Estimating method of cable tension from natural frequency of high mode

Abstract

Measuring bridge cable tension by a so-called vibration method is very convenient. However, to estimate the tension from low frequency modes, excitation often becomes necessary. To improve the method, this paper presents a method for estimating cable tension from high frequency modes by the exact solution of the cable vibration considering the effect of flexural rigidity, cable sag and inclination of the cable. Using a personal computer, the tension can be estimated on site by micro-tremor method exactly and speedily.