Theoretical investigation on rain-wind induced vibration of a continuous stay cable with given rivulet motion

Li, Shouying,Chen, Zhengqing,Li, Shouke Techno-Press 2014 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.19 No.5

A new theoretical model on rain-wind induced vibration (RWIV) of a continuous stay cable is developed in this paper. Different from the existing theoretical analyses in which the cable was modeled as a segmental rigid element, the proposed scheme focuses on the in-plane and out-of-plane responses of a continuous stay cable, which is identical with the prototype cable on cable-stayed bridge. In order to simplify the complexities, the motion law of the rivulet on the cable surface is assumed as a sinusoidal way according to some results obtained from wind tunnel tests. Quasi-steady theory is utilized to determine the aerodynamic forces on the cable. Equations of motion of the cable are derived in a Cartesian Coordinate System and solved by using finite difference method to obtain the in-plane and out-of-plane responses of the cable. The results show that limited cable amplitudes are achieved within a limited range of wind velocity, which is a unique characteristic of RWIV of stay cable. It appears that the in-plane cable amplitude is much larger than the out-of-plane cable amplitude. Rivulet frequency, rivulet distribution along cable axis, and mean wind velocity profile, all have significant effects on the RWIV responses of the prototype stay cable. The effects of damping ratio on RWIVs of stay cables are carefully investigated, which suggests that damping ratio of 1% is needed to well mitigate RWIVs of prototype stay cables.

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

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.

Vortex-induced oscillations of bridges: theoretical linkages between sectional model tests and full bridge responses

Zhang, Zhitian,Ge, Yaojun,Chen, Zhengqing Techno-Press 2014 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.19 No.3

Vortex-induced oscillation is a type of aeroelastic phenomenon, to which extended structures such as long-span bridges are most susceptible. The vortex-induced vibration (VIV) behaviors of a concerned bridge were investigated conventionally in virtue of wind tunnel tests on string-mounted sectional models. This necessitates the building of a linkage between the response of the sectional model and that of the prototype structure. Although many released literatures have related to this issue and provided suggestions, there is a lack of consistency among them. In this study, some theoretical models describing the vortex-induced structural motion, including the linear empirical model, the nonlinear empirical model and the modified (or generalized) nonlinear empirical model, are firstly reviewed. Then, the concept of equivalent mass density is introduced based on the principle that an equal input of energy should result in identical structural amplitudes. Based on these, the theoretical linkages between the amplitude of a section model and that corresponding to the prototype bridge are discussed with different analytical models. Theoretical derivation indicates that such connections are dependent mainly on two factors, one is the presupposed shape of deformation, and the other is the theoretical VIV model employed. The theoretical analysis in this study shows that, in comparison to the nonlinear empirical models, the linear one can result in obvious larger estimations of the full bridges' responses, especially in cases of cable-stayed bridges.

Vortex-induced oscillations of bridges: theoretical linkages between sectional model tests and full bridge responses

Zhitian Zhang,Yaojun Ge,Zhengqing Chen 한국풍공학회 2014 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.19 No.3

Vortex-induced oscillation is a type of aeroelastic phenomenon, to which extended structures such as long-span bridges are most susceptible. The vortex-induced vibration (VIV) behaviors of a concerned bridge were investigated conventionally in virtue of wind tunnel tests on string-mounted sectional models. This necessitates the building of a linkage between the response of the sectional model and that of the prototype structure. Although many released literatures have related to this issue and provided suggestions, there is a lack of consistency among them. In this study, some theoretical models describing the vortex-induced structural motion, including the linear empirical model, the nonlinear empirical model and the modified (or generalized) nonlinear empirical model, are firstly reviewed. Then, the concept of equivalent mass density is introduced based on the principle that an equal input of energy should result in identical structural amplitudes. Based on these, the theoretical linkages between the amplitude of a section model and that corresponding to the prototype bridge are discussed with different analytical models. Theoretical derivation indicates that such connections are dependent mainly on two factors, one is the presupposed shape of deformation, and the other is the theoretical VIV model employed. The theoretical analysis in this study shows that, in comparison to the nonlinear empirical models, the linear one can result in obvious larger estimations of the full bridges' responses, especially in cases of cable-stayed bridges.

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.

Mitigation of wind-induced responses of cylinder solar tower by a tiny eddy current tuned mass damper based on elastic wind tunnel tests

Min Liu,Shouying Li,Zhengqing Chen 국제구조공학회 2020 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.26 No.5

Solar towers, which often has a large aspect ratio and low fundamental natural frequency, were extremely prone to large amplitude of wind-induced vibrations, especially Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV). A tiny Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) with conveniently adjustable eddy current damping was specially designed and manufactured for elastic wind tunnel tests of a solar tower. A series of numerical simulations by using the COMSOL software were conducted to determine three key parameters, including the thickness of the back iron plate and the conductive plate (<i>T_b</i> and <i>T_c</i>), the distance between the magnet and the conductive plate (<i>T_d</i>). Based on the results of numerical simulations, a tiny TMD was manufactured and its structural parameters were experimentally identified. The optimized values of the tiny TMD can be conveniently realized. The tiny TMD was installed at the top of the elastic test model of a 243-meter-high solar tower, and a series of wind tunnel tests were carried out to examine the effectiveness of the TMD in suppressing wind-induced responses of the test model. The results showed that the wind-induced responses could be obviously reduced by the TMD, especially in the cross-wind direction. The cross-wind RMS and peak responses at the critical wind velocity can be reduced by about 86% and 75%, respectively. However, the maximum reduction of the responses at the design wind velocity is about 45%, obviously less than that at the critical wind velocity.

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.

Aerodynamic stability of iced stay cables on cable-stayed bridge

Li, Shouying,Wu, Teng,Huang, Tao,Chen, Zhengqing Techno-Press 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.23 No.3

Ice accretions on stay cables may result in the instable vibration of galloping, which would affect the safety of cable-stayed bridges. A large number of studies have investigated the galloping vibrations of transmission lines. However, the obtained aerodynamics in transmission lines cannot be directly applied to the stay cables on cable-stayed bridges. In this study, linear and nonlinear single degree-of-freedom models were introduced to obtain the critical galloping wind velocity of iced stay cables where the aerodynamic lift and drag coefficients were identified in the wind tunnel tests. Specifically, six ice shapes were discussed using section models with geometric scale 1:1. The results presented obvious sudden decrease regions of the aerodynamic lift coefficient for all six test models. Numerical analyses of iced stay cables associated to a medium-span cable-stayed bridge were carried out to evaluate the potential galloping instability. The obtained nonlinear critical wind velocity for a 243-meter-long stay cable is much lower than the design wind velocity. The calculated linear critical wind velocity is even lower. In addition, numerical analyses demonstrated that increasing structural damping could effectively mitigate the galloping vibrations of iced stay cables.

A two-stage Kalman filter for the identification of structural parameters with unknown loads

Jia He,Xiaoxiong Zhang,Zhouquan Feng,Zhengqing Chen,Zhang Cao 국제구조공학회 2020 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.26 No.6

The conventional Kalman Filter (KF) provides a promising way for structural state estimation. However, the physical parameters of structural systems or models should be available for the estimation. Moreover, it is not applicable when the loadings applied to the structures are unknown. To circumvent the aforementioned limitations, a two-stage KF with unknown input approach is proposed for the simultaneous identification of structural parameters and unknown loadings. In stage 1, a modified observation equation is employed. The structural state vector is estimated by KF on the basis of structural parameters identified at the previous time-step. Then, the unknown input is identified by Least Squares Estimation (LSE). In stage 2, based on the concept of sensitivity matrix, the structural parameters are updated at the current time-step by using the estimated structural states obtained from stage 1. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is numerically validated via a five-story shearing model under random and earthquake excitations. Shaking table tests on a five-story structure are also employed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach. It is demonstrated from numerical and experimental results that the proposed approach can be used for the identification of parameters of structure and the external force applied to it with acceptable accuracy.