An experimental study on active control of in‐plane cable vibration by axial support motion

Abstract

AbstractActive control of slightly sagged cables using the axial motion at the cable support is studied experimentally and analytically. Non‐linear modal equations of a cable are presented, and two control schemes are identified, i.e. active stiffness control and active sag‐induced force control. In this study, emphasis is placed on the active sag‐induced force control. Additional damping is analytically expressed when a velocity feedback control is used. Although the active sag‐induced force control can be applicable only for in‐plane symmetric modes, it is shown that it is very efficient for the first mode. An experiment is conducted using a scaled cable model of 2 m length. First, it is shown by the experiment that the analytical model can predict well the non‐linear cable motion. Next, sag‐induced force control is examined using free vibration and harmonic excitations. The results agree well with the analytical predictions and confirm that additional damping can be obtained efficiently from the axial support motion.