E S T I M A T I O N C U R V E F O R M O D A L D A M P I N G IN S T A Y

CABLES WITH VISCOUS DAMPER

By Benito M. Pacheco, 1 Member, ASCE, Yozo Fujino, 2

Member, ASCE, and Ajai Sulekh3
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ABSTRACT." TO simplifythe procedure of designingviscousdampers for stay cables

in bridges, a universal estimation curve is proposed that relates the modal damping
ratio of the cable with attached damper, the mode number, the damper size, the
damper location, and three parameters of the cable: span, mass per unit length,
and fundamental frequency, The curve is obtained from numerical complex-eigen-
value analysisof a taut cable with a singledamper near the anchorage, with judicious
grouping of these parameters into nondimensional factors. Several numerical ex-
amples illustrate the convenient use of this design aid, as well as show realistic
values of the required damper size and location and the expected additional damp-
ing in the first few modes. The damping to be attained is usually high enough to
suppress most vibrations induced by wind. However it is noted that a small sag of
the cable and slight nonviscous properties of the damper may reduce the damper
effectiveness. A modified design curve may have to incorporate these parameters
to provide better accuracy.

TOWARD SIMPLE DESIGN AID

Steel stay cables are widely used in m o d e r n bridges and other structures.
In fact, cable-stayed bridges of longer spans are becoming economically
competitive due to the efficient use of cables in carrying the static loads.
Long stay cables, however, are prone to dynamic problems. The natural
frequencies of a long cable tend to resonate with the dominant frequencies
of environmental forces, such as wind, vehicles, or pedestrians on a bridge,
while the inherent cable damping is usually too small. The vibrations, unless
suppressed or eliminated, m a y speed up fatigue or rapidly wear out the
protection system against corrosion.
Discrete viscous dampers m a y have to be attached to the cables near the
anchorage. This was done, for example, in the Brotonne Bridge in France
(Gimsing 1983); the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida (Watson and Staf-
ford 1988); and, as the first case in Japan, in the A r a t s u Bridge (Yoshimura
et al. 1989). The cables may also be tied with secondary wires to reduce
their effective length and t h e r e b y avoid resonance; but this approach tends
to conflict with the aesthetics of the bridge.
In designing the viscous d a m p e r , an estimate of the additional damping
to be expected for the various modes of the cable is usually o b t a i n e d by
eigenvalue analysis (e.g., Meirovitch 1980). The analysis is very time con-
suming, although the configuration of a cable with a concentrated viscous
force may look simple if sag and bending effects are neglected. To be precise,
usually it has to be done on a c o m p u t e r using a large n u m b e r of degrees of

1Sr. Engr., Ammann & Whitney Consulting Engineers, New York, NY 10014-
3390; Formerly, Assoc. Prof., Univ. of Tokyo.
2prof., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Univ. of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 113.
3Engr., Taisei Corp., Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan 163; Formerly Grad. Student,
Univ. of Tokyo.
Note. Discussion open until November 1, 1993. To extend the closing date one
month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager of Journals. The
manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and possible publication on
February 2, 1991. This paper is part of the Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol.
119, No. 6, June, 1993. 9 ISSN 0733-9445/93/0006-1961/$1.00 + $.15 per
page. Paper No. 1311.
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J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 freedom in the mathematical model of the cable. This must be repeated a
number of times while searching for an optimized size or location of the
damper. For different cables, separate numerical eigenvalue analyses may
have to be performed.
To avoid these tedious calculations during preliminary design, the present
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paper shall propose a design curve that can be used graphically in: (1)
Choosing the proper size or location.of damper, for a required amount of
additional damping in a specified mode; and (2) estimating the additional
damping for the various modes, for given damper size and location.
In obtaining the estimation curve in a universal form, i.e., a form appli-
cable to most stay cables and dampers that are encountered in practice, it
will be assumed that only the first few modes of the cables are of interest,
and that the distance of the damper from the cable anchorage is within
several percent of the cable length. The curve will be compared with sim-
plified equations that have been proposed elsewhere. The use of the design
curve will be illustrated through actual examples of bridge stay cables.
The effect of cable sag, which has been neglected in all previous works,
will be analyzed theoretically in the last part of the paper. This is one of
the factors that may explain why the measured damping in some applications
was less than predicted (Yoshimura et al. 1989; Uno et al. 1991). Further-
more, an experiment using a small-cable model is discussed in Appendix
II. In this experiment, the maximum damping was also found to be less
than expected, but apparently for reasons other than sag. It will be em-
phasized that future studies may have to incorporate a few more factors in
a modified design curve.

EIGENVALUE ANALYSIS OF TAUT CABLE WITH VISCOUS DAMPER

Nondimensionalized Equation of Motion
The motion of the taut cable (Fig. 1) in the linear range is described by
the following partial differential equation:
T o2v OZv Ov
ox---~ = m -~y + c - ~ ~(x - Xc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)

where T = initial static tension force in the cable; m = mass per unit length
of cable; c = damper coefficient; ~ = Dirac's delta function; x = coordinate
along the cable chord line; xc = location of the damper; t = time; and v
= lateral displacement from static position. The inherent damping of the
cable is assumed to be negligible.
The displacement is approximated by a finite series in the form

v(x, t) = ~ bi(t)+oi(x) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)

i=1

L
I~ .. >1

T I
FIG, 1. Taut Cable with Viscous Damper

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J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 where n = number of degrees of freedom (DOF); bi(t) = generalized
displacement in the ith DOF; and r --- ith generalized coordinate, which
is selected here to be
~rix
r = sin--f ............................................. (3)
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where L = span of the cable. ~bo/(X) is proportional to the ith undamped

mode of the cable. The corresponding undamped natural frequency is

"a'is
tOo/ = -~ ............................................... (4)

It is crucial in the development of a general design curve to nondimen-

sionalize the governing equation. Accordingly the following transformations
are used:
b = [bl(t), b2(t) . . . . b,(t)] r
L ................................... (5)

r = tOoat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6)

(), = a(__) .................................................. (7)

0r
where %1 = fundamental natural frequency as given by (4) for i = 1.
Eqs. (2)-(7) are substituted into (1); by Galerkin method, each function
r i = 1, 2, 3, . . . n, is used as weighting function for the residual;
and the following orthogonality property is used:

fo (~oi(X)(boj(X) dx 1
= ~ g~ij . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (8)

where. 8ij = Kronecker delta, to obtain the following governing matrix

equation:
Mb" + C b ' + Kb = {0} ...................................... (9)
where
MU = ~u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (10)

C u = 2 (m---L~ol)C sin --L--WiXc'sln~jx~.L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (11)

Kij = i2~ij ................................................. (12)

Eq. (11) has grouped the cable and damper parameters into nondimensional
factors.

Practical Range of Parameters

As the preceding equations show, three nondimensional parameters are
independent: i, x c / L , and c/mL~Ool.In the present study, it is assumed that
only the first few modes of the cable are of interest, i.e., the integer pa-
rameter i is small. At the same time, it is only possible to attach the damper
at a location that is not too far from the cable anchorage, i.e., the ratio Xc/
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J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 L is small, too. In most cases, the product of these two parameters, ixc/L,
will be less than (approximately) 0.15.
The practical range of the nondimensionalized damper coefficient,
c/mL%l, is also known approximately. It is not necessary to consider very
high c values; in the extreme case of infinitely large c, the point of attachment
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of the damper becomes a fixed support that does not allow energy dissi-
pation. The optimum value of c/mLool that gives the maximum possible
damping to a specified mode has been indicated by Kovacs (1982) (Appendix
I) to be about 1/(2"rrixc/L), hence c/mL%1 need not be increased too far
beyond the preceding value.

Nonproportionality of Damping
It is obvious from (10)-(12) that the system is nonproportionally damped,
i.e., while the mass and stiffness matrices are diagonal the damping matrix
is not. The eigenvalue analysis of such a system is time consuming, because
the eigenvalue hi is a complex number. The real and imaginary parts of hi
correspond to two pieces of information about mode i; namely ~i is the
damping ratio and ~oi is the pseudoundamped natural frequency (e.g.,
Pacheco and Fujino 1989)
hi = ~oi(-{i + ~ X/1 - ~ ) .............................. (13)
A perturbation technique (Pacheco and Fujino 1989) has been tried (Sulekh
1990), with the objective of approximating ~i from (9) without the time-
consuming numerical eigenvalue analysis. This technique is effective when
the nonproportionality of damping is weak or moderate. However, it has
become apparent that as the damper coefficient c is increased around the
optimum value indicated by Kovacs (1982), the damping of the system
becomes too strongly nonproportional. The perturbations are so big in this
case that the perturbation method is clearly not applicable.
The damping nonproportionality in this system is weak only when the
value of c/mLooo1 is very small. If nonproportionality is then ignored alto-
gether, by ignoring the off-diagonal terms of the damping matrix, (11), the
modal damping ratio is approximately

Cii (14a)
~i- 2 ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

which can be simplified further by replacing the sine function with its ar-
gument

6i = "n2 c i .................................... (15)

Eqs. (14) and (15) are nearly equal in accuracy within the practical range
of ixcL that was previously discussed. In terms of ease of calculation, how-
ever, the form of (15) has an advantage, as will be shown later.
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J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 Choice of Axes for Plotting Modal Damping against
Three Parameters
Eq. (15) or (14), cannot, of course, be used for the whole practical range
of c/mL%l; in fact, (15) does not predict an optimum damping ratio at all.
Numerical eigenvalue analysis of (9) has to be performed for moderate and
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large values of c/rnLo~ol within the practical range, and the results have to
be plotted to observe the peak damping.
However, (15) does provide a hint how to choose the coordinates of the
graph in which the modal damping will be plotted versus the three param-
eters i, xc/L, and c/rnL~ool. The objective is to find a curve in the proper
set of coordinates such that the same curve is reasonably applicable to any
value of the three parameters within the practical range.
Kovacs (Appendix I) indicated that the maximum possible damping ratio
attainable in any specified mode is approximately 0.5 xc/L, i.e., the maxi-
mum value of the ratio ~i/(xc/L) is nearly constant at 0.5 and independent
of the parameters i and xc/L. The latter fact is a clue toward a universal
curve. The factor ~i/(Xc/L) appears in (15) if the equation is rewritten as

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Eq. (16) will plot as a single straight line that is applicable to any i, any Xc/
L, or any c/mL%~ if the chosen abscissa is (c/mL%0 i(xc/L) and the ordinate
is ~J(xJL). These coordinates will be used later in plotting the results of
the numerical eigenvalue analysis. Note that when (16) is plotted in these
coordinates, the straight line passes through the origin and the slope is ~r~.

Results of Numerical Eigenvalue Analysis

With matrices M, C, and K [(10)-(12)] as input, a standard computer
subroutine was used to calculate the complex eigenvalues ~i, i = 1, 2 . . . . ,
m. [For the QR method and other algorithms, i.e., Meirovitch (1980).] In
principle, the number of degrees of freedom n should be as large as man-
ageable, so that the error due to the finite-series approximation (2) could
be minimized. Also, as may be verified from (11), the coupling in the
damping matrix could be quite strong; using only the submatrix of the first
n rows and n columns, with small n, might not be a good approximation.
However, only the first m eigenvalues were to be actually computed, where

Fig. 2 shows the trend of convergence of the damping of the first mode
(i = 1), for the case of xc/L = 0.02, as the number of degrees of freedom
in the computational model n is increased. The straight line (n = 1) cor-
responding to (16) is also shown for comparison. It may be noted that fewer
degrees of freedom may give equivalent accuracy when finite-element mod-
eling is used instead of the present global Galerkin approach. The time
required in the iterations for the first few eigenvalues is not necessarily less,
however, as the coefficient matrices of the finite-element model do not
possess the special structure of (9)-(12).
Fig. 3 shows that the modal damping ratios of the six lowest modes
converge around the same curve. Fig. 4 shows the convergence of several
cases with different values of xc/L, ranging from 0.01 to 0.10. Only mode
1 is shown here, as Fig. 3 has already illustrated that the other modes tend
toward the same curve, too.
1965

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 1.0 , I ' I I t

n=l
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0.8

n=20

0.6

xc /L
n = 350
0.4

0.2

0 , I ~ I, , I , I ,
0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.25 0.30
r xc
mLcoal L
FIG. 2. Convergence of First-Mode Damping Ratio as Number of Computational
Degrees of Freedom is Increased (xc/L -- 0.02)

Although modal damping is the main concern presently, the following

results of the complex-eigenvalue analysis (Sulekh 1990) are also worth
noting. First, the pseudoundamped frequencies toi, i = 1, 2 . . . . , rn, are
only slightly higher than the corresponding tooi, (4). Second, the method of
normalization of the corresponding complex eigenvector can be chosen such
that the real part resembles the undamped mode shape as given by (3), and
the imaginary part approaches zero when the damper coefficient is very
small. The typical shape of the imaginary part of mode 1 is shown in Fig.
5(b). Third, the eigenvector in Fig. 5 corresponds to mode 1 with optimized
damping. It can be observed in the numerical analysis of the first six modes
for xc/L = 0.02 that the imaginary and real parts are equal at x = xc, the
location of the damper, whenever the damping is optimal for the particular
mode.

U N I V E R S A L E S T I M A T I O N C U R V E FOR M O D A L D A M P I N G

Comparison with Other Proposed Formulas

Figs. 3 and 4 confirm the existence of optimum damping, as well as
indicate that a single curve can accurately represent the modal damping for
the first few modes and for realistically small values of xr The proposed
universal curve is plotted again in Fig. 6. The coordinates of the peak are
1966

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 0.7 ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I i I ' I '
=

0.6 - - mode 1
o mode 2
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0.5
\ . mode 3
0.4 ~ [] mode 4
Xc/L I \ o modeS -

0.3

0.2

0.1
, I , I , I , I , f I [ 1 [, i _l L | ]
0
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 f.O

c ix_~c
m L COol L
FIG. 3. Convergence of the Six Lowest Modes (xc/L = 0.02)

0.7 ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I' '

0.6

0.5

0.4
xc IL 0.3

0.2
0.1
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

mLto01 L
FIG. 4. Convergence of Mode 1 for Different Locations of Damper

listed in Table 1 in a modified form that allows comparison with other

proposed formulas.
The previous study of Kovacs (1982) was wholly concerned with optimi-
zation, i.e., estimating the coordinates of the peak in Fig. 6. Although only
the first mode was explicitly discussed in the original paper, Kovacs's result
1967

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 1.0

I:
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0.5 ' 1.05 ' , ' , .

~t

, I , I , I ,
00 0.25 0.50 O.75 1.00
x/L
(a)

0.05 I I I

I:
ca.

ltl

, I , I , I ,
-0.05 0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00
x/L
(b)
FIG. 5. Real and Imaginary Parts of the Complex Eigenvector of Mode 1 (xJL =
0.02)

is identical in form with that of the present work (Table 1), if extended by
analogy to higher modes (Appendix I).
The more recent numerical analysis of Yoneda and Maeda (1989) led to
empirical equations of a different form, for optimum damper size and cor-
responding modal damping. Their equations (Table 1) give nearly the same
values as the present formulas do, for practical parameters of the cable and
damper as discussed earlier in this paper; but the present equations are
much less cumbersome to use, especially when xc/L is to be designed,
because both Copt,iand ~s. . . . are expressed as linear functions of xc/L.
Yoneda and Maeda (1989) analyzed specific cable examples and consid-
ered a wide range of values of the damper coefficient c, including the
optimum. For quick estimation of modal damping due to a damper at spec-
ified location xc, they finally proposed four linear functions of c, each one
1968

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 0.7 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
.... .'"" ': ",, .; """ ':" , , , , ~,'" ". ".,..,. ;'"" :, ,,,' P'., .: ,,," ~",, ..~,.'' ';'. ,..:."' '.~',,, c," ". ;,,,,, ;",., ; ....

0.8 .... i i i ....

.... :,. ,..:.... ,..,,, ,...,,.: ......................................................................................
~_ : L .
o.s
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"": """i " x ~'~ T "[

~i 0.4 " ~ ~ -.

xc /L 0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

r ixe
mL(ool L
FIG. 6. Universal Curve Relating Modal Damping Ratio ~i with Damper Size c,
Location xc, Mode Number i, and Cable Parameters m, L, ~Oo,

TABLE 1. Comparison of Optimal Damper and Maximum Damping

Copt,i
Study (N" sec. m-l) ~i. . . .
(1) (2) (3)
Present O.l OrnLo~oj(ixr L ) 0.52xc/L
Kovacs(1982) 1/2"rr(mLt%l)/(ixe/L) 1/2xc/L
Yonedaand Maeda
(1989) 6.25/2~r(mLO~oliXr (6.25/2w)xc/L[0.45 + (xc/L)]
Uno et al. (1991) 6.25/(2"rr)(mLt%lxc/L)/[i sin2(rrxJL)] (3.3/2w)(xc/L)

being applicable to a different range of damper size. Their cop, was used as
reference in defining the four regions of c; but there was no direct attempt
to use a nondimensionalized damping coefficient as parameter.
Extending Yoneda and Maeda's (1989) work, Uno et al. (1991) introduced
nondimensionalization of the damper coefficient, and modified the formula
for optimized modal damping into a linear function of x c / L , instead of
quadratic (Table 1). Independently of the present work (see also Sulekh et
al. 1990), Uno et al. also obtained a generalized curve that is practically
the same as Fig. 6, except for keeping the sine function of x c / L in the
nondimensionalized damper coefficient. Again, the present definition of
nondimensional parameter is more convenient for calculations, since it does
not contain the sin 2 function of x c / L .

Application in Design: Examples

Fig. 6 may be used in different ways in the design of a viscous damper.
In the following examples, two cables (Table 2) of an actual multi-stay-
cable bridge (center span = 420 m) are considered (Yoneda and Maeda
1989).
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J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 TABLE 2. Properties of Example Cables (Yoneda and Maeda 1989)
m L T ~o~ (Eq. 4)
Cable (kg. m-~) (m) (N) (sec- ~)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
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C1 98.6 215.11 3.69 x 106 2.825

Cl1 78.3 92.28 3.05 x 106 6.719

.I,I,I,,.I.I.I.L.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I,I.
-~....'....g--.4--i.... --..~,...~.......-b...i....4....~...4-..~....~..~....~ .... -'§247247247

LL~:: i..TT.h VFT-1Ti-I-ViTV,. r.... -:-~..............] ' i ' i ! i i i i ! ! i i

..~.~IITrTTTT!tH+4-§
(2) :::::2::;:::2::::2::::-:::::::::2::::i:::::::::::::::::::::: :,"T"TYT'r"'r'T"'~"'r'"~'$"t-t"h't"'["'t
[-~N.I-H-...t-t-+...1..,..t...V,.t...t.-..V..t-
;-.!.... (2) 0.43
t ? l ' ~ l : : : ~ i ' F - r T - v v ; ! ~~ ~~
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
~ .I..L..LLL.i' i,,L (4) 0.26 ~~~IY"V'?-T'V'F"rT',~L..L_~,.,.i....:.
"T"I.... ~f'
0.1 0.2 0.19 0.38
(I) (3) (1) (3)

(b)

"I'VIJ'I'I'I'I'I'I'I'I'L'i'I'I'I'L'I'~
9..i....§247163 ..~....i..~
~.:~L~i~~``.~'.~i~1~L~:~.~.~L~L~ L~ -}-+ 4-.-§ 9 k..i.-. §
...... 4 -..'..--~.,..:..--L.-,~...-:....].-.,~-'....,L...I....-.-....,-.,..L..:....:..z (4) 0,51 ..}....~....i...4....'
. . ..4...:....:....i.....i.....,.~
. . . . . . ....~..~-.L.L..'..~.L..~........
..L ~* ~....L..L..L..L..,L..L.L.i....i....L.L.,L -'- ..L..L -"
(1) 0.48 ~&.i..i...i.Lk i-i S..i..i..i/..i.L: (2) 0.45 ....LLi::Li::ES::L:i::5::i::LI::LI::i:
~L: L L L ~ ~! ~ L: : ~ _ i ....
H....H-.H-q.-i-i-..H..i i H-.- , ~ ~ a ~ ~ ~ "~":'"Y"Y"!'"F'

....r -..v...r-..r,-.r-'r -'~-"v"~"'~""~"~-"-~- - - 9 ~-'"r"

0.070A4 0.06 O.12

(:)(3) (1) (3)

(c) (a)
FIG. 7. Examples Using Universal Curve

Example 1
The damping of m o d e 1 of cable C1 is to be maximized, subject to the
constraint that x J L cannot exceed 0.0235 (i.e., xc should not exceed about
5 m; this limit may be determined by the slope of the cable and the m a x i m u m
allowed height o f d a m p e r attachment from the bridge deck level, which is
about 2.0 m in this case). D e t e r m i n e the p r o p e r d a m p e r size, and the
corresponding damping to be expected for modes 1 and 2.
Fig. 7(a) indicates the sequence of calculation by the labels n u m b e r e d 1
through 4 in parentheses and referred to herein as sequences 1 - 4 . Assuming
that the maximum allowed distance is used, the corresponding d a m p e r size
that will give o p t i m u m abscissa in sequence 1 is c o m p u t e d as

c = 0.1 (98.6)(215.11)(2.825) = 2.55 • 1 0 S N - s e c . m -1 . . . . . . . . . . (17)

(1)(o.o235)
and the corresponding damping for m o d e 1 is read from the ordinate at
sequence 2
1970

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 ~ = 0.52(0.0235) = 1.22% .................................. (18)
For mode 2, the abscissa at sequence 3 is twice that of mode 1. The damping
is read at sequence 4
~2 = 0.42(0.0235) = 0.99% .................................. (19)
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These modal damping values are large enough to suppress most types of
wind-induced vibration. If, due to space and other constraints, the distance
x~ is reduced to half, optimal damping for mode 1 will be obtained by
doubling the damper size; but then the damping ratios will be half of the
respective values just given.

Example 2
The damping of mode 1 of the shorter cable, C l l , is to be maximized
using the same damper size as determined for cable C1 in example 1, pro-
vided that xJL should not exceed 0.0364 (i.e., xc should not be much more
than 3.3 m). Determine the proper xJL and the expected ~1 and ~2.
As a first trial, assume that the maximum allowed xjL is used, i.e.,
0.0364; then the abscissa becomes 0.19, sequence 1 in Fig. 7(b). The first
modal damping is read at sequence 2:~1 = (0.43)(0.0364) = 1.57%. For
the second mode the abscissa, sequence 3 in the figure, is of course twice
that of sequence 1; the second modal damping is read at sequence 4:~2 =
(0.26)(0.0364) = 0.95%.
It may be noted that in comparison with the respective values in example
1, in which the same damper size has been used, the present first-mode
damping is higher while the second-mode damping is lower.
For a second trial, the damper location is selected such that the abscissa
of the first mode is at sequence 1 of Fig. 7(a), i.e., corresponding to the
peak in the universal curve
_ (78.3)(92.28)(6.719)
xc = 0.1 = 0.0190 ........................ (20)
L (1)(2.55 x 105)
This is just a little more than half of the maximum allowed value of 0.0364.
The corresponding damping is read from the ordinate at sequence 2:~1 =
(0.52)(0.0190) = 0.99%. The second-mode damping is read at sequence 4:
~2 = (0.42)(0.0190) = 0.80%.
On comparing the two trials, it is apparently better to attach the damper
at the greater distance of xc/L --- 0.0364 [the first trial; Fig. 7(b)] even
though the corresponding point in the universal curve is not the peak point
for either mode.

Example 3
The damping ratios of modes 1 and 2 of cable C1 are to be maximized
using again the damper size determined in example 1. Note in contrast that
only the first mode is explicitly being optimized in example 1. Determine
the proper xcL, and the expected ~1 and ~2. Check if it is possible and
preferable to make the damping of mode 2 equal to mode 1.
Fig. 7(c) indicates at sequence 1 that it is possible to find an ordinate that
corresponds to two values of the abscissa, where one--corresponding to
mode 2 and shown at sequence 3 in Fig. 7(c)--is twice the o t h e r - -
corresponding to mode 1 and shown at sequence 2; hence it is possible to
make the damping ratios of modes 1 and 2 equal. The abscissa at sequence
1971

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 2, corresponding to mode 1, is 0.07. For the damper size determined in
example 1, the location should be

x~ = 0.07 (98.6)(215.11)(2.825) = 0.0164 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (21)

L (1)(2.55 x 105)
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and the damping ratios for the two modes are equal at
~a = ~2 = 0.48(0.0164) = 0.79% ............................. (22)
Comparing this with example 1, it is apparent that the damper location in
example 1, corresponding to a much greater xc/L, is preferable if the same
damper size is to be used.

Example 4
The damping ratios of modes 1 and 2 of cable C1 are to be maximized
(as in example 3) except that the maximum damper size that may be used
is only 1.5 x 105 N - s e c . m - L
With this damper size and the maximum allowed location of xc/L =
0.0235, the abscissa for mode 1 is 0.06, which is sequence 1 in Fig. 7(d).
Mode 2 is at sequence 2. The damping ratios for the two modes, which are
read at sequences 3 and 4 are
~1 m 0.45(0.0235) = 1.06% .................................. (23)
~2 = 0.51(0.0235) = 1.20% .................................. (24)
This design is apparently better than the trial in example 3, in which the
two modal damping ratios are made equal, although the present damper
size is much smaller. It may be noted, too, that the second-mode damping
in the present example is larger than that of the first mode. In fact, mode
2, instead of mode 1, has nearly optimum damping.

Example 5
The damping ratios of modes 1 and 2 of cable C l l are to be made equal,
and the smaller damper of example 4, c = 1.5 x l0 s N . s e c . m -a, is to be
used. Determine the proper xc/L, and the expected ~1 and ~2. Compare
with the design in example 2.
By calculations following Fig. 7(c), it is found that the necessary location
is xc/L = 0.0226, which gives the same damping ratio of 1.08% to the two
modes. Comparing with the two trial designs in example 2, it is observed
that the present design is the best as far as mode 2 is concerned, and it is
the second best for mode 1.
The preceding examples demonstrate the convenience of having a uni-
versal design curve. The present definition of abscissa is particularly con-
venient in the calculation of xc/L in the second trial of example 2, and in
examples 3 and 5.

EFFECT OF SMALL SAG

The design curve of Fig. 6 has been based on idealized cable and damper,
ignoring such factors as cable sag, flexural rigidity of the cable, stiffness of
the damper, or nonlinear damper characteristics. The effect of small sag is
analyzed here; Fig. 8 exaggerates the sag, for clarity.
Following the formulation of Irvine (1981), the static profile of the cable
is assumed to be parabolic and the effect of the inclination of the cable
1972

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 t,,r
L )1

VI -'- V
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FIG. 8. Cable with Small Sag

chord is ignored. This simplification is accurate when the ratio of midspan

sag to span is 1:8 or less. The equation of motion becomes
kZ fL 02V OV
Z~ 02~' n Jo vax = m + c--8(x - x0 ............... (25)
ox 2 - -U o,

where H = component of initial static tension T, along the (horizontal)

chord; and the dimensionless sag p a r a m e t e r k 2 is (Irvine 1981)

~2 L, A
.......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (26)
LeH

Le=L
[ (r
where, for small sag

1+~ 1 ................................... (27)

In (26), g = acceleration due to gravity; E = Young's modulus; A = cross-

sectional area; and t e statically extended length of the cable, h 2 in stay
---

cables seldom exceeds the value 1.0 (Gimsing 1983).

Again using (2)-(8), the governing matrix equation is obtained in a form
identical to (9) except that the stiffness matrix is not diagonal

2h 2 [1 -- (-- 1)'111 -- (-- 1)q

Kij = i28ij -k ,re----
s ij ...................... (28)

which is identical to (12) if X2 is zero, i.e., if sag is negligible.

When i is an even integer, the off-diagonal terms (j :~ i) of the stiffness
matrix are zero and the diagonal term is identical to that in (12), as can be
verified from (28). By (3), it may be recalled that qbo~(X) for even-valued i
is antisymmetric about the midspan. Such qbo~(X) has zero contribution to
the integral in the second term of the left-hand side of (25). Hence, it can
be seen that the even-numbered modes, which are antisymmetric, are not
to be affected by the small sag.
Fig. 9 shows the damping ratios of the six lowest modes for the same
parameters as in Fig. 3, except that the sag parameter k 2 is not zero, but
1.0. It can be observed that due to the sag the first-mode damping is mod-
erately reduced although the other odd-numbered modes are hardly af-
fected.
1973

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 0.7 I I I I I ! I I I " J

0.6 o mode 1
o mode 2
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0.5
0.4 A mode 4
v mode 5
xc/L 0.3 * mode 6
12~

0.2 r o

vt v ~ ,k #t
0.1
., , . . . . , , , . , , , , . , .
0
0 0.1 0.2 0 3 . 4 0 . 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

C ixc
mLco01 L
FIG. 9. Effect of Mode 1 of Small Sag (;~2 = 1.0, xc/L = 0.02)

It is clear that further parametric study of sag and other factors (e.g.,
Appendix II) is required for the applicability of the design curve to be made
more comprehensive.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Viscous dampers near the cable anchorage are a viable means to raise
the modal damping of long stay cables and suppress most types of vibrations,
particularly those induced by wind, provided there is enough distance from
the cable anchorage to the point of attachment of the damper. The maximum
possible modal damping is directly proportional to this distance. For the
specified location, the maximum possible damping can be attained through
the use of an optimal damper size. Examples in the present paper have
shown typical values.
The present study has propose d a universal curve relating modal damping
ratio, mode number, damper size, damper location, and three cable param-
eters: span, mass per unit length, and fundamental frequency. The unified
curve has been obtained by grouping these parameters judiciously. With
this curve, the preliminary design of viscous dampers, including the esti-
mation of expected additional damping in the first few modes of the cable,
becomes very simple. Several design situations have been illustrated in the
examples.
When better accuracy is desired from a design curve like the one pro-
posed here, it may be necessary to incorporate the effect of small sag
through a dimensionless sag parameter, especially for very long spans.
Slight nonviscous properties of actual dashpots may have to be considered
as well.
1974

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 APPENDIX I. EXISTENCEOF OPTIMUM DAMPER SIZE

Fig. 10 is from Kovacs (1982). Although only the first mode was treated
explicitly in the original paper, it is shown here that Kovacs's reasoning can
be extended readily to higher modes.
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Schematic frequency-response curves are plotted in Fig. 10 for three

values of c: c = 0 (no damper; solid curve); c = infinite (extremely large
damper; solid curve); and c = Coe,(optimal-size damper; dashed curve). 12
is the frequency of harmonic excitation; the force is assumed to excite only
one mode. ct is the dynamic magnification factor, i.e, the ratio of the am-
plitude of harmonic response to the static deflection that would occur if the
force were applied very slowly.
When c = 0, the mode is completely undamped; the frequency-response
curve tends to infinity (i.e., resonance) at 12 = O~oz.When c = infinite, the
mode does not get any damping, either; the frequency-response curve tends

~ ----~ T

.x~ ~ c=O

.S~.. . . '....j l ~ - ~ c=~

a
C--O~

C=Copt--~. " /
t ~L__
Xc
1.0
= o~(I+~L)~

0 0901 ~ol/(1--~-)
FIG. 10. Kovacs's Definition of Optimum Damper
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J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 again to infinity. The latter resonance occurs at ~ = t%J(1 - xc/L), this
being the natural frequency when the effective length is L(1 - xc/L).
The two response curves are defined by
1
~c=o = . ..................................... (29)
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1 I ............................. (3o)

I
These curves intersect at a frequency between %1 and O~ol/(1 - xc/L)
ac=o = a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (31)
1 1
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (32)

1 ,

Kovacs (1982) gave the approximation

1 xc~ ........................................ (33)

with the assumption that xo/L is small.

Correspondingly, the dynamic magnification factor at this frequency can
be approximated by (29)
1
................................................ (34)

Assuming a single m o d e with viscous damping, the corresponding damping

ratio is
1
~max = - - ............................................. (35a)
20topt
1 X~
~rnax = ~ Z ............................................... (35b)

F r o m his analysis of the frequency response for different d a m p e r sizes,

Kovacs estimated the o p t i m u m c as
mLO~ol
Cop t ~ - - ............................................ (36a)

Coe, ~ 1 ......................................... (36b)

1976

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 Eqs. (35) and (36) may be extended to higher modes, by treating L in
Fig. 10 as L/i, i.e., by considering the shown mode shape as simply the
rightmost portion of a higher mode. The frequency ~Oolis to be treated then
as i%1. The extended formulas are
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1 Xc . .............................................. (37)
~i.... ~ 2 L

Coet,i ~, 1
.......................................... (38)
mLr

It should be noted that according to (37), the maximum possible damping

ratio is independent of the mode number i.

APPENDIX II. EXPERIMENT WITH SMALL-CABLE MODEL

Fig. 11 is from Sulekh (1990). A steel-wire rope was fitted with improvised
viscous damper, and the damping ratio was estimated from the logarithmic
decrement of free vibration. Silicone oil was used as the liquid in the damper,
because it was available for a wide range of different kinematic viscosities.
The viscosity was hardly affected by temperature change.
The wire (cable) properties are: m = 0.07 k g . m -1, L = 2.08 m, and T
= 59.4 N. The lowest natural frequency is about 44 sec-1 or 7 Hz. The sag
parameter (Irvine 1981) is negligible.
The piston of the damper is simulated by a light wooden square plate,
which is about 0.02 m on a side, attached to the wire by a wooden stick.
As damper cylinder, an open container with silicone oil is used. The abscissa
in Fig. 11 is the kinematic viscosity of the oil, instead of the damper coef-
ficient c. The effective coefficient of this improvised damper is difficult to

0.7 ~I I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I

0.6

0.5

0.4
xc / L 0 0
0.3 0
O0 0
0.2 0
0
0.1
2
0
0 '0.'01 O. ~ l l ~ l
0.03 0.04 0. ~
~ l , l , l
0.06 0.07 &08
J

Kinematic viscosity of silicone oil (m2/$)

FIG. 11. Damping of Mode 1 in Experimental Model (xc/L = 0.06) (Sulekh 1990)

1977

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 calibrate, as it depends not only on the kinematic viscosity of the liquid but
also on the geometry of the piston.
Fig. 11 illustrates that there is indeed an optimum viscosity (optimum
damper), which provides the maximum possible modal damping ratio. How-
ever, this peak does not reach the predicted value; the ordinate of Fig. 11
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does not reach 0.52. Since the wire rope is very close to the idealized taut
cable, it may be surmised that most of the discrepancy in modal damping
is attributable to the damper itself. Some characteristics of the improvised
damper and the idealized viscous dashpot may have been significantly dif-
ferent.

APPENDIX III. REFERENCES

Gimsing, N. J. (1983). Cable-Supported Bridges. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester,
England.
Irvine, H. M. (1981). Cable Structures. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Kovacs, I. (1982). "Zur frage der seilschwingungen und tier seildampfung." Die
Bautechnik, 10, 325-332 (in German).
Meirovitch, L. (1980). Computational methods in structural dynamics. Sijthoff and
Noordhoff, Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands.
Pacheco, B. M., and Fujino, Y. (1989). "Perturbation technique to approximate the
effect of damping non-proportionality in modal dynamic analysis." J. Structural
Engrg./Earthquake Engrg., Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Tokyo, Japan, 6(1),
169s-178s.
Sulekh, A. (1990). Non-dimensional curves for modal damping in stay cables with
viscous dampers, MS thesis, Dept. of Civil Eng., Univ. of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Uno, K., Kitagawa, S., Tsutsumi, H., Inoue, A., and Nakaya, S. (1991). "A simple
method of designing cable vibration dampers of cable-stayed bridges." J. Struct.
Engrg., Japan Society of Civil Engineering, Tokyo, Japan, 37A, 789-798.
Watson, S. C., and Stafford, D. (1988). "Cables in trouble." Civil Engineering,
ASCE, 58(4), 38-41.
Yoneda, M., and Maeda, K. (1989). "A study on practical estimation method for
structural damping of stay cable with damper." Proc., Canada-Japan Workshop
on Bridge Aerodynamics, Ottawa, Canada, 119-128.
Yoshimura, T., Inoue, A., Kaji, K., and Savage, M. (1989). "A study on the aero-
dynamic stability of the Aratsu Bridge." Proc. Canada-Japan Workshop on Bridge
Aerodynamics, Ottawa, Canada, 41-50.

APPENDIX IV, NOTATION

The following symbols are used in this paper:

A = cross-sectional area;
bz(t) = generalized displacement in ith degree of freedom;
c = viscous damper coefficient;
Cop,,i = optimal damper coefficient for mode i;
E = Young's modulus;
g = acceleration due to gravity;
H = horizontal component of T;
i, j = mode number;
L = span of cable;
Le = length of cable with sag;
m = mass per unit length of cable;
n = number of degrees of freedom in computational model of cable;
T = initial static tension force in cable;
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J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979

 t = time;
v(x, t) = lateral displacement from static position;
X = coordinate along cable chord axis;
Xc = location of damper;
= dynamic magnification factor;
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hi = complex eigenvalue of mode i;

h2 = sag parameter;
= damping ratio of mode i;
~i,max = maximum possible damping ratio for mode i;
T = nondimensionalized time;
+oi(x) = ith generalized coordinate; undamped mode of taut cable;
= circular frequency of harmonic exciting force;
6Oi = pseudoundamped natural circular frequency o f mode i; and
OJoi = undamped natural circular frequency of mode i.

J. Struct. Eng., 1993, 119(6): 1961-1979