NTL Record

Title Dynamic properties of stay cables on the Penobscot Narrows bridge.
Record ID 52814
Personal Name
Creator
Bosch, Harold R.; Pagenkopf, James R.
Corporate Creator Genex Systems, LLC
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Publication Date 20140900
Language English
Abstract Cable-stayed bridges have been recognized as the most efficient and cost effective structural form for medium to long span bridges over the past several decades. With their widespread use, cases of serviceability problems associated with large amplitude vibration of stay cables have been reported. Stay cables are laterally flexible structural members with very low inherent damping and thus are highly susceptible to environmental conditions such as wind and rain/wind combination. Recognition of these problems led to the incorporation of different types of mitigation measures on many cable-stayed bridges around the world. These measures included surface modifications, cable crossties and external dampers. Modification of cable surfaces has been widely accepted as a means to mitigate rain/wind vibrations. Recent studies have firmly established the formation of a water rivulet along the upper side of the stay and its interaction with wind flow as the main cause of rain/wind vibrations. Appropriate modification of exterior cable surface effectively disrupts the formation of a water rivulet. The objective of this study was to supplement the existing knowledge base on some of the outstanding issues of stay cable vibrations and develop technical recommendations that may be incorporated into design guidelines. Specifically, this project focused on identification of in-situ cable dynamic properties and performance of external viscous dampers on the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Forced vibration tests were conducted on the stay cables during the latter stages of construction, just prior to and following installation of viscous dampers. Cable properties, such as vibration frequencies and damping levels, were established and compared with design targets.
Rosap ID dot:28049
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/28049
TRT Terms Cable stayed bridges; Vibration; Wind; Rain; Serviceability; Dampers; Hazard mitigation; Vibration tests; Bridge design
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Contract Number DTFH61-07-D-00034
Report Number FHWA-HRT-14-067
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/52000/52800/52814/14067.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository