Experimental verification of semiactive damping of stay cables

Stay cables, such as are used in cable-stayed bridges, are prone to vibration due to their low inherent damping characteristics. Transversely-attached passive viscous dampers have been implemented in many bridges to dampen such vibration. However, only minimal damping can be added if the attachment point is close to the deck. For longer bridge cables, passive damping is insufficient. A recent study by the authors demonstrated that "smart" semiactive damping can provide significantly superior supplemental damping. This paper experimentally verifies a smart damping control strategy for an inclined flat-sag cable. Cable response is seen to be substantially reduced by the smart damper.