Experimental investigation of the dynamic behaviour of inclined sagged cables

Abstract

The nonlinear characteristics of two-dimensional in-plane free vibration of elastic cables with arbitrary sags over a range of inclinations were analyzed numerically and some typical results were experimentally verified. The analytical investigation was accomplished by using a multi-degree-of-freedom cable model, which was discretized by the use of finite elements. Qualitative and quantitative results obtained for various physical parameters of the elastogeometrical cable parameter are discussed in detail, investigating the modal transition phenomena occurring in planer nonlinear dynamics. Close attention is placed towards investigating the frequency avoidance (or veering) regions of the internal resonances. This resulted in the analysis of the influence of cable inclination, by looking at the overall nonlinear behaviours against those previously outlined for the horizontal cable. The thesis concludes with a summary of results and some conclusions derived from it. Limited experimental analysis was preformed for specific cases by considering, for example, the angle of inclination and cable properties. The experimental results are used to verify the results from FEM analysis. Particular attention is paid on the phenomena of frequency crossover of flat sagged cables and to resolve issues on the avoidance points of inclined sagged cables. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)