Performance evaluation of inerter-based damping devices for structural vibration control of stay cables

Zhiwen Huang,Xugang Hua,Zhengqing Chen,Huawei Niu 국제구조공학회 2019 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.23 No.6

Inerter-based damping devices (IBBDs), which consist of inerter, spring and viscous damper, have been extensively investigated in vehicle suspension systems and demonstrated to be more effective than the traditional control devices with spring and viscous damper only. In the present study, the control performance on cable vibration reduction was studied for four different inerter-based damping devices, namely the parallel-connected viscous mass damper (PVMD), series-connected viscous mass damper (SVMD), tuned inerter dampers (TID) and tuned viscous mass damper (TVMD). Firstly the mechanism of the ball screw inerter is introduced. Then the state-space formulation of the cable-TID system is derived as an example for the cable-IBBDs system. Based on the complex modal analysis, single-mode cable vibration control analysis is conducted for PVMD, SVMD, TID and TVMD, and their optimal parameters and the maximum attainable damping ratios of the cable/damper system are obtained for several specified damper locations and modes in combination by the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm. Lastly, optimal design of PVMD is developed for multi-mode vibration control of cable, and the results of damping ratio analysis are validated through the forced vibration analysis in a case study by numerical simulation. The results show that all the four inerter-based damping devices significantly outperform the viscous damper for single-mode vibration control. In the case of multi-mode vibration control, PVMD can provide more damping to the first four modes of cable than the viscous damper does, and their maximum control forces under resonant frequency of harmonic forced vibration are nearly the same. The results of this study clearly demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of PVMD in cable vibration control.

An empirical model for amplitude prediction on VIV-galloping instability of rectangular cylinders

Huawei Niu,Zhengqing Chen,Xugang Hua,Shuai Zhou 한국풍공학회 2015 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.21 No.1

Aerodynamic forces of vortex-induced vibration and galloping are going to be coupled when their onset velocities are close to each other, which will induce the cross-wind amplitudes of the structures increased continuously with ever-increasing wind velocities. The main purpose of the present work is going to propose an empirical formula to predict the response amplitude of VIV-galloping interaction. Firstly, two typical mathematical models for the coupled oscillations, i.e., Tamura & Shimada model and Parkinson & Corless model are comparatively summarized. Then, the key parameter affecting response amplitude is determined through comparative numerical simulations with Tamura & Shimada model. For rectangular cylinders with the side ratio from 0.5 to 2.5, which are actually prone to develop the VIV and galloping induced interaction responses, an empirical amplitude prediction formula is proposed after regression analysis on comprehensively collected experimental data with the predetermined key parameter.

Mitigation of wind-induced vibrations of bridge hangers using tuned mass dampers with eddy current damping

Huawei Niu,Zhengqing Chen,Xugang Hua,Wei Zhang 국제구조공학회 2018 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.22 No.6

To mitigate vibrations, tuned mass dampers (TMD) are widely used for long span bridges or high-rise buildings. Due to some durability concerns, such as fluid degradation, oil leakage, etc., the alternative solutions, such as the non-contacted eddy current damping (ECD), are proposed for mechanical devices in small scales. In the present study, a new eddy current damping TMD (ECD-TMD) is proposed and developed for large scale civil infrastructure applications. Starting from parametric study on finite element analysis of the ECD-TMD, the new design is enhanced via using the permanent magnets to eliminate the power need and a combination of a copper plate and a steel plate to improve the energy dissipation efficiency. Additional special design includes installation of two permanent magnets at the same side above the copper plate to easily adjust the gap as well as the damping. In a case study, the proposed ECD-TMD is demonstrated in the application of a steel arch bridge to mitigate the wind-induced vibrations of the flexible hangers. After a brief introduction of the configuration and the installation process for the damper, the mitigation effects are measured for the ambient vibration and forced vibration scenarios. The results show that the damping ratios increase to 3% for the weak axis after the installation of the ECD-TMDs and the maximum vibration amplitudes can be reduced by 60%.

An empirical model for amplitude prediction on VIV-galloping instability of rectangular cylinders

Niu, Huawei,Zhou, Shuai,Chen, Zhengqing,Hua, Xugang Techno-Press 2015 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.21 No.1

Aerodynamic forces of vortex-induced vibration and galloping are going to be coupled when their onset velocities are close to each other, which will induce the cross-wind amplitudes of the structures increased continuously with ever-increasing wind velocities. The main purpose of the present work is going to propose an empirical formula to predict the response amplitude of VIV-galloping interaction. Firstly, two typical mathematical models for the coupled oscillations, i.e., Tamura & Shimada model and Parkinson & Corless model are comparatively summarized. Then, the key parameter affecting response amplitude is determined through comparative numerical simulations with Tamura & Shimada model. For rectangular cylinders with the side ratio from 0.5 to 2.5, which are actually prone to develop the VIV and galloping induced interaction responses, an empirical amplitude prediction formula is proposed after regression analysis on comprehensively collected experimental data with the predetermined key parameter.

An improved extended Kalman filter for parameters and loads identification without collocated measurements

Jia He,Mengchen Qi,Zhuohui Tong,Xugang Hua,Zheng Qing Chen 국제구조공학회 2023 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.31 No.2

As well-known, the extended Kalman filter (EKF) is a powerful tool for parameter identification with limited measurements. However, traditional EKF is not applicable when the external excitation is unknown. By using least-squares estimation (LSE) for force identification, an EKF with unknown input (EKF-UI) approach was recently proposed by the authors. In this approach, to ensure the influence matrix be of full column rank, the sensors have to be deployed at all the degrees-offreedom (DOFs) corresponding to the unknown excitation, saying collocated measurements are required. However, it is not easy to guarantee that the sensors can be installed at all these locations. To circumvent this limitation, based on the idea of first-orderholder discretization (FOHD), an improved EKF with unknown input (IEKF-UI) approach is proposed in this study for the simultaneous identification of structural parameters and unknown excitation. By using projection matrix, an improved observation equation is obtained. Few displacement measurements are fused into the observation equation to avoid the so-called low-frequency drift. To avoid the ill-conditioning problem for force identification without collocated measurements, the idea of FOHD is employed. The recursive solution of the structural states and unknown loads is then analytically derived. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated via several numerical examples. Results show that the proposed approach is capable of satisfactorily identifying the parameters of linear and nonlinear structures and the unknown excitation applied to them.