Impact of cross-tie design on the in-plane stiffness and local mode formation of cable networks on cable-stayed bridges

Suppressing unfavorable stay cable vibrations using cross-ties is becoming more popular on cable-stayed bridges though the mechanics of the formed cable network is yet fully understood. In practice, the main task in designing cross-ties or cable networks is to choose the cross-tie installation location, stiffness and number based on the main cable properties in the network. To have a more comprehensive picture of how to choose these design parameters to achieve higher in-plane network stiffness while minimizing the number of excited local modes, it is imperative to examine dynamic behavior of cable networks with general configurations. In the current study, an analytical model of a general cable network consisting of multiple main cables interconnected by multiple lines of transverse flexible cross-ties will be developed. A new term, defined as the local mode cluster, will be introduced to assess the severity of local mode excitation. Criteria for identifying the presence of local mode cluster will be proposed. A parametric study will be conducted to evaluate the impact of cross-tie installation location, stiffness and number on the network modal response. Results obtained from the present study will provide deeper insight into the selection of these system parameters to achieve the combined benefits of increasing network in-plane stiffness and minimizing the excitation of local modes.