Estimation of cable tension force using the frequency-based system identification method

This work proposes a new technique to estimate cable tension force from measured natural frequencies. The proposed method is able to simultaneously identify tension force, flexural rigidity, and axial rigidity of a cable system. Firstly, a finite element model that can consider both sag-extensibility and flexural rigidity is constructed for a target cable system. Next, a frequency-based sensitivity-updating algorithm is applied to identify the model. The proposed approach is applicable to a wide range of a cable system that is beyond the applicable limits of the existing methods. From the experimental works, it is seen that the tension force is determined with an accuracy of 3% by the proposed approach. Furthermore, it is observed that the flexural rigidity of cable with high bending stiffness is proportional to the applied tension force. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.