1 cl sincl=12Rc ;
2

S2 cl 1

coscl=6Rc ;

S3 clsincl
S4 clcl

8
9

cl coscl=4Rc ;

10

sincl=2Rc ;

11

3 2

12

S5 1=1 EARcm =4P l ;

where
c

p
P =EI ;

Rc 2
Rcm

13

2 coscl
2
clMab

cl sincl;

2
Mba
cotcl

14
2

cl cosec cl

2Mab Mba

Mab Mba 1 cl cotcl2cl coseccl;

Fig. 1. A six-degree-of-freedom beam element.

15

1104

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

For a member carrying a tensile axial force, the stability functions are
S1 cl3 sinhcl=12Rt ;
2

S2 cl coshcl

1=6Rt ;

S3 clcl coshcl
S4 clsinhcl
S5 1=1

16
17

sinhcl=4Rt ;

18

cl=2Rt ;

19

3 2

EARtm =4P l ;

20

where c is as dened previously in Eq. (13),

Rt 2
Rtm

2 coshcl cl sinhcl;
2
clMab

21
2

2
Mba
cothcl

cl cosech cl 2Mab Mba

Mab Mba 1 cl cothcl2cl cosechcl:

The beam element mass matrix mb can be

2
140
0
0
70
6 0
156
22l
0
6
2
mbe 6
0
0
22l
4l
6
mb
6
70
0
0
140
420 6
4 0
54
13l
0
0
0
13l
3l2

expressed in local coordinates as [11]

3
0
0
54
13l 7
7
13l
3l2 7
7;
0
0 7
7
156
22l 5
22l 4l2

22

23

where mbe is the total mass of the beam element.

2.3. Determination of the natural frequencies and mode shapes
Nonlinear static analysis of a cable-stayed bridge is rst performed to get the internal forces in
the bridge deck, towers and stay cables. Non-linearities such as those arising from the sag of stay
cables, beam-column behaviour of the bridge deck and towers, and geometrical large displacements can be taken into account in the static analysis. The global stiness matrix and global mass
matrix are then available following the nonlinear static analysis. The subspace iteration algorithm
[13] or similar may therefore be employed to determine the natural frequencies and their corresponding mode shapes.
3. Theory and formulation of the use of dynamic stiness method on cable-stayed bridges
The use of dynamic stiness method in the free vibration analysis of cable-stayed bridges is
investigated because of its superior accuracy. The solution suers little loss of accuracy even
though each cable is modelled as only one element in the analysis. Not only is the number of
elements in the global structural assembly greatly reduced, but also the vibration characteristics of
stay cables are automatically taken into consideration.
3.1. Dynamic stiness matrix for a stay cable
The static form of a horizontal extensible cable with suciently small sag can be approximated
by a parabola. If the origin is located at the left support and the x-axis is aligned with the horizontal chord, the ordinate y measured downwards is given by

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

"
mgl2c x
y
2H lc

x
lc

1105

2 #
;

24

in which m is the cable mass per unit length, g is the acceleration due to gravity, lc is the chord
length of the cable prole and H is the horizontal component of the static cable tension. The
dierential equations governing the in-plane transverse vibration and geometric compatibility are,
respectively,
o2 v
d2 y
o2 v

m
;
ox2
dx2
ot2
 3
h
ds
dy ov ou

;
Ec Ac dx
dx ox ox

25
26

where u and v are the in-plane horizontal and vertical vibrations, respectively, h is the
dynamic part of horizontal component of total cable tension and s is the length measured along
the cable.
The vibrations of a stay cable induced by displacements at the movable boundary are assumed
to be harmonic. The displacements at the movable boundary are divided into horizontal and
vertical boundary displacements. Each type of boundary displacements is further separated into
symmetric and anti-symmetric cases for the derivation of dynamic stinesses, and hence there are
four boundary displacement cases in total. The relationship between the forces f ce and displacements uce at the ends of the cable element as shown in Fig. 2 can be readily found by utilizing
the solution to the governing Eqs. (25) and (26) for each case of boundary displacement. The
dynamic stiness matrix of a horizontal extensible sagging cable can therefore be obtained by
performing superposition of forcedisplacement relation for above-mentioned four boundary
displacement cases.
The dynamic stiness matrix of a horizontal extensible sagging cable can be readily extended to
the case of an inclined cable [14]. The additional assumption required is that the weight component parallel to the cable chord can be neglected. The dynamic stiness matrix dc x2 of an
inclined extensible sagging cable with respect to a right-handed set of local coordinate axes can be
written as
3
2 s
s
s
s
kh;v
kh;u
kh;v
kh;u
s
a
s
s
a 7
6 ks
kv;u
kv;v
kv;v
7
6 v;u kv;v kv;v
27
dc x2 6 s
7;
s
s
s
4 kh;u
kh;v
kh;u
kh;v 5
s
s
a
s
s
a
kv;u
kv;v
kv;v
kv;u
kv;v
kv;v

Fig. 2. End forces and displacements of a cable element.

1106

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

where
s

kh;u

Ec Ac 1 14 e2 j
;
Le 1 k22 j 1
X

28

Ec Ac 12 ej 1
;
Le 1 k22 j 1
h X 2
i
1 e2 2
k
X
j

j
1
E c A c 4 k2
X2

s
s
kv;u

kh;v

s
kv;v

Le

1 Xk 2 j

29

Ec Ac e 1
;
Le k2 j
r
m
X xlc
;
Th

2
mglc Ec Ac lc
2
k
cos2 h;
Th
Th Le
mglc
8d
e
cos h ;
lc
Th
"
 2 #
d
;
Le  lc 1 8
lc

a
kv;v

tanX=2
:
X=2

30
31
32
33
34
35
36

u and v are the in-plane longitudinal and transverse vibrations, respectively, h is the angle of
inclination of cable chord measured from the horizontal, Th is the static cable tension at the
section where the cable is parallel to the chord and d is the cable sag perpendicular to the
cable chord. The dynamic stiness matrix given in Eq. (27) is only valid for cases in which
either
k2 6 24;

h 6 60

and e 6 0:10

37

k2 6 24;

h 6 30

and e 6 0:24

38

or
is satised.
3.2. Dynamic stiness matrix for a beam element
Consider a uniform BernoulliEuler beam element of length l harmonically vibrating with a
frequency x and subjected to a constant axial force P. The governing dierential equations for
transverse vibration v and longitudinal vibration u are, respectively,
EI

d4 v
dx4

EA

d2 v
dx2

qAx2 v 0;

d2 u
qAx2 u 0;
dx2

39
40

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

1107

where E is Young's modulus of elasticity, A and I are, respectively, the cross-sectional area and
moment of inertia of the section, q is the mass density and the axial force P is taken as positive
when in tension.
The solution of Eq. (39) associated with the nodal transverse displacements at the ends of the
element


dv 
dv 
uv2 ; vjxl uv3 and
uv4
41
vjx0 uv1 ;
dx x0
dx xl
is
vx Nv x; x uv1

uv2

uv3

uv4 Nv x; xuve ;

where the shape functions for transverse vibration are

8
9T 2 2
cos an >
>
F4
F2 l
>
> b
1 < sin an = 6
6 F6 =a a F4 =a=l
Nv x; x
4 a2 F4
cosh
bn
>
F2 l
a2 b2 >
>
>
:
;
sinh bn
b F4 =b=l
F6 =b

42

F3
F5 =a
F3
F5 =b

3
F1 l
F3 l=a 7
7;
F1 l 5
F3 l=b

43

in which the parameters are

F1 b sin a

a sinh ba2 b2 =d;

F2 a cos a sinh b
F3 cos a
F4 b2

44

b sin a cosh ba2 b2 =d;

cosh baba2 b2 =d;

a2 cos a cosh b

46

1 2ab sin a sinh bab=d;

F5 b sinh b a sin aa2 b2 ab=d;

F6

a cosh b sin a b sinh b cos aa b ab=d;

d 2abcos a cosh b 1 a
r
2
r
r4
a2

k4b ;
2
4
r
r2
r4
2
b
k4b ;
2
4
Pl2
r2
;
EI
qAl4 x2
:
k4b
EI

47
48

45

b sin a sinh b;

49
50
51
52
53
54

n x=l, and x is the local coordinate measured from the left end of the element.
The solution of Eq. (40) associated with the nodal longitudinal displacements at the ends of the
element
ujx0 uu1

and ujxl uu2

55

is
ux Nu x; x uu1

uu2 T Nu x; xuue ;

56

1108

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

where the shape functions for longitudinal vibration are


T 

cos wn
1
0
;
Nu x; x
sin wn
cot w csc w

57

in which
qAl2 x2
:
58
EA
The components of the nodal force vector for transverse vibration Qve at the ends of the element
are



d3 v
dv 
d2 v 
; Qv2
EI 2  ;
Qv1 EI 3 P
dx
dx x0
dx x0



d3 v
dv 
d2 v 
EI 3 P
and Qv4 EI 2  :
59
Qv3
dx
dx xl
dx xl
w2

The components of the nodal force vector for longitudinal vibration Que at the ends of the element
are


du 
du 
Qu1
EA 
and Qu2 EA  :
60
dx
dx
x0

xl

The nodal force vector

Qe Qu1

Qv1

Qv2

Qu2

Qv3

Qv4

and the nodal displacement vector

ue uu1

uv1

uv2

uu2

uv3

uv4 T

at the ends of the element are related by the beam element dynamic stiness db x2 as
Qe db x2 ue :

61

By carrying out appropriate dierentiation of the shape functions dened by Eqs. (43) and (57),
the beam element dynamic stiness db x2 can be obtained as [15]
3
2 EA
EA
w cot w
0
0
w csc w
0
0
l
l
6
EI
EI
EI
EI
0
F
F
0
F
F 7
6
l3 6
l2 4
l3 5
l2 3 7
7
6
EI
EI
EI
6
0
F
F
0
F EIl F1 7
l 2
l2 4
l2 3
2
7:
6
62
db x 6 EA
EA
7
w
csc
w
0
0
w
cot
w
0
0
7
6 l
l
7
6
EI
EI
EI
EI
4
F
F
0
F
F 5
0
l3 5
l2 3
l3 6
l2 4
0

EI
l2

F3

EI
l

F1

EI
l2

F4

EI
l

F2

3.3. Determination of the natural frequencies and mode shapes

In dynamic stiness analysis, the nonlinear static analysis of the cable-stayed bridge is also rst
carried out to obtain the internal forces in the bridge deck, towers and stay cables, and these
internal forces are employed in the subsequent dynamic analysis. The global dynamic stiness
matrix Dx2 for the cable-stayed bridge can then be assembled from the dynamic stiness matrices of the BernoulliEuler beams and the extensible sagging cables. After elimination of the

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

1109

rows and columns appropriate to the boundary conditions, the natural frequencies xi can be
determined from the following equation:
detDx2 0:

63

Corresponding to each frequency xi , the transverse mode shape /vir xr and longitudinal
mode shape /uir xr of the rth beam element in local coordinate system are, respectively, given
by
/vir xr Nv xr ; xi uver ;

64

/uir xr Nu xr ; xi uuer ;

65

where xr is the local abscissa of the rth beam element, uver and uuer are the transverse displacement
vector and longitudinal displacement vector of the rth beam element for the ith mode shape in
local coordinate system, respectively.
Corresponding to each frequency xi , the mode shape perpendicular to the cable chord /cis xs
of the sth stay cable is given by
/cis xs bsu

bsv

bav

bsu

bsv bav uc1

uc2

uc4 T Nc xs ; xi uce ;

uc3

66

where xs is the local abscissa of the sth stay cable and

bsu x

1 k2 1
e X2

tanX=2 sinXx=l
1

k2
X2

cosXx=l

1 tanX=2 sinXx=l cosXx=l Xk2 j

2
2
1 Xk 2 j 1

 


 
1
X
Xx
Xx
a
bv x
cot
sin
cos
:
2
2
l
l
bsv x

67
1

68
69

4. Numerical studies
A typical modied fan cable-stayed bridge is chosen to evaluate the capability of the nite
element method and dynamic stiness method to account for transverse cable vibrations in the
overall dynamic analysis as well as their accuracy and eciency. Fig. 3 shows a cable-stayed
bridge with a main span of 371 m modelled as a two-dimensional structural system. The relevant
properties of the bridge deck and towers are given in Table 1 while those for the stay cables are
given in Table 2.
4.1. Free vibration of entire cable-stayed bridge
The bridge was rst analyzed by the nite element method using three dierent meshes. In all
three schemes, the deck was divided into 26 elements of equal length and each tower was divided
into eight elements. The mesh for each stay cable was dierent for dierent cases, i.e., single element for Scheme 1, four elements of equal length for Scheme 2, and eight elements of equal
length for Scheme 3. In Scheme 1 where single-element modelling of stay cable was used, allowance for sag was made. The bridge was also analyzed by the dynamic stiness method (Scheme
4) with each stay cable modelled as one element, the deck divided into 13 elements of equal length

1110

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

and each tower divided into four elements. The discretization schemes employed in the studies are
summarized in Table 3.
Nonlinear static analysis of the cable-stayed bridge was rst performed to get the internal
forces in the bridge deck, towers and stay cables. Non-linearities such as those arising from the
sag of stay cables, beam-column behaviour of the bridge deck and towers, and geometrical large
displacements were taken into account in the static analysis. These internal forces were then
employed in the dynamic analysis. In Schemes 1, 2 and 3 where the nite element method was

(a)

(b)
Fig. 3. A typical modied fan cable-stayed bridge: (a) bridge geometry; (b) connection details between bridge deck and

lower part of bridge tower.

Table 1

Properties of deck and towers of cable-stayed bridge

Part of structure

Cross-sectional
area A m2

Second moment of
area I m4

Young's modulus
E (MPa)

Mass density
q kg=m3

Deck
Tower above deck
Tower below deck

1.20
14.2
35.8

2.58
30.0
40.0

200 000
31 600
31 600

11 244
2 449
2 449

Table 2

Properties of stay cables of cable-stayed bridge

Cable no.

Cross-sectional area Ac m2

Young's modulus Ec (MPa)

Mass density qc kg=m3

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

0.060
0.040
0.028
0.028
0.040
0.050
0.050
0.040
0.028
0.028
0.040
0.060

165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000
165 000

9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438
9 438

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

1111

Table 3

Discretization schemes for the study

Scheme

Method

Number of elements
Deck

Tower (length from bottom to top)

Cable

1
2
3
4

Finite element
Finite element
Finite element
Dynamic stiness

26
26
26
13

8
8
8
4

1
4
8
1

(3  11:25 m, 3  18:75 m, 2  7:15 m)

(3  11:25 m, 3  18:75 m, 2  7:15 m)
(3  11:25 m, 3  18:75 m, 2  7:15 m)
(33:75 m, 56:25 m, 2  7:15 m)

used, the same mesh was employed in both the static and dynamic analyses. In Scheme 4 where
the dynamic stiness method was used for dynamic analysis, the internal forces assumed were
those obtained from the static analysis of Scheme 3.
The natural frequencies below 2 Hz and their associated mode shapes were rst examined, and
those with similar mode shapes were grouped together for comparison. Table 4 compares the
natural frequencies obtained from single-element modelling of stay cable with allowance for sag
(Scheme 1) and the multiple-element model using eight elements for each stay cable (Scheme 3).
Many vibration modes have been missed in the prediction by Scheme 1. The eighth vibration
mode found from Scheme 1 corresponds to the 24th vibration mode from Scheme 3. In other
words, while Scheme 1 is able to predict the overall vibration modes, those vibration modes with
strong local vibration of cables can only be detected using more elements in each stay cable as in
Scheme 3. Increasing the number of elements in each stay cable does help in identifying the
participation of local cable vibrations in the overall mode shapes. It is further observed that the
frequencies obtained from Scheme 1 are in general lower than those from Scheme 3. It can
probably be explained by the fact that the equivalent cable stinesses with sag allowance are
slightly lower than their original values.
The natural frequencies obtained from multiple-element modelling of stay cables using the
nite element method (Schemes 2 and 3) and dynamic stiness method (Scheme 4) are compared
in Table 5. Results from the dynamic stiness method are taken as the reference solution by virtue
of its theoretical background, and results from other schemes are sorted to have the mode shapes
corresponding to those of the reference solution. It is observed that the same coupled modes as
those obtained from nite element analysis using multiple-element modelling are found from
dynamic stiness analysis although their values are slightly dierent. In general, solutions obtained from the nite element method tend to converge to the reference solution although the
order of the mode shapes may change when the number of elements used increases. Typical mode
shapes are shown in Fig. 4.
Table 4

Comparison of natural frequencies obtained from single-element and multiple-element modelling of stay cables in nite
element analysis
Single-element modelling (Scheme 1)

Multiple-element modelling (Scheme 3)

Mode order

Frequency (Hz)

Mode order

Frequency (Hz)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

0.3488
0.4622
0.5859
0.8072
0.9122
1.0904
1.3186
1.4912

1
2
7
12
13
16
23
24

0.3583
0.4649
0.6062
0.8398
0.9323
1.0973
1.3305
1.5025

1112

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

Table 5

Comparison of natural frequencies obtained from various schemes

Finite element method (multiple-element)
Scheme 2

Dynamic stiness method

Scheme 3

Scheme 4

Mode order

Frequency (Hz)

Mode order

Frequency (Hz)

Mode order

Frequency (Hz)

1
2
4
3
6
7
5
9
8
11
12
10
13
15
16
14
18
19
20
17
21
22
23
24
29
30
25
26
27
28

0.3584
0.4651
0.5327
0.5301
0.5983
0.6126
0.5762
0.8035
0.7982
0.8263
0.8480
0.8095
0.9341
1.1386
1.1432
1.0989
1.2864
1.2884
1.2978
1.2788
1.3176
1.3292
1.3379
1.5047
1.8418
1.8508
1.7281
1.7324
1.7804
1.7879

1
2
4
3
6
7
5
9
8
11
12
10
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
19
21
22
23
24
27
28
25
26
29
30

0.3583
0.4649
0.5228
0.5202
0.5873
0.6062
0.5710
0.7885
0.7870
0.8114
0.8398
0.7983
0.9323
1.0592
1.0635
1.0973
1.1940
1.2003
1.2742
1.2613
1.2949
1.3052
1.3305
1.5025
1.6390
1.6458
1.6091
1.6124
1.6597
1.6657

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

0.3529
0.4681
0.5210
0.5436
0.5847
0.5939
0.6231
0.7913
0.7970
0.8175
0.8215
0.8228
0.9214
1.0324
1.0359
1.0958
1.1643
1.1709
1.2604
1.2607
1.2927
1.3009
1.3248
1.5011
1.5495
1.5548
1.5677
1.5720
1.6180
1.6238

4.2. Local vibrations of stay cables

To demonstrate the abilities of various methods in predicting local cable vibrations, each stay
cable was analyzed as an inclined stay cable xed at both ends to evaluate the natural frequencies
of local vibrations. It is noted however that the real situation is slightly dierent, as the end
anchorages themselves are movable. The rst symmetric and anti-symmetric in-plane transverse
vibration frequencies in radians per second can be computed, respectively, [16], as
r
x T h
70
x
l
m
for symmetric in-plane vibration, and
r
2p Th
x
m
l
for anti-symmetric in-plane vibration, where
   
 3
x
x
4 x
:
tan

2
2
k2 2

71

72

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

1113

Fig. 4. Typical mode shape obtained from Scheme 3.

By looking at the mode shapes of the stay cables, it is possible to relate these natural frequencies
of the ``xed end'' cables to those obtained by analyzing the whole bridge using both the nite
element method and dynamic stiness method. The results are shown in Table 6. Apart from
those natural frequencies that are obviously outside the range under consideration, all local cable
vibrations can be reected by nite element analysis with multiple-element modelling of stay
cables and dynamic stiness analysis with only single-element modelling of stay cables. In addition to those pure local vibrations of stay cables, some of which are given in Table 6, some new
frequencies are also discovered indicating strongly the existence of coupled vibration modes.
Obviously, these coupled vibration modes cannot be predicted by Eqs. (70) and (71).
5. Review of various applicable methods
Among various methods, the dynamic stiness method is regarded as the most accurate as the
solutions to the governing dierential equations are used as interpolation functions in the

1114

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

Table 6

Comparison of frequencies (Hz) with strong local cable vibration

Cable no.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
a

Symmetric

Anti-symmetric

Fixed end cable

Whole bridge
FEM (Scheme 3)

DSM (Scheme 4)

0.5436
0.8210
1.3014
1.2607
0.7950
0.5976
0.5968
0.7971
1.2607
1.2930
0.8183
0.5425

0.5228
0.8398
1.3052
1.2613
0.7885
0.6062
0.5873
0.7870
1.2742
1.2949
0.8114
0.5202

0.5210
0.8215
1.3009
1.2607
0.7913
0.5939
0.5847
0.7970
1.2604
1.2927
0.8175
0.5436

Fixed end cable

Whole bridge
FEM (Scheme 3)

DSM (Scheme 4)

1.0360
1.6227
2.5952
2.5122
1.5667
1.1661
1.1641
1.5711
2.5121
2.5780
1.6170
1.0325

1.0635
1.6657

1.0359
1.6238

1.6091
1.2003
1.1940
1.6124

1.5677
1.1709
1.1643
1.5720

1.6597
1.0592

1.6180
1.0324

The frequency is beyond frequency range considered.

subsequent analysis. It is also noted that the resulting frequency-dependent matrix equation allows the determination of any number of frequencies with only a nite number of generalized
coordinates. However, in the solution of Eq. (63), one should bear in mind that the determinant of
the global dynamic stiness matrix Dx2 is not always continuous, and extreme care must be
exercised in the search for roots. For example, the parameter j dened by Eq. (36) for the formulation of dynamic stiness matrix of a stay cable is inherently discontinuous at X p; 3p; 5p,
etc. as a result of the tangent function. Such discontinuities also exist in some elements of the
dynamic stiness matrix shown in Eq. (27). Because of this, the determinant may change abruptly
from positive innity to negative innity in the vicinity of the discontinuity or vice versa, and it
should not be mistaken as a root. Solving the frequency-dependent eigenvalue problem with
closely spaced frequencies is also rather time consuming. In addition, the dynamic stiness
method proposed has to satisfy the limiting condition in terms of Eq. (37) or (38) which limits the
application of the method to real bridges more or less.
On the other hand, it is well recognized that the nite element method is a very powerful and
versatile numerical method. Its application to the dynamic analysis of cable-stayed bridges is
relatively straightforward. The eciency can be further enhanced by the use of eective eigenvalue
solvers such as subspace iteration algorithm. However, in order to improve the accuracy and to
capture the contributions from cable vibration modes, the stay cables have to be divided into
sucient number of elements, which will greatly increase the size of problem.
6. Conclusions
Various modelling methods of the stay cables in free vibration analysis of cable-stayed bridges
have been investigated. They include the conventional nite element method and the dynamic
stiness method. Results indicate that the modelling method of stay cables has signicant eect on
the predication of dynamic characteristics of a cable-stayed bridge. Single-element modelling of
stay cables by nite element method with sag allowance does not account for the cable vibrations
at all. Discretization of each stay cable into a series of elements helps in predicting the cable
vibrations and accuracy generally improves as the number of elements used increases. On the
other hand, the dynamic stiness method is also valid for analyzing free vibration of cable-stayed

F.T.K. Au et al. / Appl. Math. Modelling 25 (2001) 10991115

1115

bridges. Not only is the number of elements in the global structural assembly greatly reduced, but
also the vibration characteristics of stay cables are automatically taken into account with only one
element per cable in the analysis. However, the solution of the frequency-dependent eigenvalue
problem with closely spaced natural frequencies in the dynamic stiness method is rather time
consuming.
Acknowledgements
The work described in this paper has been substantially supported by the Research Grants
Council of Hong Kong, China (Project No. HKU 522/96E).
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