Comparison of deck-anchored damper and clipped tuned mass damper on cable vibration reduction

Excessive cable vibrations are detrimental to cable-stayed bridges. Increasing the system damping of cables is a key solution to resolve this severe problem. Equations representing the dynamic characteristics of an inclined cable with a Deck-Anchored Damper (DAD) or with a Clipped Tuned Mass Dampers (CTMD) are reviewed. A theoretical comparison on the performance of cable vibration reduction between the cable-DAD system and the cable-CTMD systems is thoroughly discussed. Optimal system modal damping for the free vibration and transfer functions for the forced vibration for the two cable-damper systems are addressed and compared in detail. Design examples for these two different dampers are also provided.