Abstract Both domestic and foreign scholars have developed various friction dampers with good characteristics. The primary types of friction dampers include conventional friction dampers, Pall friction dampers, Sumitomo friction dampers, and Centripetal friction dampers. The components of these dampers will slip or deform under load effect when the energy is consumed by friction. As the structural vibration period increases while the external energy input decreases, the vibration amplitude is reduced. This vibration reduction method is widely used in the automotive industry. Most of the hysteresis models of dampers are similar to rectangular shapes, making the selection of an accurate initial sliding force crucial for the rectangular hysteresis model. Based on the effective data collected from the field observation test, a self-made friction damper, which has a good vibration reduction effect, was used to observe rain-wind induced stay-cable vibration at Dongting Lake Bridge in Yueyang, Hunan Province. Accordingly, some suggestions are put forward for the research work on rain-wind-induced vibration.