Analysis of harmonic vibration of cable-stayed footbridge under the influence of changes of the cables tension

The paper presents numerical analysis of harmonically excited vibration of a cable-stayed footbridge caused by a load function simulating crouching (squats) while changing the static tension in chosen cables. The intentional synchronized motion (e.g., squats) of a single person or group of persons on the footbridge with a frequency close to the natural frequency of the structure may lead to the resonant vibrations with large amplitudes. The appropriate tension changes in some cables cause detuning of resonance on account of stiffness changes of structures and hence detuning in the natural frequency that is close to the excitation frequency. The research was carried out on a 3D computer model of a real structure – a cable-stayed steel footbridge in Leśnica, a quarter of Wrocław, Poland, with the help of standard computer software based on FEM COSMOS/M System.