Control of dynamic stability of stays using passive viscous dampers

Since cable vibrations cause cable-stayed bridge users discomfort and may also lead to bridge collapse, assessment and control of dynamic behavior of stays are key aspects in designing such a bridge type. Mounting viscous dampers close to deck anchorages is an efficient way to control all kind of cable vibrations. In the paper, relevant issues as parametric excitation, external excitation and cable-structure interaction are investigated in order to define the required damping ratio to control the dynamic stability of stays. The study ends with a damper design example, referring to a relevant case study.