Active tendon control of cable-stayed bridges: A large-scale demonstration

Abstract

This paper presents a strategy for active damping of cable structures, using active tendons. The first part of the paper summarizes the theoretical background: The control law is briefly presented together with the main results of an approximate linear theory which allows the prediction of closed-loop poles with a root locus technique. The second part of the paper reports on experimental results obtained with two test structures: The first one is a small size mock-up representative of a cable-stayed bridge during the construction phase. The control of the parametric vibration of passive cables due to deck vibration is demonstrated. The second one is a 30m long mock-up built on the reaction wall of the ELSA test facility at the JRC Ispra (Italy); this test structure is used to demonstrate the practical implementation of the control strategy with hydraulic actuators. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.