Passive hybrid technique for the vibration mitigation of systems of interconnected stays

The problem of stay oscillation mitigation in cable-stayed bridges, usually induced by wind or wind and rain, may require the introduction of passive devices, such as dampers on individual stays or the use of transverse restrainers (cross-ties). The damper performance is often affected by the geometrical constraints of the bridge deck that limit the installation of such devices to locations very close to the end of the cable. On the other hand, cross-ties are generally incapable of direct energy dissipation. Therefore, the authors have proposed and analyzed a hybrid passive system in which the advantages of both techniques are applied to the oscillation mitigation of complex interconnected systems with multiple external dampers at the deck level, in correspondence with the cross-tie lines. This paper summarizes the relevant findings of a research program involving the authors' efforts focused on the in-plane free-vibration analysis of stay-cable systems. This research is also based upon some recent results associated with the analytical solution of a taut-cable with two attached viscous dampers. These findings are initially extended to a simplified network with reduced number of connectors and one damper, for which the derivation of analytical solution is still possible. Subsequently, an existing multistay multidamped arrangement on a real bridge is considered, in which a fully numerical approach is required. The modal behavior is compared to the simplified examples, also enabling the interpretation of the results in the context of more general guidelines for potential future application.