Nonlinear FE-based investigation of flexural damping of slacking wire cables

The flexural damping of wire cable due to the flexural hysteresis influences the dynamic behavior of slacking wire cables significantly. However, the details of the local model, accounting for the flexural hysteresis between the wire strands, are quite challenging to include in large-scale engineering applications. This paper addresses these difficulties by modeling the flexural damping of slacking wire cables using homogenized Rayleigh damping. By using the nonlinear finite element method and high-speed imaging technique, three aspects of the work were examined. First, the mechanical properties of the slacking cable were identified experimentally. Second, a sample cable was fixed at one end and allowed to vibrate freely at the other end. The shapes of the vibrating cable were captured by a high-speed digital camera and processed by photogrammetry. The cable demonstrated a high flexural damping at zero tension and its damping was measured to be as high as 37.7% of the critical damping. Third, the cable was modeled and analyzed using our newly developed nonlinear curved beam element with the Rayleigh damping. The finite element predictions of the cable motion agree well with the experimental measurement. These predictions demonstrate that the new element is capable of describing the dynamic response of the cable and that the Rayleigh damping is sufficient to model the flexural damping of slacking wire cables.