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Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

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Vibration reduction for cable-stayed bridges traveled by

high-speed trains
J.D. Yaua , Y.B. Yangb;
a
Department of Architecture and Building Technology, Tamkang University, Tamkang 10620, Taiwan, ROC
b
Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, ROC

Received 17 August 2002; accepted 20 December 2002

Abstract

The vibration reduction of cable-stayed bridges subjected to the passage of high-speed trains is studied. The
train is modeled as a series of sprung masses, the bridge deck and towers by nonlinear beam-column elements,
and the stay cables by truss elements with Ernsts equivalent modulus. In particular, the previously derived
vehiclebridge interaction element is employed to simulate the dynamic interaction of the moving vehicles with
the bridge. In order to reduce the multiple resonant peaks of the cable-stayed bridge subjected to high-speed
trains, a hybrid tuned mass damper system composed of several subsystems is proposed. The mass of each
subsystem tuned for one resonant frequency is determined by !rst minimizing each peak response using Den
Hartogs optimal criterion and by enforcing the resonant peaks of concern to be equal. The optimal properties
of each subsystem are determined by the minimummaximum approach. The strategy of vibration reduction
proposed herein is simple and robust, which should !nd applications in areas where multiple resonant peaks
are a problem of major concern.
? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Cable-stayed bridge; High-speed train; Resonance; Tuned mass damper

1. Introduction

In the past half a century, cable-stayed bridges were often constructed for crossing wide rivers
and deep valleys or existing urban structures because of their economic and aesthetic advantages.
In another development, enhanced by the use of lightweight and high-strength materials, more slen-
der cross sections have been adopted for the various components of cable-stayed bridges. As a

Corresponding author. Tel.: +886-2-2363-2104; fax: +886-2-2363-7585.
E-mail address: ybyang@ntu.edu.tw (Y.B. Yang).

0168-874X/$ - see front matter ? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0168-874X(03)00051-9
342 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

consequence, the dynamic response of cable-stayed bridges induced by moving train loads, partic-
ularly in the high-speed range, has received increasing attention from structural engineers in recent
years.
The dynamic response of cable-stayed bridges to moving vehicles has been studied by a num-
ber of researchers. By simulating the cable-stayed bridge as a beam resting on an elastic founda-
tion, Meisenholder and Weidlinger [1] proposed an approach for modeling the dynamic eFects of
cable-stayed guideways subjected to track-levitated vehicles moving at high speeds. By using an
approximate bridge model, taking into account the nonlinear eFect of cables, the dynamic response
of cable-stayed bridges under moving loads was analyzed by Yang and Fonder [2]. In the review
paper by Diana et al. [3] for the railway runnability of long-span cable-supported bridges, it was
noted that the impact eFect of cable-stayed bridges is more sensitive than that of suspension bridges.
Recently, Au et al. [4] investigated the impact eFects of cable-stayed bridges under railway traGc
using various vehicle models, and concluded that the moving force and moving mass models can
signi!cantly underestimate the impact eFects. Based on a nonlinear dynamic !nite-element analysis
for the vehiclebridge interaction (VBI) system, Yau and Yang [5] pointed out that the larger the
number of stay cables of a cable-stayed bridge, the smaller the impact response of the bridge; the
same is also true for the riding comfort of the moving vehicles.
In this paper, the dynamic interaction of a cable-stayed bridge with the trains moving over it at
high speeds is studied. The train is modeled as a series of sprung masses, and the various components
of the bridge, including the deck and towers, are modeled by the beam-column elements considering
both the elastic and geometric stiFnesses, and the stay cables by bar elements with Ernst equivalent
modulus [6] to account for the sagging eFect. According to the studies conducted previously by
the writers [5,7], the dynamic interaction between the bridge and traveling trains is an issue that
cannot be neglected in the design of high-speed railways. From the impact factor (I ) vs. speed
parameter (S) plot for cable-stayed or continuous bridges subjected to moving trains, it is observed
that there exist more than one resonant peaks, clustered together, and that all these peaks relate to the
higher frequencies of vibration of the bridge [5,7,8]. Unlike the vehicle-induced vibration on simply
supported beams, of which the eFect of high frequencies are generally negligible, the vibration of
cable-stayed bridges should be regarded as a multi-mode vibration problem as the eFect of high
frequencies cannot always be ignored. For the sake of increasing structural safety and riding comfort
of traveling trains, countermeasures, such as tuned mass dampers (TMDs), aimed at reducing the
vibration amplitudes of bridges should be considered. This is especially true for high-speed railway
bridges, as there exist more stringent design requirements.
The installation of TMDs for controlling structural vibrations has often been considered in long-
span bridges and high-rise buildings. In the past two decades, a great number of researchers have
contributed to the development of TMDs, see, for instance [918], among others. Most of these
research works were concerned primarily with the !nding of optimum parameters for a single TMD
or multiple TMDs for controlling a speci!c vibration frequency, mostly the fundamental frequency, of
the main system. Few researchers have studied the problem of using TMDs to suppress the multiple
resonant responses associated with the high frequencies of a structural system, as encountered in
the train-induced vibrations of cable-stayed bridges [8].
To suppress the multiple resonant peaks of train-induced vibrations on cable-stayed bridges, a
hybrid TMD system that consists of several TMD subsystems, each of which is tuned for one
dominant frequency of the main system, is proposed in this paper. The mass to be allocated for
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 343

each subsystem is determined by !rst minimizing each peak response using Den Hartogs optimal
criterion and then by letting the resonant peaks of concern be equal in magnitude. Besides, the
optimal properties of each subsystem are determined using the minimummaximum approach [17,18].
The numerical results indicate that the proposed hybrid TMD system can eFectively suppress the
main resonant peaks of the cable-stayed bridge subjected to the moving train loads at high speeds.
The present approach has the advantage of being conceptually simple.

2. Optimum parameters for TMD devices

Let us consider a train crossing a railway bridge, as shown in Fig. 1. Because of their regular,
repetitive nature, the moving wheel loads of the train can be regarded essentially as a set of harmonic
forces. In Ref. [19], it has been demonstrated that whenever any of the excitation frequencies of the
moving loads coincides with any of the vibration frequencies of the bridge, resonance will occur
on the bridge, in the sense that the response of the bridge will be continuously built up as there
are more wheels passing the bridge. To reduce the resonant responses of the bridge due to moving
vehicular loads, vibration absorbers such as the TMD devices have been used [20,21]. However,
these works were concerned primarily with the reduction of the fundamental resonant response of
the bridge to moving vehicles. There is an apparent lack of research on the reduction of multiple
resonant responses, as those present in the response of cable-stayed bridges to moving trains [8].
The objective of this paper is to propose a hybrid TMD system composed of several subsystems,
each of which is tuned for one resonant frequency of the main system. The !rst issue herein is
to determine the mass to be allocated for each subsystem of the hybrid TMD system such that
maximum reduction can be achieved for each resonant response. By neglecting the damping eFect
of the bridge, the mass of each subsystem of the hybrid TMD system can be determined by !rst
minimizing each peak response using Den Hartogs optimal criterion and then by setting the peak
responses of concern to be equal in amplitude. Further, using the minimummaximum criterion
[17,18], the optimum parameters for each TMD subsystem can be obtained.
Consider a multi-span elastic beam subjected to a sinusoidal force of amplitude P and frequency
! at the position x1 , as shown in Fig. 2. Let n be the nth normalized mode of vibration for the
beam. The displacement response w(x) of the beam can be expressed as a linear combination of the

Pylon

Cable

Bridge Deck

Fig. 1. Cable-stayed bridge traveled by high-speed trains.

344 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

y
Psint

x
x1

Fig. 2. Continuous beam subjected to a harmonic load.

qn

mn

cn kn Psint xn(x1)
Qn

Mn

Cn Kn

Fig. 3. Vibration absorber system.

vibration modes, that is,

w(x) = Qn (t)n (x); (1)

where Qn (t) is the generalized coordinate associated with the nth vibration shape n . By the orthog-
onal property of the vibration modes, the equation of motion for the nth generalized coordinate of
the beam can be written as

Mn QK n + Cn Qn + Kn Qn = P sin !(t) n (x1 ); (2)

where an overdot denotes diFerentiation with respect to time t, and Mn , Cn , Kn denote the generalized
mass, damping and stiFness associated with the nth vibration mode of the beam:

Mn = m2n d x; Kn = Mn n2 (3)

with n indicating the nth frequency of vibration and m is the mass per unit length of the beam.
Let us consider a single degree-of-freedom (DOF) system that has a mass equal to the generalized
mass Mn , which is excited by a sinusoidal force of amplitude P and frequency !, and let us attach
a TMD to this mass as an energy absorber, as shown in Fig. 3. The equation of motion for this
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 345

two-DOF system can be expressed as

        
Kn 0 QK n Cn + c n cn Qn Kn + k n kn Qn
+ +
0 mn qKn cn cn qn kn kn qn
 
n (x1 )
= P sin !t; (4)
0

where qn is the displacement, mn , cn , and kn the mass, damping coeGcient and spring stiFness of
the TMD (or absorber) with respect to the nth modal coordinate. Let !n denote the frequency of
vibration of the TMD, i.e., !n = (kn =mn )1=2 . Also, de!ne the following parameters: fn = !n =n = the
tuning frequency ratio, jn = !=n = the exciting frequency ratio, n = mn =Mn = the tuning mass ratio,
and n = Cn =(2n Mn ) = the damping ratio of the main system, n = cn =(2!n mn ) = the damping ratio
of the TMD. By solving Eq. (4), the amplitude Rn of the steady-state dynamic response Qn of the
main mass Mn can be obtained as [17,18]
P
Rn (jn ; fn ; &n ; n ; n ) = DAF n (x1 ); (5)
Kn
where DAF denotes the dynamic ampli:cation factor of the main mass:

(1 jn2 =fn2 )2 + 4(&n jn =fn )2
DAF =
[(jn4 jn2 )=fn2 jn2 (1 + n ) 4&n n jn2 =fn + 1]2 + 4jn2 [(jn2 [n + &n (1 + n )] &n )=fn n ]2
(6)

By neglecting the damping of the main system, that is, by setting n = 0, optimum parameters can
be obtained from Eq. (6) for the TMD, with which the TMD is optimized in the sense that the
maximum response Rn of the main mass of the nth mode is minimized [22], that is,

P 2
Rn; opt (jn; opt ; fn; opt ; &n; opt ; n )|n =0 = 1 + n (x1 ) (7)
Kn n

under the following conditions for optimum parameters:

 

1 3n n
fn; opt = ; &n; opt = ; jn; opt1 = fn; opt 1 ; (8ac)
1 + n 8(1 + n )3 n; opt2
2 + n

where the subscript opt means optimum and opt-1 and opt-2 indicate two possibilities asso-
ciated with the sign. The above approach was proposed by Den Hartog for determining the
optimum parameters of the TMD used to suppress the vibration of a single DOF main mass with
one exciting frequency, which will be referred to as Den Hartogs optimal criterion throughout this
paper. In this study, we shall express the response of the cable-stayed bridge, a multi-DOF system, in
terms of the modal coordinates, and then determine the optimum properties for each TMD subsystem
tuned for one speci!c resonant frequency in the modal space.
346 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

3. Problems with two resonant frequencies

For the present problem of a cable-stayed bridge subjected to a moving train, the major concern
is to suppress the !rst several resonance peaks induced by the train moving at diFerent operation
speeds. For the purpose of illustration, let us consider !rst the problem with two dominant resonant
peaks. We shall use a hybrid TMD system that consists of two subsystems with each designed to
suppress one resonant peak. Such a procedure can be extended to deal with the suppression of three
or more adjacent resonant peaks. In the design of TMD systems, the total mass to be used for the
TMDs is usually assumed to be known. As far as the hybrid TMD system is concerned, which
consists of several subsystems, the !rst question here is how to allocate the total mass to each of
the subsystems involved, which is the focus of the following derivation.
For the case where the resonance peaks associated with the !rst two modes are to be suppressed,
one may express the response of the system as a combination of the !rst two modes, that is,

w(x) = Q1 1 + Q2 2 ; (9)

where 1 and 2 are the vibration mode shapes, and Q1 and Q2 the associated generalized coor-
dinates. Let 1 and 2 , respectively, denote the mass ratio of the !rst and second subsystems of
TMDs to the modal mass, i.e., 1 = m1 =M1 and 2 = m2 =M2 . Also, let r = 2 =1 . The following are
the relevant relations for the mass ratios:
m1 + m2 1 M1 + 2 M2 1 (M1 + rM2 )
= = = ; (10a)
M M M
m1 M
1 = = ; (10b)
M1 M1 + rM2
m2
2 = = r1 ; (10c)
M2
where M1 and M2 are the modal masses, and M is the reference modal mass, usually taken to be
that of the !rst mode. As was stated, the total mass ratio  is assumed to be known in a practical
design. In the following, we shall describe the procedure for determining the mass ratios 1 and 2 .
Consider a structural system that is equipped with two TMD subsystems and that each subsystem
is tuned to one of the !rst two modes. By neglecting damping of the structural system, as implied
in Den Hartogs optimal solution in Eq. (7), the optimum parameters for the two subsystems can be
identi!ed as (j1; opt ; f1; opt ; &1; opt ; 1 ) and (j2; opt ; f2; opt ; &2; opt ; 2 ). For the special case where only the
!rst mode of vibration is excited, the contribution of the !rst mode to the system response in modal
coordinates is R1; opt (j1; opt ; f1; opt ; &1; opt ; 1 ), as given in Eq. (7). The contribution from the second
mode is
 
R2; max = max R2 (j1; opt1 ; f2; opt ; &2; opt ; 2 ); R2 (j1; opt2 ; f2; opt ; &2; opt ; 2 ) (11)

or abbreviated as
 
R2; max = max R2 (j1; opti ; f2; opt ; &2; opt ; 2 )|i=1; 2 : (12)
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 347

According to Eq. (9), the amplitude of the system response w1 can be expressed as follows:
w1 = R1; opt (j1; opt ; f1; opt ; &1; opt ; 1 ) + R2; max

P 2  
= 1 + 1 (x1 ) + max R2 (j1; opti ; f2; opt ; &2; opt ; 2 )|i=1; 2 : (13)
K1 1
Similarly, when only the second mode is excited, the amplitude of the system response w2 can be
expressed as follows:
w2 = R1; max + R2; opt (j2; opt ; f2opt ; &2opt ; 2 )

P 2
= max[R1 (j2; opti ; f1; opt ; &1; opt ; 1 )|i=1; 2 ] + 1+ 2 (x1 ): (14)
K2 2
As can be seen, the two response amplitudes w1 and w2 depend on the mass ratios 1 and 2 ,
which also depend on each other, according to Eq. (10). To resolve this problem, one more condition
is required. In this paper, we shall provide such a condition by letting the two peak responses w1
and w2 equal each other. This is a reasonable assumption, as both w1 and w2 relate to determination
of the impact factor to be used in design. By so doing, the ratio between 1 and 2 , i.e., r = 2 =1 ,
can be determined and the masses m1 and m2 to be allocated for the two TMD subsystems computed
accordingly using Eq. (10), given the total mass ratio  for the TMDs.
In the following, we shall include the damping eFect of the main structural system and proceed
to determine the optimum parameters, i.e., fn; opt and n; opt , for each subsystem using the criterion
of minimummaximum dynamic ampli:cation factor [17,18], by which each TMD subsystem is
optimized such that the maximum response amplitude of the main mass is minimized in the modal
space. Given the damping ratio n of the main mass and the tuning mass ratio n , by !xing a
frequency ratio fn for the TMD subsystem, one may plot a curve for the DAF, as given in Eq. (6),
for a speci!c damping ratio n throughout the entire range of exciting frequency ratio jn considered,
from which the maximum peak response (DAF)max can be obtained. By changing the damping ratio
n , another maximum peak response (DAF)max can be obtained. By comparing all these maximum
peak responses for diFerent damping ratios n , one can determine the damping ratio n; min as the one
corresponding to the minimum of the maximum peak responses Min[(DAF)max ]. Next, by changing
the frequency ratio fn for the TMD subsystem, another minimum of the maximum peak responses
Min[(DAF)max ] can be obtained. By comparing all these Min[(DAF)max ], the optimum parameters
(n; opt , fn; opt ) can be obtained. In the minimummaximum search, the increments for both n and
fn are set to be 0.001.
The following is a summary of the optimum properties assigned for the nth TMD subsystem tuned
for the nth resonant mode:
mn =  n M n ; (15a)

!n = fn; opt n ; (15b)

kn = mn !n2 ; (15c)

cn = 2&n; opt mn !n : (15d)

348 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

Once the mass of each TMD subsystem, i.e., m1 and m2 , is determined, the next issue is to allocate
the mass of each subsystem to each span of the bridge. This can be done by transforming the mass
of each TMD subsystem, which is tuned for one speci!c mode, from the modal coordinates to the
real physical coordinates.

4. Problems with three resonant frequencies

For the case where the resonance peaks associated with the !rst three modes are to be suppressed,
the preceding procedure can be generalized as follows. First, the system response can be expressed
in terms of the !rst three modes:
w(x) = Q1 1 + Q2 2 + Q3 3 : (16)
A hybrid TMD system that consists of three subsystems will be considered for suppressing the !rst
three modes. Let 1 , 2 , 3 denote the mass ratios of the three subsystems of TMD to the modal
mass of the respective mode considered. The system responses w1 , w2 , w3 that are excited when the
system is tuned to the !rst, second, and third frequencies, respectively, can be expressed as

P 2  
w1 = 1 + 1 (x1 ) + max R2 (j1; opti ; f2; opt ; &2; opt ; 2 )|i=1; 2
K1 1
 
+ max R3 (j1; opti ; f3; opt ; &3; opt ; 3 )|i=1; 2 ; (17)

P 2  
w2 = 1 + 2 (x1 ) + max R1 (j2; opti ; f1; opt ; &1; opt ; 1 )|i=1; 2
K2 2
 
+ max R3 (j2; opti ; f3; opt ; &3; opt ; 3 )|i=1; 2 ; (18)

P 2  
w3 = 1 + 3 (x1 ) + max R2 (j3; opti ; f2; opt ; &2; opt ; 2 )|i=1; 2
K3 3
 
+ max R3 (j3; opti ; f1; opt ; &1; opt ; 1 )|i=1; 2 : (19)
By letting the three peak responses w1 ; w2 ; w3 equal each other, i.e., w1 = w2 = w3 , one can deter-
mine the relationship between the three mass ratios 1 , 2 , 3 through solution of two simultaneous
equations. After this, the masses m1 ; m2 ; m3 for the three subsystems can be determined. The opti-
mum parameters for the three subsystems can then be determined using procedures similar to those
presented for the case with two resonant peaks.

5. Finite-element modeling of cable-stayed bridges

A cable-stayed bridge is usually composed of one or two pylons (towers), a girder (bridge deck)
and a number of stay cables connecting the girder to the pylons, as shown in Fig. 1. In this study,
only the two-dimensional behavior of the cabled-stayed bridge is considered, i.e., no consideration
will be made for the torsion or eccentric loadings on the bridge girder. The three major components
of the bridge will be simulated by !nite elements as described below: (1) The bridge deck is modeled
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 349

6@8
64 1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 7

10

6@8 6@8

64 64

Fig. 4. Cable-stayed bridge model.

as a number of beam-column elements incorporating all the axial and Rexural instability eFects and
inertial properties. (2) Each of the towers is modeled by a number of beam-column elements with
the axial and Rexural instabilities and inertial eFects taken into account. (3) Each stay cable is
represented as a two-node bar or truss element of which the axial stiFness is related to the axial
tension (Fig. 4).
Due to the sagging eFect caused by self-weight, a stay cable actually takes the shape of a curve
between the two anchorage points. Conventionally, a straight truss element is used to represent the
curved cable, for which the equivalent modulus Eeq is given by Ernst as [6]
Es
Eeq =  ; (20)
1 + (wc Lh ) Es Ac =(12T 3 )
2

where Es is the elastic modulus, Lh the horizontal projected length, wc the weight per unit length,
Ac the cross-sectional area, and T is the tension of the cable. However, owing to the change in
applied loadings, the tensile force in the cable will change, too. To account for such an eFect, the
equivalent cable modulus should be modi!ed as [23]
Ec
Eeq =  ; (21)
1 + (wc Lh ) (Ti + Tf )Es Ac =24(Ti Tf )2
2

where Ti is the initial cable tension resulting from the dead loads of the bridge and Tf is the !nal
cable tension caused by the real acting loads.

6. Equations of motion for VBI system

In this study, each vehicle of the train will be simulated as two sprung masses to represent the
front and rear wheelsets and the bridge girder divided into a number of beam-column elements, as
shown in Fig. 5. At certain instant during the passage of the train over the cable-stayed bridge, some
350 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

elements of the bridge girder will be directly acted upon by the sprung masses, while the others
are not. The number of vehicles directly acting on the bridge girder changes as the train moves,
so do the contact points between each bridge element and the moving vehicles. In this study, a
beam-column element is selected such that only one sprung mass will be acting on it, as shown in
Fig. 6. An element such as this has been referred to as the VBI element [24]. For this element, two
sets of equations of motion can be written, one for the bridge element and the other for the sprung

(a)

(b)

Fig. 5. Train loads on girder: (a) general model and (b) sprung mass model.

v
u2
Mv
y
kv cv Rail Irregularities: r(x)
u1 Ballast Stiffness kt
mw
z
x
z
xc

Fig. 6. VBI element.

 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 351

mass:
[mb ]{uK b } + [cb ]{u b } + [kb ]{ub } = {pb } {fc }; (22a)

[mv ]{uK v } + [cv ]{u v } + [kv ]{uv } = {pv } + {fc }; (22b)

where [mb ]; [cb ]; [kb ], respectively, denote the mass, damping, and stiFness matrices of the beam-
column element, {pb } and {fc } the external loads and contact forces, and {ub } the displacement
vector of the beam-column element; [mv ]; [cv ]; [kv ] denote the mass, damping, stiFness matrices of
the sprung mass, {pv } the weight of the lumped mass, and {uv } the vertical displacements of
the vehicle. The preceding two equations are coupled through the contact forces {fc }, which vary
according to their acting position on the bridge. To overcome the time-varying nature of the problem,
Yang and Yau [24] proposed a method for condensing the DOFs of the sprung mass into those of
the element in contact, after the sprung mass equations are discretized in advance by Newmarks
!nite diFerence formulas. The result is a VBI element that possesses the same number of DOFs
as the beam-column element, while preserving the properties of symmetry and bandedness. Such an
element can be used to analyze the dynamic response of both the bridge and traversing vehicles.
Details and applications of the VBI element are available in [24].
By the conventional procedure, all the VBI elements (for the girder), beam-column elements (for
the towers) and truss elements (for the cables) can be assembled to form the equations of motion
for the entire bridge structure, that is
[M ]{UK } + [C]{U } + [K]{U } = {P}; (23)
where [M ]; [C]; [K], respectively, denote the mass, damping, and stiFness matrices of the bridge
structure, {U } the bridge displacements, and {P} the external loads acting on the bridge. Some re-
marks should be made here. First, the stiFness matrix [kb ] in Eq. (22a), also included in
Eq. (23), consists of both the elastic and geometric sti=ness parts [25], which can duly account for
the nonlinear deformation eFects of the bridge deck and towers. Second, because of the time-varying
nature of the problem, the stiFness matrices for the bridge girder and vehicles, in the form of VBI
elements, must be updated at each incremental time step in a time-history analysis to reRect the
movement of the vehicles relative to the bridge [24]. Finally, for the purpose of obtaining the fre-
quencies of vibration of the bridge, the eFects of damping, initial tendon forces, and vehicular actions
are all neglected. In other words, one is faced with solution of the following eigenvalue problem:
([K] !2 [M ]){U } = {0}; (24)
where ! is the natural frequency of vibration of the bridge.

7. Nonlinear analysis procedure

The equations as set in Eqs. (23) are typical second-order diFerential equations, which will be
solved by Newmarks ( method with constant average acceleration in this study. Using Newmarks
scheme, one can transform Eqs. (23) into a set of linear stiFness equations, from which the bridge
displacements {U } can be solved for each time step. Once the bridge displacements {U } are made
available, the bridge accelerations and velocities can be computed accordingly. By a backward pro-
cedure, the response of the sprung masses can be computed as well on the element level [24].
352 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

To consider the sagging eFect of a stay cable due to its self-weight and external forces, before
analyzing the dynamic response of the cable-stayed bridge to high-speed trains, a nonlinear static
analysis of the bridge is performed to obtain the internal forces of all the stay cables under the
self-weight of the bridge. With this, the initial equivalent cable modulus can be obtained from
Eq. (20) for each cable. In the incremental time-history analysis of the cable-stayed bridge under
the moving vehicular loads, the internal forces computed at each time step for the stay cables should
be used in updating the cable moduli according to Eq. (21).

8. Impact factor and speed parameter

The impact factor I used to evaluate the dynamic response of the bridge due to the moving
vehicular loads is de!ned as follows [26]:
Rd (x) Rs (x)
I= ; (25)
Rs (x)
where Rd (x) and Rs (x), respectively, denote the maximum dynamic and static responses of the beam
at position x due to action of the moving loads. Besides, the speed parameter S is de!ned as the ratio
of the excitation frequency of the moving vehicle, i.e., )v=Lc , with v denoting the vehicle speed and
Lc the characteristic length of the bridge (i.e., distance between two adjacent inRection points of the
!rst mode of vibration), to the fundamental frequency !1 of the bridge, i.e., S = )v1 =!1 Lc [26]. Both
the impact factor I and speed parameter S are useful parameters in analyzing the vehicle-induced
vibrations, as they are both dimensionless.

9. Numerical veri.cation

The cable-stayed bridge shown in Fig. 4 is of the semi-harp type with two symmetrical spans. The
bridge deck is supported by a roller at the connection with the pylon. The pylon and the bridge deck
are made of concrete with elastic modulus Ec = 35 GPa and density +c = 2:4 t=m3 . As for the stayed
cables, the following data are adopted: Es = 210 GPa and +s = 7:8 t=m3 . Rayleigh damping is as-
sumed for the bridge with a damping ratio of 2.5%. The following data are adopted in analysis: (1)
span length of the bridge L = 64 m, (2) height of the pylon above the bridge deck H = 64 m,
(3) cross-sectional area of the bridge deck Ab = 4:8 m2 , (4) cross-sectional area of the pylon
Ap = 12 m2 , (5) cross-sectional area of cables Ac = 0:024 m2 (for cables 1 and 2), 0:022 m2 (for
cables 35), 0:020 m2 (for cables 6 and 7), (6) moment of inertia of the bridge deck Ib = 12 m4 ,
(7) moment of inertia of the pylon Ip = 36:28 m4 , and (8) mass per unit length of the bridge
deck m = 28 t=m.
By an eigenvalue analysis, the frequencies of vibration solved for the bridge from Eq. (24) are as
follows: !1 = 10:52 rad=s, !2 = 19:16 rad=s, based on which the characteristic length of the bridge
girder is computed as Lc = 64 m, and the modal masses as M1 = 2150 t, M2 = 1580 t. The !rst two
vibration modes of the bridge deck have been plotted in Fig. 7, indicating that the !rst and second
modes are anti-symmetrical and symmetrical, respectively. Because of this, the contribution of each
span to the modal mass for each of the !rst two modes is just equal. Consequently, the mass of each
TMD subsystem tuned for each of the !rst two modes should be equally allocated to the two spans.
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 353

1st mode

2nd mode

Fig. 7. First two vibration modes.

Table 1
Axle arrangement of train loads

Car Axle position (m)

Power car 0.00 17.50

Passenger cars 25.00 42.50 50.00 67.50 75.00 92.50 100.0 117.5 125.0 142.5
150.0 167.5 175.0 192.5 200.0 217.5 225.0 242.5 250.0 267.5
275.0 292.5 300.0 317.5 325.0 342.5 350.0 367.5
Power car 375.0 392.5

The train traveling over the bridge is assumed to have 14 passenger cars and two power cars
at the two ends, of which the car length is d = 25 m. For simplicity, the train is simulated as a
sequence of 32 identical sprung masses with their relative positions shown in Table 1. The following
properties are assumed for each sprung mass: weight wv = 300 kN, spring constant kv = 1800 kN=m
and damping coeGcient cv = 85 kN s=m.
9.1. Example 1: multiple resonant peaks of cable-stayed bridge

Using the !nite-element procedure described above, the impact factors I solved for the midpoint
of the arrival span and departure span of the cable-stayed bridge have been plotted with respect
to the speed parameter S (referred to as the I S plot) in Fig. 8. As can be seen, there exist two
resonant peaks for the impact response of the cable-stayed bridge, due to coincidence of some of the
excitation frequencies implied by the moving loads with the fundamental or higher frequencies of the
bridge. By the analytical formulas of Yang et al. [19], the resonant response for a simple beam to a
series of wheel loads of interval d will occur at Sres = d=2Lc . For the present case, the !rst resonant
speed parameter computed for the bridge is Sres; 1 =25=(264)=0:195, or equivalently v =150 km=h.
Similarly, the second resonant speed parameter is Sres; 2 = Sres; 1 !2 =!1 = 0:195 19:16=10:52 = 0:355
[5,7], which is equivalent to 274 km=h. All the analytical predictions are close to the resonant speed
parameters shown in Fig. 8. Besides, it is observed that the impact factor for the departure span is
larger than that of the arrival span. This can be attributed to the uplift action caused by the departure
of the last moving load from the arrival span and entrance into the departure span. For this reason,
only the impact response of the departure span will be considered in the following examples.
9.2. Example 2: TMD systems for suppressing single resonant modes

In this example, the TMD devices will be employed to suppress the !rst resonant peak of the
impact response of the bridge to high speed trains. In general, a larger TMD mass ratio will result
354 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

0.16
Departure-span
Arrival-span
0.12
Impact Factor I

0.08

0.04

0.00
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40

Speed Parameter S

Fig. 8. Impact response of the cable-stayed bridge.

32 32

Fig. 9. Arrangement of TMD1 system.

in a better control of the vibration of the main structure. However, the self-weight of the TMD
devices will induce additional deformation on the main structure. In this example, a small modal
mass ratio of 1 = m1 =M1 = 0:01 is adopted, where m1 is the total mass of the TMD devices
installed on the cable-stayed bridge. According to vibration mode shapes shown in Fig. 7, the
displacement amplitudes of the !rst mode on the two spans are the same. In order to reduce the
!rst resonant peak at Sres; 1 = 0:195, we shall install two identical TMD devices, called TMD1,
to the midpoint of the two spans of the bridge, as shown in Fig. 9. The mass of each TMD1
unit is m1; 1 = m1; 2 = m1 =2 = 1 M1 =2 = 0:01 2150=2 = 10:75 t. Using the minimummaximum
amplitude criterion, the optimum absorber parameters for the TMD1 devices that are tuned to the
!rst frequency of the bridge are: tuning frequency ratio f1; opt =0:986 and damping ratio 1; opt =0:062.
Consequently, the following properties are adopted for each TMD1 unit: mass m1; 1 = m1; 2 = 10:75 t,
damping coeGcient c1 = 13:8 kN s=m, and spring constant k1 = 1159 kN=m. As can be seen from
the I S plot shown in Fig. 10 for the bridge, the !rst resonance at Sres; 1 = 0:195 has been reduced
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 355

0.16
w/o TMD
with TMD1

0.12
Impact Factor I

0.08

0.04

0.00
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40

Speed Parameter S

Fig. 10. Impact response of cable-stayed bridge installed with TMD1.

signi!cantly by installation of the TMD1 devices at the two spans. However, the second resonant
peak at Sres; 2 = 0:355 remains generally intact regardless of the presence of the TMD1 devices,
compared with the !rst one.
On the other hand, to suppress the second resonant response of the cable-stayed bridge, it will be
more eGcient if the TMD devices, called TMD2, are tuned for the second frequency of the bridge.
Again, a small mass ratio of 2 = m2 =M2 = 0:01 is selected. Based on the vibration shape of the
second mode in Fig. 7, two TMD2 devices of equal mass, i.e., m2; 1 =m2; 2 =m2 =2=2 M2 =2=0:01
1580=2 = 7:9 t, are installed on the two spans. Using the minimummaximum amplitude criterion,
the optimum absorber parameters computed for the TMD2 devices that are tuned for the second
frequency are: f2; opt = 0:986 and 2; opt = 0:062. Thus, the following properties are assigned to each
TMD2 device: mass m2; 1 = m2; 2 = 7:9 t, damping coeGcient c2 = 18:5 kN s=m, and spring constant
k2 = 2825 kN=m.
The I S plot for the departure span of the bridge with the TMD2 device has been given in
Fig. 11. As can be seen, signi!cant reduction has been achieved for the second resonant peak at
S = 0:355 through installation of the TMD2 devices on the two spans. In contrast, rather little eFect
of suppression has been achieved for the !rst resonant peak at S =0:195. This has been the drawback
of using TMD devices that are tuned for a single mode. To improve the eFectiveness of vibration
control, a hybrid TMD system that is suitable for suppressing multiple vibration modes will be
investigated in the following example.

9.3. Example 3: hybrid TMD system for suppressing multiple modes

In Fig. 12, a hybrid TMD system that combines two subsystems, with one tuned for the !rst
frequency and the other for the second frequency, will be used as the system for simultaneously
suppressing the two resonant peaks of the cable-stayed bridge. Based on the fact that the !rst
mode plays a role greater than that of the second mode concerning the dynamic response of the
bridge, the same mass ratio as that for the !rst mode in the preceding example will be adopted
herein for determining the total mass of the TMD devices, i.e.,  = (m1 + m2 )=M = 0:01, where
356 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

0.16
w/o TMD
with TMD2

0.12
Impact Factor I

0.08

0.04

0.00
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40

Speed Parameter S

Fig. 11. Impact response of cable-stayed bridge installed with TMD2.

32 32

Fig. 12. Arrangement of hybrid TMD system.

M =M1 =2150 t and m1 +m2 =M =0:012150=2:15 t. By dividing the sum m1 +m2 into two parts,
that is, m1; 1 = m1; 2 = m1 =2 = 1 M1 =2 and m2; 1 = m2; 2 = m2 =2 = 2 M2 =2. The masses m1; 1 (=m1 =2) and
m2; 2 (=m2 =2) of all the TMD devices to be mounted on each span can be determined by substituting
(1 ; 2 ) in Eq. (10) into Eqs. (11)(14) and solving the condition w1 = w2 .
The following is the procedure for determining the damper parameters for the hybrid TMD devices:
(1) With the modal masses M1 and M2 and natural frequencies !1 and !2 computed in the preceding
example, together with Eqs. (10) (14), one can solve the condition w1 = w2 to obtain the mass ratio
r (=0:74=2 =1 ). Consequently, the modal mass ratios 1 and 2 , and the tuning masses m1 and m2 ,
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 357

Table 2
Properties of the hybrid TMD system

Type Mass ratio Optimum parameters m (t) k (kN/m) c (kN s=m)

TMD1 1 = 6:95=(2150=2) f1; opt = 0:990 m1; 1 = 6:95 k1; 1 = 755 c1; 1 = 7:68
=0:0065 1; opt = 0:053

TMD2 2 = 3:80(1580=2) f2; opt = 0:992 m2; 2 = 3:80 k2; 2 = 1373 c2; 2 = 6:64
=0:0044 2; opt = 0:046

0.16
with Hybrid TMDs
w/o TMD

0.12 with TMD1

Impact Factor I

with TMD2

0.08

0.04

0.00
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40

Speed Parameter S

Fig. 13. Impact responses of various cable-stayed bridges.

can be computed for the two sets of TMD devices. (2) Consider only the !rst set of TMD devices,
i.e., TMD1, with the mass m1; 1 (=m1 =2) selected for controlling the !rst vibration mode and use the
minimummaximum amplitude criterion to determine the optimum parameters (f1; opt ; 1; opt ) for this
set of dampers. Similarly, consider only the second set of TMD devices, i.e., TMD2, and determine
the optimum parameters (f2; opt , 2; opt ). (3) Determine the parameters (m1; 1 , k1; 1 , c1; 1 ) and (m2; 2 ,
k2; 2 , c2; 2 ) for the hybrid TMD devices. In Table 2, the optimum parameters computed for the TMD1
and TMD2 devices of the hybrid system have been listed.
The impact response of the departure of the bridge installed with the hybrid TMD system has been
plotted in Fig. 13, along with other solutions. As can be seen, the installation of the hybrid TMD
system does result in greater reduction of the impact response for both the !rst two modes, compared
with the previous two TMD arrangements considering only a single mode. Fig. 13 also shows that the
two resonant responses of the cable-stayed bridge with the hybrid TMD system are almost the same,
implying that the minimum modal amplitude criterion used for suppressing the multiple resonant
peaks of the bridge is generally eFective. For the present interest, the maximum accelerations of the
moving vehicles, of which each has a sprung mass Mv , computed for all the arrangements of TMDs
considered in this paper, including the one with no TMDs, have been plotted in Fig. 14. As can be
358 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359

0.60
with Hybrid TMDs

Maximum Acceleration (m/s2)

w/o TMD
with TMD1

0.40 with TMD2

0.20

0.00
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40

Speed Parameter S

Fig. 14. Maximum vertical acceleration of sprung masses.

seen only marginal reduction on the vehicle response has been achieved through installation of the
TMD devices, regardless of the types of TMDs. This can be attributed to the fact that the vehicle
response is born to be smaller for vehicles moving over cable-stayed bridges than that over simple
beams, because of the relatively Rexible cable supports and long span of cable-stayed bridges.

10. Concluding remarks

In this study, a hybrid TMD system that is composed of several subsystems, each tuned for
one resonant frequency, is proposed for mitigating the multiple resonant peaks encountered in the
train-induced vibration of cable-stayed bridges. The train is modeled as a series of sprung masses,
the stay cables by truss elements with Ernsts equivalent modulus, and the bridge deck and tower
by beam-column elements, with due account taken of the geometric nonlinearity. In particular, the
dynamic interaction between moving vehicles and the bridge girder is simulated using a previously
derived VBI element. The mass ratio for each subsystem is determined by !rst minimizing each peak
response using Den Hartogs optimal criterion and by enforcing the resonant peaks of concern to
be of equal magnitude. Then, the optimal parameters for each subsystem are determined using
the minimummaximum approach. The numerical examples demonstrated that the proposed hybrid
TMD system is eFective for suppressing the multiple resonant peaks encountered in the vibration
of cable-stayed bridge due to high-speed trains. The strategy of vibration mitigation proposed herein
is simple and robust, which should !nd applications in areas where multiple resonant peaks are a
problem of major concern.

Acknowledgements

The research reported herein was sponsored in part by the National Science Council of the Republic
of China through Grant Nos. NSC 89-2211-E-002-113 and NSC 90-2211-E-032-012.
 J.D. Yau, Y.B. Yang / Finite Elements in Analysis and Design 40 (2004) 341 359 359

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