Modeling a gyroscopic stabilizer for the improvement of the dynamic performances of slender monopole towers

Abstract

Monopole towers are slender structures usually employed for telecommunication, for meteorological measurements or for massive lighting poles. The structure is made-up of a vertical cantilever column constrained to the ground by a massive foundation. It is generally recognized that such slender structures, can be very sensitive to wind effects due to their dynamic characteristics. The paper focuses the attention on a prototype of a gyroscopic device conceived as an active stabilizer of such slender structures subjected to dynamic forces as wind or heart-quakes. In the present paper, a mathematical model of the gyroscopic device installed on a typical tower model has been implemented aiming to study its dynamic behavior. Free vibrations of the dynamic-model were analyzed in order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed apparatus. Results show that the use of a gyroscopic stabilizer allows, as expected, for an effective stiffening of the monopole tower and for a remarkable increase of its damping ratio with a consequent improvement of its dynamic performances.