Cable vibration control with a TMD-MR damper system: Experimental exploration

Although traditional mechanical dampers can help reduce cable vibrations, they are not the most effective solution due to their position restrictions. Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) were proposed to overcome this limitation and have been proven effective for cable vibration mitigation according to previous research. However, the effectiveness of TMDs is very sensitive to the vibration frequency, which implies that TMDs designed for a specific vibration frequency may not be efficient for other frequencies. A new type of mechanical damper named the TMD magnetorheological (MR) damper system is proposed in the present study to address this problem. The feature of this proposed damper is the combination of the position flexibility of TMDs and the adiustability of MR dampers. The proposed damper system is attached to it 7.16-m-long; cable to investigate its vibration reduction effectiveness and the dynamic properties of the combined cable-damper system. Experimental results show good vibration reduction effects of the TMD-MR system. The present study focuses on a conceptual exploration of the TMD-MR damper system for cable vibration mitigation through an experimental approach.