Energy dissipation enhancement of wire rope isolators

Abstract

Wire Rope Isolators (WRIs) are critical in mitigating vibrations in various engineering applications, particularly in seismic isolation. Despite their inherent advantages, the effective damping of WRIs significantly diminishes with increased deformation amplitudes, creating the need to develop improved configurations to enhance their damping capabilities. This paper presents the results of two new experimental approaches to improve energy dissipation in WRIs: applying coatings to wire strands to modify the viscous medium between them and utilizing external confining wires to increase inter-strand frictional forces. Experimental tests were conducted on treated WRIs using sinusoidal displacements across different configurations, including tension-compression, inclined at a 45° angle, shear, and roll. The study evaluated the impact of three coating materials and introduced external confining wires made of steel, copper, aluminum, and solder on the damping properties of WRIs. Among these, steel wires demonstrated a notable increase in damping effectiveness due to their high modulus of elasticity. The results indicate that techniques like confining wires can significantly enhance damping effectiveness at various deformation levels. The findings suggest valuable directions for refining the energy absorption features of WRIs.