Transverse aeroelastic instability of guard cables with beacons excited by a longitudinal wind

Guard cables, also named ground cables, protect the overhead power lines from electrical discharges that occur during storms. They are installed above the power conductor and therefore, they are the highest cable installed. In some places they are provided with beacon spheres that are visible indicators used for identifying the overhead power lines, to warn low flying airplanes and helicopters of the obstructions. A new transverse aeroelastic instability that appears in guard cables with beacons when excited by a longitudinal wind (TILoW for short) has recently been reported to us. In some cases, a vertical or horizontal oscillatory motion takes place, whereas in other cases the beacon centers follow circular orbits placed also in the transverse plane, while each beacon follows the motion but remaining parallel to itself. The centers of the orbits seem to be close to the static equilibrium position of the guard cable catenary. This whirling motion can be identified as a kind of autorotation. In this work the instability is described, and vortex induced vibration (VIV) is suggested as a candidate responsible for the aerodynamic force exciting the oscillation modes. For the whirling (also could be denoted “revolving”) mode a parallel investigation is ongoing. In order to clarify the problem, a model of the elastic configuration that is excited by the aerodynamic loads is analyzed, the eigenmodes and eigenvalues are presented, and a preliminary order of magnitude assessment of the field data is performed. Frequencies and mode shapes derived from the elastic model and those from the video sequences are found to be in agreement. The oscillation results are compatible with the existence of an alternating force produced by vortex shedding from the sphere. Unfortunately, the assessment could not be pursued further due to the absence of data on the wind speed during the reported sequences.A simplified model of the cable with only one beacon (a swinging sphere) has been tested in a low speed wind tunnel, and the main modes (VIV oscillation and whirling autorotation) have been reproduced and characterized.     

A numerical and experimental hybrid approach for the investigation of aerodynamic forces on stay cables suffering from rain-wind induced vibration

The aerodynamic forces on a stay cable under a rain-wind induced vibration (RWIV) are difficult to measure directly in a wind tunnel test. This paper presents a hybrid approach that combines an experiment with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the investigation on aerodynamic forces of a stay cable under a RWIV. The stay cable and flow field were considered as two substructures of the system. The oscillation of the stay cable was first measured by using a wind tunnel test of a RWIV under an artificial rainfall condition. The oscillation of the cable was treated as a previously known moving boundary condition and applied to the flow field. Only the flow field with the known moving cable boundary was then numerically simulated by using a CFD method (such as Fluent 6.3). The transient aerodynamic forces of the stay cable with a predetermined cable oscillation were obtained from numerical calculations. The characteristics of the aerodynamic forces in the time domain and frequency domain were then analysed for various cases. To verify the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed hybrid approach, the transient aerodynamic forces were applied to a single-degree-of-freedom model (SDOF) of the stay cable to calculate the RWIV of the cable. A comparison was performed between the oscillation responses of the stay cable obtained from the calculated (SDOF model) and experimental results, and the results indicate that the hybrid approach accurately simulates the transient aerodynamic forces of the stay cable. The equivalent damping ratios induced by the aerodynamic forces were obtained for various wind speeds. Furthermore, a nonlinear model of the aerodynamic force is proposed based on the calculation results, and the coefficients in the model were identified by a nonlinear least-squares technique.     

Rain-wind-induced vibrations of a simple oscillator

In this paper a relatively simple mechanical oscillator which may be used to study rain-wind-induced vibrations of stay cables of cable-stayed bridges is considered. In recent publications, mention is made of vibrations of (inclined) stay cables which are excited by a wind field containing rain drops. The rain drops that hit the cables generate a rivulet on the surface of the cable. The presence of flowing water on the cable changes the cross section of the cable experienced by the wind field. A symmetric flow pattern around the cable with circular cross section may become asymmetric due to the presence of the rivulet and may consequently induce a lift force as a mechanism for vibration. During the motion of the cable the position of rivulet(s) may vary as the motion of the cable induces an additional varying aerodynamic force perpendicular to the direction of the wind field. It seems not too easy to model this phenomenon, several author state that there is no model available yet.The idea to model this problem is to consider a horizontal cylinder supported by springs in such a way that only one degree of freedom, i.e. vertical vibration is possible. We consider a ridge on the surface of the cylinder parallel to the axis of the cylinder. Additionally, let the cylinder with ridge be able to oscillate, with small amplitude, around the axis such that the oscillations are excited by an external force.It may be clear that the small amplitude oscillations of the cylinder and hence of the ridge induce a varying lift and drag force. In this approach it is assumed that the motion of the ridge models the dynamics of the rivulet(s) on the cable. By using a quasi-steady approach to model the aerodynamic forces, one arrives at a non-linear second-order equation displaying three different kinds of excitation mechanisms: self-excitation, parametric excitation and ordinary forcing. The first results of the analysis of the equation of motion show that even in a linear approximation for certain values of the parameters involved, stable periodic motions are possible. In the relevant cases where in linear approximation unstable periodic motions are found, results of an analysis of the non-linear equation are presented.     

Theoretical and experimental studies on the aerodynamic instability of a two-dimensional circular cylinder with a moving attachment

Rain–wind induced vibration of cables in cable-stayed bridges is a worldwide problem of great concern. The effect of the motion of water rivulets on the instability of stay cables has been recognized as one of the mechanisms of this complex phenomenon. In order to investigate how the motion of rivulets affects the unstable vibration of cables without considering the effects of axial flow and axial vortex, a real three-dimensional cable was modeled as a two-dimensional circular cylinder, around which an attachment representing the rivulet can move. This could also be regarded as a new kind of two-dimensional 2-dof dynamic system. This paper studies the aerodynamic instability of the system theoretically and experimentally. Equations governing the motions of the cylinder and the attachment are first established. The Lyapunov stability criterion is applied to the equations of motion to derive the criterion for the unstable balance angle of the attachment. Moreover, a new two-dimensional 2-dof cable model system with a movable attachment is designed and tested in a wind tunnel. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate the effects of major factors such as wind speed, frequency and damping of the dynamic system on the unstable balance angle of the rivulet attachment. Theoretical and experimental results match well. These results may be valuable in elucidating the mechanism of rain–wind induced vibration of stay cables.     

斜拉桥三维拉索风雨激振准两自由度模型

拉索风雨激振是当前桥梁工程和风工程界非常关注的研究课题。过去用于测量带人工水线的拉索模型都是二维的，所建立的理论模型也是建立在二维拉索气动力的基础上的。本文基于带人工水线三维拉索模型试验得到的气动力，建立了三维拉索风雨激振的准二自由度运动微分方程，讨论了运动方程中各种参数的取值，采用数值求解方法计算了拉索风雨激振振幅。计算结果和三维拉索人工降雨试验结果的对比表明，本文方法能较好地描述三维拉索风雨激振的特征。     

Flow-induced vibrations of a tethered circular cylinder

One of the most basic examples of fluid-structure interaction is provided by a tethered body in a fluid flow. The tendency of a tethered buoy to oscillate when excited by waves is a well-known phenomenon; however, it has only recently been found that a submerged buoy will act in a similar fashion when exposed to a uniform flow at moderate Reynolds numbers, with a transverse peak-to-peak amplitude of approximately two diameters over a wide range of velocities. This paper presents results for the related problem of two-dimensional simulations of the flow past a tethered cylinder. The coupled Navier–Stokes equations and the equations of motion of the cylinder are solved using a spectral-element method. The response of the tethered cylinder system was found to be strongly influenced by the mean layover angle as this parameter determined if the oscillations would be dominated by in-line oscillations, transverse oscillations or a combination of the two. Three branches of oscillation are noted, an in-line branch, a transition branch and a transverse branch. Within the transition branch, the cylinder oscillates at the shedding frequency and modulates the drag force such that the drag signal is dominated by the lift frequency. It is found that the mean amplitude response is greatest at high reduced velocities, i.e., when the cylinder is oscillating predominantly transverse to the fluid flow. Furthermore, the oscillation frequency is synchronized to the vortex shedding frequency of a stationary cylinder, except at very high reduced velocities. Visualizations of the pressure and vorticity in the wake reveal the mechanisms behind the motion of the cylinder.     

Numerical simulation and analysis of the effects of water-film morphological changes on the aerodynamic lift of stay cables

The cables in cable-stayed bridges can vibrate at large amplitudes during rain and windy conditions, a phenomenon known as rain-wind induced vibration (RWIV). Previous studies have demonstrated that the formation and oscillation of rivulets on stay cable surfaces play an important role in RWIV.This paper presents a new numerical method for simulating the evolution of rivulets on stay cable surfaces based on a combination of the gas–liquid two-phase theory and the volume of fluid method (VOF method), which allows for the straightforward determination of the cables’ aerodynamic lift when RWIV occurs. To verify the accuracy of this method and analyze the effects of wind velocity on the water film and the aerodynamic lift around the cable, three cases with different loadings were investigated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software CFX. To verify the method’s accuracy, the aerodynamic lifts calculated from these cases were applied to the cable to obtain its vibrational response. In accordance with the experimental results, the numerical results demonstrated that an upper rivulet with a periodic oscillation was formed at a specific wind speed, causing the aerodynamic lift to change with a similar periodicity. The aerodynamic lift’s frequency was approximately the cable’s natural frequency, and induced large vibrations in the cable. No obvious upper rivulets were formed at sufficiently low wind speeds. The frequency of an aerodynamic lift that was significantly larger than the cable’s natural frequency induced small vibrations in the cable. When the wind speed was sufficiently high, despite the eventual formation of a continuous upper rivulet, the frequencies of the upper rivulet’s oscillation and the aerodynamic lift remained distinct from the natural frequency, and the cable continued to exhibit small-amplitude vibrations. These observations confirmed the conclusion that periodic variations in the water film morphology could lead to periodic changes in the aerodynamic lift that would induce RWIV.     

Multi-mode interactions in vortex-induced vibrations of flexible curved/straight structures with geometric nonlinearities

A general low-order fluid–structure interaction model capable of evaluating the multi-mode interactions in vortex-induced vibrations of flexible curved/straight structures is presented. Cross-flow motions due to unsteady lift forces of inclined sagged cables and tensioned beams in uniform currents are investigated. In contrast to a linear equation governing the transverse motion of straight beams or cables typically considered in the literature, coupled horizontal/vertical (axial/transverse) displacements and geometric nonlinearities of curved cable (straight beam) are accounted for. A distributed nonlinear wake oscillator is considered in the approximation of space–time varying hydrodynamics. This semi-empirical fluid force model in general depends on the mass-damping parameter and has further been modified to capture both the effects of varying initial curvatures of the inclined cylinder and the Reynolds number. Numerical simulations are performed in the case of varying flow velocities and parametric results highlight several meaningful aspects of vortex-induced vibrations of long flexible cylinders. These comprise multi-mode lock-in, sharing, switching and interaction features in the space and time domains, the estimated maximum modal and total amplitudes, the resonant nonlinear modes of flexible cylinders and their space–time modifications, and the influence of fluid/structure parameters. A shortcoming of single-mode or linear structural model is underlined. Some quantitative and qualitative comparisons of numerical/experimental results are discussed to demonstrate the validity and required improvement of the proposed modelling and analysis predictions.     

Fluid Flow-Induced Nonlinear Vibration of Suspended Cables

The nonlinear interaction of the first two in-plane modes of a suspended cable with a moving fluid along the plane of the cable is studied. The governing equations of motion for two-mode interaction are derived on the basis of a general continuum model. The interaction causes the modal differential equations of the cable to be non-self-adjoint. As the flow speed increases above a certain critical value, the cable experiences oscillatory motion similar to the flutter of aeroelastic structures. A co-ordinate transformation in terms of the transverse and stretching motions of the cable is introduced to reduce the two nonlinearly coupled differential equations into a linear ordinary differential equation governing the stretching motion, and a strongly nonlinear differential equation for the transverse motion. For small values of the gravity-to-stiffness ratio the dynamics of the cable is examined using a two-time-scale approach. Numerical integration of the modal equations shows that the cable experiences stretching oscillations only when the flow speed exceeds a certain level. Above this level both stretching and transverse motions take place. The influences of system parameters such as gravity-to-stiffness ratio and density ratio on the response characteristics are also reported.     

Asymptotic model-based estimation of a wake oscillator for a tethered sphere in uniform flow

We derive and investigate the nonlinear dynamics of a tethered sphere in uniform flow. A Lagrangian based model augmented by wake oscillators for the streamwise vertical and transverse directions enables model-based estimation of both structural and aeroelastic parameters via asymptotic analysis of internal resonance conditions between the transverse wake frequency and its structural counterpart. Validation of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by comparison of results with those of a benchmark experiment for a light sphere in water conducted by Govardhan and Williamson (1997) and by analysis of a spherical aerostat experiment conducted by Coulomb-Pontbriand and Nahon (2009). A numerical bifurcation analysis of the validated system reveals existence of possible quasiperiodic and non-stationary solutions that are consistent with documented instabilities of aerostats in severe environmental conditions and shed light on control mechanisms required for suppression of finite amplitude limit-cycle oscillations.     

Prediction of unwinding behaviors and problems of cables from inner-winding spool dispensers

Wire-guided control technologies are widely used to increase the targeting accuracy of advanced military weapons through the use of unwinding dispensers to guarantee that unwinding occurs without any problems, such as tangling or cutting. In this study, the transient behaviors of cables unwinding from inner-winding cylindrical spool dispensers are investigated. The cable is withdrawn from the spool dispenser at a constant velocity through a fixed point located along the axis of the spool dispenser. And when the cable is flown out of the dispenser, because several dynamic forces such as inertial forces, Coriolis forces, centrifugal forces, tensile forces, and fluid-resistance forces act on the cables, the cables exhibit highly nonlinear and complex unwinding behaviors which are called as unwinding balloons. For predicting these complex unwinding motions, the governing equations of motion for cables unwinding from a cylindrical spool dispenser of the inner-winding type are derived using the extended Hamilton’s principles for an open system in which mass can be transported at each boundary. Modified finite difference methods are used to discretize the spatial variables of the derived nonlinear partial differential equations. The time responses of the unwinding cables are calculated using Newmark time integration methods. Finally, in order to present numerical examples, an inner-winding spool dispenser that can be unwound up to a length of 50 km is designed by using simple geometrical relationships. The behaviors during unwinding from the designed inner spool dispenser are presented and modifications of the spool dispenser for avoiding unwinding problems are proposed by using the suggested numerical methods.     

系留无人机系统振动特性分析

为了对系留无人机系统的振动特性进行分析,本文将无人机的运动作为系留缆绳的边界条件,得到了系留无人机系统的面内运动方程。通过平衡分析得到了系留缆绳在风场中的平衡张力和平衡曲率的近似表达式,然后对系留无人机系统的运动方程进行线性化处理,最终求得了系留缆绳法向的频率方程和振型。在此基础上,数值分析了无人机驱动力和无人机倾角对系留缆绳振动固有特性的影响。研究表明:随着无人机驱动力的变化,系留缆绳法向运动的不同阶固有频率之间会出现频率转向现象;随着无人机倾角的增加,系留缆绳的频率转向现象易于发生,且频率转向会影响系留缆绳的振型。研究结果可为系留无人机系统的设计提供理论参考。     

Three-phase coupled modelling research on rain–wind induced vibration of stay cable based on lubrication theory

Cables of cable-stayed bridges may vibrate with large amplitude under wind and rain, which is known as rain–wind induced vibration (RWIV). According to the pervious researches, the formations and oscillations of rivulets on stay cable surface play important roles in RWIV. In this paper, four different 2D models are presented based on lubrication theory, and the best way of simulating RWIV through lubrication theory is confirmed by the comparisons of rivulet motions and cable vibration responses between these four models and pervious researches. On this basis, the relations among rivulet motions, cable aerodynamic forces and vibration responses are investigated to reveal the mechanism of RWIV. Numerical simulation results show that when RWIV occurs, the periodic oscillations of rivulets around cable lead to the periodic fluctuations of cable lift and drag, whose frequencies are almost equal and close to cable natural frequency. Under the periodically fluctuant lift and drag, cable vibrates with large amplitude in across-wind and along-wind directions, which may further enhance the circumferential oscillations of rivulets conversely. These confirm the conclusion that the resonance between rivulets and cable oscillation may be one of the main reasons for RWIV.     

Viscous fluid flow induced by rotational-oscillatory motion of a porous sphere

Viscous fluid flow induced by rotational-oscillatorymotion of a porous sphere submerged in the fluid is determined. The Darcy formula for the viscous medium drag is supplementedwith a term that allows for the medium motion. The medium motion is also included in the boundary conditions. Exact analytical solutions are obtained for the time-dependent Brinkman equation in the region inside the sphere and for the Navier–Stokes equations outside the body. The existence of internal transverse waves in the fluid is shown; in these waves the velocity is perpendicular to the wave propagation direction. The waves are standing inside the sphere and traveling outside of it. The particular cases of low and high oscillation frequencies are considered.     

Stretch and Rotation of a Suspended Cable Subject to Transverse Fluid Excitation

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Energy harvesting of a heaving and forward pitching wing with a passively actuated trailing edge

This study experimentally investigates the energy harvesting capabilities of an oscillating wing with a passively actuated trailing edge. The oscillation kinematics are composed of a combined heaving and forward pitching motions, where the pitching axis is well behind the wing center of mass. Passive actuation is attained by connecting the trailing edge with the wing body using a torsion rod. The degree of flexibility of the trailing edge is represented by the Strouhal number based on the trailing edge natural frequency. The trailing edge passive response is studied for oscillation Strouhal numbers of 0.017, 0.025 and 0.033. Instantaneous aerodynamic forces are measured in a closed loop wind tunnel at a Reynolds number of 40 000, based on the free stream velocity and the wing chord length. Measured results include the effective angle of attack induced by the trailing edge actuation as well as the lift and moment during the oscillation cycle. For the imposed kinematics in this study, the pitching motion has a positive contribution to the mean power output whereas the heaving motion has a relatively small but negative contribution. Additionally, by decreasing the natural frequency of the trailing edge closer to that of the imposed oscillation frequency, the magnitude of the lift and moment forces and hence the mean power output, increases. It is found that there exists a strong correlation between mean power output and the effective angle of attack, shown through the passive trailing edge response, resulting in an increase in energy harvesting potential.     

Numerical analysis of finite amplitude motion of waves and a moored floating body under severe storm conditions

The motion of a moored floating body under the action of wave forces, which is influenced by fluid forces, shape of the floating body and mooring forces, should be analysed as a complex coupled motion system. Especially under severe storm conditions or resonant motion of the floating body it is necessary to consider finite amplitude motions of the waves, the floating body and the mooring lines as well as non-linear interactions of these finite amplitude motions. The problem of a floating body has been studied on the basis of linear wave theory by many researchers. However, the finite amplitude motion under a correlated motion system has rarely been taken into account. This paper presents a numerical method for calculating the finite amplitude motion when a floating body is moored by non-linear mooring lines such as chains and cables under severe storm conditions.     

跨音速极限环型颤振的高效数值分析方法

事先建立一个低阶的非线性、非定常气动力模型是开展非线性流场中气动弹性问题研究的一个捷径. 基于CFD方法, 通过计算结构在流场中自激振动的响应来获得系统的训练数据. 采用带输出反馈的循环RBF神经网络, 建立时域非线性气动力降阶模型.耦合结构运动方程和非线性气动力降阶模型, 采用杂交的线性多步方法计算结构在不同速度(动压)下的响应历程, 从而获得模型极限环随速度(动压)变化的特性. 两个典型的跨音速极限环型颤振算例表明, 基于气动力降阶模型方法的计算结果与直接CFD仿真结果吻合很好, 与后者相比其将计算效率提高了1~2个数量级.      

Low Order Modelling of Freely Vibrating Flexible Cables

A highly efficient, low-order model for vortex-induced vibration of flexible cables at low Reynolds number has been developed. A coupled map lattice (CML) wake model, based on circle maps, is combined with a cable model (linear wave equation). With this model, both the self-excited response of the cable oscillation in the crossflow direction and the resulting wake structures are examined at Re = 100. This represents an improvement over earlier CML models capable of only modelling wakes behind externally forced cables. For comparison, spectral-element based numerical simulations, in addition to experiments on a freely vibrating cable flow, were conducted. The freely vibrating CML model predicted lace-like structures consistent with these numerical simulations and experimental results. Little difference was noted between the vortex shedding wake patterns determined for forced cables (from previous CML models) and freely vibrating cables. The freely vibrating CML matched experimental data for maximum cable amplitude reasonably well over a range of mass-damping parameter employed in offshore structural applications.