Field Tests of Vibration Control of Stay Cables by Using Magnetorheological Fluid Dampers

Shandong Binzhou Yellow River Highway Bridge is a three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in Shandong, China. Because the stay cables are prone to vibration, 40 MR dampers are attached at the 20 longest cables of this bridge to suppress their possible vibration. An innovative control algorithm based on measurable acceleration response at limited locations along a cable is proposed. And then a series of field tests are carried out to investigate the control effectiveness in cable vibration achieved by semi-active MR dampers, passive-off MR dampers and passive-on MR dampers. The damping ratio of the cables incorporated with MR dampers are also obtained from the test. The semi-active MR dampers more efficiently reduce the vibration of cables than both of the passive-off MR dampers and passive-on MR dampers and the reason can be attributed to the negative stiffness provided by semi-active MR dampers