ARTICLE IN PRESS

Journal of Wind Engineering

and Industrial Aerodynamics 93 (2005) 79–95
www.elsevier.com/locate/jweia

Experimental investigation of rain–wind-induced

vibration of cables in cable-stayed bridges and
its mitigation
Ming Gu, Xiaoqin Du
State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road 1239,
Shanghai 200092, China
Received 23 April 2003; received in revised form 17 August 2004; accepted 20 September 2004
Available online 11 November 2004

Abstract

Rain–wind-induced vibration of cables in cable-stayed bridges is presently a worldwide

problem of great concern. Because it is sensitively influenced by many parameters, this
peculiar phenomenon is difficult to be replicated in laboratory conditions; its mechanism has
not been well explained yet. In this paper, the phenomenon of rain–wind-induced vibration of
a cable model is successfully reproduced under actual rain conditions in a wind tunnel. The
effects of several main factors, including the inclination angle, frequency and damping of the
cable as well as the wind yaw angle, etc. on the characteristics of rain–wind-induced vibration
are investigated in detail in the test. The countermeasures of double-spiral wires and dampers
for the mitigation of the vibration are also experimentally studied. The results show that the
size and twine direction and the pitch of the spiral wires twined on the surface of cables have
great effects on the mitigation efficiency of rain–wind-induced vibration of cables.
r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Cable-stayed bridge; Stay cable; Rain–wind-induced vibration; Wind tunnel test; Mitigation

Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 21 6598 1210; fax: +86 21 65981210.

E-mail address: minggu@mail.tongji.edu.cn (M. Gu).

0167-6105/$ - see front matter r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jweia.2004.09.003
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80 M. Gu, X. Du / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 93 (2005) 79–95

1. Introduction

There have been many reports in the past 20 years on excessive and unanticipated
vibration of cables in cable-supported bridges under the simultaneous occurrence of
wind and rain [1–5]. The authors of the present paper also observed strong
rain–wind-induced cable vibrations from two cable-stayed bridges recently built in
Shanghai and in Nanjing, China [6]. The bridge located in Shanghai has a main span
of 602 m with two inclined cable planes, and the other bridge in Nanjing has a main
span of 628 m. Under a moderate rainfall condition and a wind of mean speed
between 10 and 17 m/s, some cables of the bridge in Shanghai exhibited vibrations so
strong that the steel tubes protecting the cable at the bridge deck level were broken.
New rubber rings of high energy absorbing capacity had to be installed between the
cable and steel tube to prevent damage to the tube, but cable vibration of limited
amplitude can still be observed under the wind and rain conditions. Rain–wind-
induced cable vibration has become a great concern to bridge engineering and wind
engineering communities.
To find out the reason why stay cables have severe vibration under wind and rain
conditions, field measurements [1,4,5], wind tunnel simulation tests [7–14] and
theoretical analyses [15–17] were conducted by researchers and engineers around the
world. In wind tunnel simulation tests, there are two approaches for simulating
rivulets on the cable section model: one is to spray water appropriately onto the
surface of the cable model to form rivulets [1,7,8,12,13] and the other is to stick
artificial rivulets on the cable surface [9,15,17]. It is now believed that the rivulet
formed along the upper surface of a cable plays an important role in developing
rain–wind-induced cable vibration.
In this paper, the phenomenon of rain–wind-induced vibration of a cable model is
successfully reproduced under conditions of spraying water onto the cable model to
form the upper and lower real rivulets in the TJ-1 boundary layer wind tunnel in
Tongji University. The effects of several main factors on the characteristics of
rain–wind vibration are experimentally investigated. Moreover, countermeasures of
spiral wires and dampers for the mitigation of the vibration are experimentally
studied in detail. The results obtained from the tests may be used as valuable
references for further studies on the mechanisms and mitigation countermeasures of
the vibration.

2. Cable model, experimental set-up and testing conditions

The present test is conducted in the efflux section of the TJ-1 boundary layer wind
tunnel in Tongji University. This tunnel is a straight-through boundary layer wind
tunnel with an original working section of 1.8 m (width)
1.8 m (height). The final
diffuser of the wind tunnel is replaced by a new contraction section, which is
specially designed and manufactured to improve the quality of the wind field of the
new testing section. The exit of the contraction section is a round one with a
diameter of 2.4 m and the maximum wind speed available is about 20 m/s. In fact,
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M. Gu, X. Du / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 93 (2005) 79–95 81

even if there is a contraction section at the end of the wind tunnel the uniformity of
mean wind speed of the present testing section is not comparable to that of the
original working section of the wind tunnel. Fig. 1 shows the distributions of mean
wind speeds of two sections. The distance between Section 1 and the wind tunnel exit
is 1.5 m, and that between Section 2 and the exit is 3 m. The experimental set-up is
located between Sections 1 and 2. From the figure it can be seen that the wind speed
at the central point of Section 2 is 9.6 m/s, while the maximum wind speed at a
measuring point of the same section is 12 m/s.
The cable model for the test has a length of 2.5 m and a diameter of 120 mm. The
model consists of a wood cylinder as its core and PE rubber as the surface material,
which is the same as real cables. The weight of the model is 15 kg, and the original
damping ratio is 0.14%. Scruton number (¼ 4pmx=rD2 ; where x is the damping
ratio, r is the air density, m is the mass of the cable model per unit length, D is the
diameter of the cable model) is thus only about 5.86. For the prototype cable the
structural density is about 7800 kg/m3. Thus Scruton number of the prototype cable
is about 86.22, 14.7 times as large as that of its model.
A graduated disc is fixed at the lower end of the model to record approximately
the positions of the upper rivulet.
A new experimental set-up (see Fig. 2) is specially designed for the tests, which
includes two main parts: one is the base for supporting the other part—the frame,
and the other is the frame composed of steel tubes, on which the cable model is hung
with springs. The base of the experimental set-up has four wheels and thus can be
easily rotated for simulating the required wind yaw angles. The frame can be easily
adjusted to different angles with regard to the base for required inclination angles of
the cable model. The inclination angle of the cable model, a, and the wind yaw angle,
b, are schematically shown in Fig. 3. The cable model is supported with springs to

(a) Section I (b) Section II

Fig. 1. Distributions of mean wind speeds of two sections.

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82 M. Gu, X. Du / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 93 (2005) 79–95

Fig. 2. Photograph of testing set-up and cable model.

Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of inclination angle of cable model and wind yaw angle.

the frame. The original natural frequency and damping ratio of the cable model are
measured to be 1 Hz and 0.14%, respectively. The rain-simulating unit of the
experimental set-up includes a water pool, a lift pump, a valve and a sprinkler with
16 sprinkling heads. The required rainfall and direction can be archived using the
rain-simulating unit. The testing wind speeds range from 5 to 13 m/s with the
increment of 1 m/s. Two accelerometers are mounted, respectively, on both ends of
the cable model to pick up its vibration signals.
The testing conditions are listed in Table 1.
 M. Gu, X. Du / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 93 (2005) 79–95
Table 1

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Testing conditions

No. Testing aim a b U (m/s) Spiral wires fc (Hz) x (%)

1 Effect of wind speed 25 35 5.5–12 Without 1 0.14

2 Effect of damping 25 35 6–11 Without 1 0.14–0.50
3 Effect of inclination angle of cable model 0, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 35 6–12 Without 1 0.14
4 Effect of wind yaw angle 30 0, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 6–12 Without 1 0.14
5 Effect of frequency 30 35 6–13 Without 1, 1.7, 2.1, 2.6 0.14
6 Aerodynamic damping 30 35 7–11 Without 1 0.56–1.28
7 Vibration control 30 35 7–11 With 1 0.14

83
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3. Study of factors that contribute to vibration of cable model

3.1. General characteristics of vibration

In the test, the simulated rainfall is firstly adjusted to find out what is the most
proper rainfall for the rain–wind-induced vibration of the cable model. When the
rain–wind-induced vibration of the cable model occurs, the water that flows along the
cable model and accumulates at the lower end of the cable model is gathered for a
certain period of time. Considering the gathered water quantity, gathering time and the
projected area of the cable model, the rainfall can be calculated. The proper rainfall for
the rain–wind-induced vibration in the present test ranges from 340 to 390 ml/(min m2).
The upper rivulet and its motion around the cable surface are obviously observed
in the test. The lower rivulet can also be seen clearly but it is almost static. Further
detailed observations indicate that the motion of the upper rivulet seems to be the
prerequisite for the appearance of rain–wind-induced vibration of the cable model,
that is to say, rain–wind-induced vibration of the cable model always follows the
motion of the upper rivulet around the cable model’s surface. Moreover, the
frequency of the rivulet’s motion is almost the same as that of the cable model when
the rain–wind-induced vibration takes place. When the cable model is in a static
state, the motion frequency of the upper rivulet is observed to be obviously different
from the natural frequency of the cable model.
The repeatability of the test is explained here. For two or more rounds of repeated
tests under the ‘‘same’’ testing condition, which here means the same inclination
angle and frequency and damping of the cable model as well as wind yaw angle and
velocity, the rain–wind-induced vibration of the cable model always takes place
within a certain wind speed range. The double quotation mark of the ‘‘same’’ means
that the testing parameters mentioned above are the same but the rainfall is difficult
to be precisely controlled and thus is not completely the same for each round of the
repeated tests under the ‘‘same’’ condition. As a result, the vibration amplitudes of
the cable model are somewhat different for each round of the repeated tests under
the ‘‘same’’ testing conditions due to the sensitivity of the rain–wind-induced
vibration to rainfall and some other factors, such as cleanliness level of the cable
model’s surface. Considering this situation, several rounds of repeated tests under
the ‘‘same’’ testing conditions are arranged in a short period of time.
Fig. 4 shows the comparison of the vibration amplitudes of the cable model for
a ¼ 251 and b ¼ 351 with and without the simulated rain. It can be seen from the
figure that the vibration amplitudes of the cable model under the condition of raining
simulation are much larger than those of the dry cable model. In addition, the cable
model under the condition of wind and simulated rain exhibits velocity- and
amplitude-restricted response characteristics, which is the same as that reported from
the field measurements [5,6] and the other wind tunnel tests [12,17].

3.2. Effects of factors on vibration characteristics of cable model

As mentioned above, several wind tunnel tests have been carried out by the
other researchers under the condition of simulated real rain to investigate
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30

25 With rain
Without rain

20
Amplitude (cm)

15

10

0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Wind speed (m/s)

Fig. 4. Comparison of vibration amplitudes of cable model with and without simulated rain (a=251,
b=351, x=0.14%).

rain–wind-induced vibration of stay cables. In these tests, parametric studies on the

effects of factors on the vibration characteristics have also been performed. The
circumstances of the main studies are listed in Table 2. The table seems to indicate
that more thorough parametric studies are needed.

3.2.1. Effect of inclination angle of cable

It has been indicated that the rain–wind-induced vibration of stay cables seldom
occurs for the inclination angle of the cable model larger than 451. Moreover, in the
present test, the cable model is prone to rain–wind-induced vibration as the wind
yaw angle is about 351. Thus, the results of the first group of the tests carried out at
the wind yaw angle of 351 and the inclination angles of 01, 251, 301, 351, 401 and 451
are shown in Fig. 5. For 01 inclination angle, i.e., horizontal cable model, no rivulets
and thus no excitation can be seen, and correspondingly the model does not vibrate.
The upper rivulet and its motion around the surface of the cable model can be clearly
observed for the other inclination angles, i.e., 251, 301, 351, 401 and 451, and the
rain–wind-induced vibrations thus occur, as shown in Fig. 5. From Fig. 5 it also can
be seen that the cable model vibrates strongly at the inclination angles between 251
and 451, and the maximum peak–peak amplitude of about 37 cm takes place at the
inclination angle of 301, almost the same as those in the literature [1,7].

3.2.2. Effect of wind yaw angle

Considering cables being prone to rain–wind-induced vibration under the
conditions of 301 inclination angle and the wind yaw angles smaller than 451, the
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Table 2
Circumstances of main parametric studies under condition of simulated real rain

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Parameters of cable model Hikami Matsumoto Verwiebe Flamand Larose Cosentino
et al. [1] et al. [9] et al. [12] [7] et al. [13] et al. [14]

Diameter
Length (cm) 14
260 14,16
950 10
200 16
700 25
600 16
560
Weight (kg/m) — — — 16.0 14.0
Frequency (Hz) 1,2,3 — 2,4 1 0.66,1.2 1.08
Damping ratio (%) — — — 0.1% 0.025, 0.49, 1.31, 1.62, 1.94 0.08–0.25
Inclination angle (1) 45 40 30 25 30 —
Wind yaw angle (1) 45 35,45 0,45,90 0,30,45,60,90 20,30 0,20,30,45,50,60
Wind speed (m/s) 6–18 0–15 2–30 6–13 9–12 5–17
Maximum amplitude (peak–peak) (cm) 36 25 - 32 50 26
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35
o o
α=25 ,β =35
30 o o
α=30 , β =35
o o
α=35 ,β =35
25 o o
α=40 ,β =35
Amplitude (cm)

o o
α=45 ,β =35
20

15

10

0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Wind speed (m/s)

Fig. 5. Effect of the cable’s inclination angle.

parameters for the investigation of the effect of the wind yaw angle on the vibration
are selected to be 301 inclination angle and wind yaw angles of 01, 251, 301, 351, 401
and 451. Fig. 6 presents the testing results. In the test, for the wind yaw angles of 301,
351 and 401, the upper rivulet can form and vibrate on the surface of the cable model,
but for the wind yaw angles of 01, 251 and 451, the upper rivulet cannot form. As a
result, the cable model has severe vibrations for the wind yaw angles of 301, 351 and
401, while it remains in a static state for the wind yaw angles of 01, 251 and 451
throughout all the testing wind speeds. Moreover, the vibration amplitudes of the
cable model are largest for the wind yaw angles of 301 and 351 compared with the
other wind yaw angles.

3.2.3. Effect of frequency of cable model

The parameters of the third group of the tests are inclination angle of 301, wind
yaw angle of 351 and natural frequencies of the cable model of 1, 1.7, 2.1 and 2.6 Hz.
Fig. 7 shows the vibration amplitudes of the cable model against non-dimensional
wind speed for different natural frequencies. It can be seen that with the increase of
the natural frequency of the cable model the vibration amplitude decreases
dramatically. The maximum amplitude for the frequency of 1.7 Hz is only about 16
of that for 1.0 Hz. When the frequency increases to 2.6 Hz, the vibration of the cable
model almost vanishes.

3.2.4. Effects of inclination angle and wind yaw angle on position of upper rivulet
As mentioned above, the lower rivulet remains almost static when the rain–wind-
induced vibration occurs. The vibration ranges of the upper rivulet can be found by
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25
o o
α =30 , β =25
o o
α =30 , β =30
20 o o
α =30 , β =35
o o
α =30 , β =40
o o
α =30 , β =45
Amplitude (cm)

15

10

0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Wind speed (m/s)
Fig. 6. Effect of wind yaw angle (a=301, x=0.14%).

35

30 f = 1.0 Hz
f = 1.7 Hz
25 f = 2.1 Hz
f = 2.6 Hz
Amplitude (cm)

20

15

10

0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Wind speed (m/s)
Fig. 7. Vibration amplitudes of cable model for different natural frequencies (a=301, b=351, x=0.14%).

reading the data shown in the graduated disc fixed at the lower end of the cable
model. The definition of the upper rivulet is schematically shown in Fig. 8, and the
ranges of the vibration angle of the upper rivulet for different inclination angles of
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M. Gu, X. Du / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 93 (2005) 79–95 89

upper rivulet

lower rivulet

Fig. 8. Definition of position of upper rivulet.

the cable model and wind yaw angles are presented in Fig. 9. The results are almost
the same as those reported by Hikami et al.[1].

4. Mitigation of rain–wind-induced vibration

Mitigation efficiency of vibration of the cable model using countermeasures of

twining spiral wires on the cable model’s surface and adding dampers to the cable
model is also experimentally studied. In order to show the mitigation efficiency
clearly, the model is tested under the conditions of 301 inclination angle and 351 wind
yaw angle, under which the cable model has strongest vibration, as mentioned above.
The results are presented below.

4.1. Effect of spiral wire

In the test, double-spiral wires of diameters 0.5, 1, 3 and 7 mm are clockwise and
anti-clockwise twined along the cable model in 30 and 60 cm pitches, respectively, for
the investigation of mitigation efficiency of rain–wind-induced vibration. The
clockwise and anti-clockwise senses of the spirals are marked from the view of the
top of the cable model.
The effect of the diameter of the spiral wire on the mitigation efficiency can be seen
from Fig. 10. In this figure, the vibration amplitudes of the cable model with spiral
wires in a pitch of 30 cm and in clockwise sense are drawn for the different wire
diameters. It is observed in the test that the spiral wires with diameter of 1 mm can
stop the formation of the upper rivulet to some extent, and the vibration amplitude
of the cable model thus becomes much smaller, as indicated in Fig. 10. For the spiral
wires of diameters of 3 and 7 mm, no upper rivulet is observed on the cable model’s
surface, and thus the vibration completely vanishes correspondingly. Unexpectedly,
it is found in the present test that the vibration amplitude of the cable model with
double-spiral wires of diameters 0.5 mm is even larger than that without spiral wires.
In the test, the upper rivulet and its motion around the surface of the cable model
with double-spiral wires of diameters of 0.5 mm can clearly be seen. The spiral wires
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100
α =2 5 ° , β =3 5 °
95
α =3 0 ° , β =3 5 °
α =3 5 ° , β =3 5 °
90
α =4 0 ° , β =3 5 °
α =4 5 ° , β =3 5 °
85

80
θ( )
o

75

70

65

60

55

50
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Wind velocity (m/s)

100
α =30 ° , β =2 5 °
95
α =30 ° , β =3 0 °
α =30 ° , β =3 5 °
90
α =30 ° , β =4 0 °
α =30 ° , β =4 5 °
85

80
θ( )
o

75

70

65

60

55

50
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Wind velocity (m/s)

Fig. 9. Effects of inclination angle and wind yaw angle on position of upper rivulet.

seem too thin to prevent the rivulet from forming. To ensure the reliability of the
unexpected testing result, the cable model of the same parameters and spiral wires is
repeatedly tested under the same testing conditions several times. The results from
the repeated tests are almost the same.
The cable models twined with spiral wires with diameter of 1 mm in clockwise and
anti-clockwise senses are then tested to investigate the effect of twine direction on the
mitigation efficiency of the vibration. The results are presented in Fig. 11. From the
figure it can be seen that for the cable model twined with double-spiral wires in
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24
Without rain, without spiral wires
With rain, without spiral wires
20 ϕ0.5mm@30cm in clockwise
ϕ1 mm@30cm in clockwise

16
Amplitude (cm)

12

0
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Wind speed (m/s)
Fig. 10. Effect of diameter of the spiral wire on mitigation efficiency (a=301, b=351, x=0.14%).

clockwise sense and in a pitch of 30 cm, the vibration amplitude of the cable model is
small, that is to say, the rain–wind-induced vibration of the cable can be mitigated
efficiently. But when the spiral wires are anti-clockwise twined also in a pitch of
30 cm, the upper rivulet can obviously be observed, and the vibration amplitudes are
much larger than that for the clockwise-twined spiral wires. Only when the pitch of
the spiral wires becomes smaller than 15 cm the vibration vanishes. It is obvious that
the twine direction has great effect on the mitigation efficiency of the vibration.
Moreover, the effect of the pitch of the spiral wires on the mitigation efficiency is
also experimentally studied, and some test results are presented in Fig. 12. In the test,
the upper rivulet can still form on the surface of the cable model for the clockwise-
twined spiral wires in a pitch of 60 cm and a vibration of a rather large amplitude
exhibits accordingly. Only when the pitch decreases to 30 cm, no vibration can be
recorded. The result indicates that only a proper pitch of the spiral wires can destroy
the upper rivulet and further suppress the rain–wind-induced vibration of cables.
The above discussions suggest that one should be careful when determining the
diameter, pitch and twine direction of the spiral wire for the suppression of
rain–wind-induced vibration of cables in practical applications.

4.2. Effect of damping of cable

To provide damping to the cable model, thin steel wire rings are attached to the
springs of the cable model system. As the cable model vibrates and the springs
oscillate correspondingly, the wire rings deform and absorb vibration energy of the
cable model and thus provide damping to the cable model system [14]. The cable
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16
Without rain, without spiral wires
14 With rain, without spiral wires
ϕ1mm@30cm in reverse-clockwise
12 ϕ1mm@15cm in reverse-clockwise
ϕ1mm@30cm in clockwise
10
Amplitude (cm)

0
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Wind speed (m/s)
Fig. 11. Effect of twine direction on mitigation efficiency (a=301, b=351, x=0.14%).

14

Without rain, without spiral wires

12 With rain, without spiral wires
1mm@60cm in clockwise
1mm@30cm in clockwise
10
Amplitude (cm)

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Wind speed (m/s)
Fig. 12. Effect of pitch of spiral wires on mitigation efficiency (a=301, b=351, x=0.14%).

model’s damping ratio can be achieved at different levels by changing the diameter of
the ring or the size of steel wires. The values of the damping ratio are measured by
free-decay vibration test technique in the test. It is found that the measured damping
ratios are repeatable even for large vibration amplitudes of the cable model. Besides
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30
ξ = 0.14%
25 ξ = 0.19%
ξ = 0.29%
ξ = 0.33%
20 ξ = 0.50%
Amplitude (cm)

15

10

0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Wind speed (m/s)
Fig. 13. Vibration amplitudes of cable model for different damping levels (a=351, b=351).

the original damping ratio of the cable model, five kinds of damping ratios of the
cable model are achieved in the test, which are 0.19%, 0.29%, 0.33%, 0.50% and
0.6%.
The vibration amplitudes of the cable model for the different damping levels are
shown in Fig. 13. It can be found from the figure that with the increase of the
structural damping ratio the vibration amplitude decreases. Several rounds of
repeated tests show that when the damping ratio of the cable model achieves 0.6%
the vibration of the cable model vanishes completely. However, field measurements
[18] of mitigation of rain–wind-induced vibration of cables of No. 2 Nanjing Bridge
over the Yangtze River, a cable-stayed bridge with a steel box girder and a main span
of 628 m, indicated that some cables with even 0.8% damping ratio of the first mode
could not stop their vibrations completely. The field measurement results are
somewhat inconsistent with the present test ones, which may mainly be due to the
difference between the Scruton numbers of the cable model and its prototype cable.
The relationship between the minimum damping ratio required for suppressing the
rain–wind-induced vibration of real cables and that from wind tunnel tests needs to
be further studied.

5. Concluding remarks

In this paper, the phenomenon of rain–wind-induced vibration of a cable model is

reproduced under conditions of spraying water onto the cable model to simulate
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94 M. Gu, X. Du / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 93 (2005) 79–95

simultaneous actions of wind and rain. Parametric studies on the effects of the main
factors on the rain–wind vibration are performed. Countermeasures of spiral wires
twined on the surface of the cable model and dampers for mitigation of the vibration
are then experimentally investigated. Some conclusions can be made as follows:
(1) The upper rivulet and its motion around the surface of the cable seem to be the
prerequisite for the appearance of rain–wind-induced vibration of the cable
model. The rain–wind-induced vibration of cables exhibits a kind of velocity- and
amplitude-restricted vibration.
(2) The rain–wind-induced vibration is most severe for the inclination angle of 301
and wind yaw angles between 301 and 351.
(3) The vibration amplitude of rain–wind-induced vibration decreases obviously
with the increase in frequency and damping of the cable.
(4) Spiral wire twined on the surface of the cable is effective in mitigating the
rain–wind-induced vibration through carefully selecting the diameter, pitch and
twine direction of the spiral wire.

Acknowledgements

This project is financially supported by China National Science Foundation

(50321003, 50178049) and Foundation for University Key Teacher by the Ministry
of Education of China, to which the writers gratefully appreciate.

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