Performance evaluation of shape-memory-alloy superelastic behavior to control a stay cable in cable-stayed bridges

Abstract

This paper focuses on introducing and investigating the performance of a new passive control device for stay cable in cable-stayed bridges made with shape-memory alloys (SMA). The superelasticity and damping capability of SMA is sought in this study to develop a supplementary energy dissipation device for stay cable. A linear model of a sag cable and a one-dimensional constitutive model for the SMA are used. The problem of the optimal design of the device is studied. In the optimization problem, an energy criterion associated with the concept of optimal performance of the hysteretic connection is used. The maximum dissipation energy depends on the cross-sectional area, the length, and the location of the SMA on the cable. The effectiveness of the SMA damper in controlling the cable displacement is assessed. Furthermore, a study is conducted to determine the sensitivity of the cable response to the properties of the SMA device. The comparison between the SMA damper and a more classical passive control energy dissipation device, i.e., the tuned mass damper (TMD), is carried out. The numerical results show the effectiveness of the SMA damper to damp the high free vibration and the harmonic vibration better than an optimal TMD.