Vol. 8 No.

1
March 2009

Journal of Chongqing University (English Edition) [ISSN 1671-8224]

Article ID: 1671-8224(2009)01-0050-07

To cite this article: YE Zhi-xiong, LI Li, LONG Xiao-hong. Aeolian vibration control measures for ground wires of Han River long span transmission lines [J]. J Chongqing
Univ: Eng Ed [ISSN 1671-8224], 2009, 8(1): 50-56.

Aeolian vibration control measures for ground wires of Han River

long span transmission lines
YE Zhi-xiong 1,2,, LI Li 1,2, LONG Xiao-hong 1,2
1

School of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, HuaZhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China

Hubei Key Laboratory of Control Structure, HuaZhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
Received 17 June 2008; received in revised form 5 September 2008

Abstract: Long span ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission lines have serious aeolian vibration problems. To control these
vibrations, we improved the energy balance method in the following aspects: the wind power input, the conductor self-damping,
and the damper dissipated power. Meanwhile, we built a theoretical mechanical model of wire dampers and derived energy
dissipation calculation formulae. This permits the vibration energy dissipated by wire dampers can be considered in the energy
balance method. Then, we developed a computer program based on the improved energy balance method using Matlab, and
analyzed UHV long span ground wires of the Han River long span project in P. R. China. The results show that the combination
of wire dampers and Stockbridge dampers can reduce vibration of UHV long span transmission lines, which provides a
reference for research and construction of UHV engineering projects.
Keywords: ultra-high voltage transmission lines; aeolian vibration; energy balance method; Stockbridge dampers; wire
dampers
CLC number: TM752

Document code: A

Introduction a

Researchers have investigated aeolian vibrations of

electrical transmission lines (also called conductors) for
many years. Many researchers have demonstrated that
suitable damping devices can reduce the induced
dynamic bending strain values of the conductors,
thereby protecting conductors from fatigue failure.
Zheng [1] and Ervik et al. [2] used the energy balance
method to analyze aeolian vibrations of an overhead
line. They evaluated the vibration level by finding the
balance between the ambient wind energy input and the
energy dissipated by both the conductor itself (namely
self-damping) and the added dampers. However, the

YE Zhi-xiong (): yesui5685@163.com.

Funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No.
50878093).

50

result of this method has some errors because the wind

energy input and conductor self-damping are uncertain
and the accuracy mostly depends on experimental
precision.
Recently, Diana et al. [3], Lu and Chan [4]
developed a novel approach based on impedance
transfer plus forced vibration to analyze aeolian
vibration of a single conductor with multiple dampers.
However, there is no method for calculating the power
dissipated by wire dampers even though the calculation
theory for Stockbridge dampers is comparatively
mature [5-6]. The installation of wire dampers usually
is based on qualitative analysis and simulation testing.
The electrical demands increased dramatically in P.
R. China as its economy developed rapidly. Therefore,
the State Grid Corporation of China planned and
constructed an ultra-high voltage (UHV) grid. Due to
their cross sections, the height of suspension and span
distance of long span UHV transmission lines increase,
and their vibration conditions become more serious. In

Z. X. Ye, et al.
Aeolian vibration control measures

this paper, we improved the energy balance method,

built a theoretical mechanical model of damper, and
derived energy dissipation calculation formulae. Based
on the improved energy balance method, we then
developed a computer program using Matlab software.
We also analyzed UHV ground wires crossing the Han
River. The results show that the algorithm is very
efficient and it meets the analytical requirement of
UHV transmission lines. Therefore, the combination of
wire dampers and Stockbridge dampers can provide
anti-vibration for UHV long span transmission lines.
Our work serves as a reference for research and
construction of UHV engineering projects.
2

Improvement of the energy balance method

When conductor self-damping alone cannot ensure

the safety of transmission lines, special dampers need
to be mounted. The following energy balance holds for
a given frequency (or mode) over the span:
PW = PC + PD ,

(1)

where PW is the ambient wind power input over the

free span; PC is the power dissipated by the conductor
itself over the free span; and PD is the power dissipated
by the dampers. The Stockbridge damper, the wire
damper and the spacer damper are commonly used
damping devices. PD is the sum of their consumed
energy.
PD = Pd + Pb + Ps ,

(2)

where Pd is the power dissipated by Stockbridge

dampers, Pb by wire dampers, and Ps by spacer
dampers. Obtaining each power is the key step of the
energy balance method. Therefore, we improved this
method in three aspects: the wind power input, the
conductor self-damping and the damper dissipated
power.
2.1 Improvement of the wind power input
The wind power input PW normally is computed
from aerodynamic forces obtained by wind tunnel
experiments which are carried out by measuring the
drag and lift forces on the oscillating cylinders and
flexible rods or cables under uniform laminar crossflow in the wind tunnel (as shown in Ref. [7]). The

power (per unit length) imparted to a conductor by

wind can be expressed by the following empirical
equation [4]:
PW = F (V ) F (

A0 3 4
)f D ,
D

(3)

where V is the velocity of wind; D is the conductor

diameter; A0 is the steady state displacement amplitude;
f is the vibration frequency of conductor; and F and F
represent the functions, respectively.
Terrain and ground objects show significant effects
on reducing the wind power input values as compared
to that in laminar winds. Kraus and Hagedorn [8]
carried out field tests on an actual transmission line,
and compared the results with that of the wind tunnel
data. Then they pointed out that the wind power input
strongly depends on the turbulence level and the
component of the wind velocity parallel to the cable.
Therefore, the wind power input obtained from wind
tunnel experiments should be verified for an actual line
according to terrain categories at the site. Considering
the terrain category, we applied a reduction factor
suggested by the CIGRE (conseil international des
grands rseaux lectriques ) to reduce the wind energy
due to turbulence for the appropriate terrain. This
reduction factor can be expressed as

w =

1
1 + ( IV / I L ) 2

(4)

where w is the wind energy reduction factor due to

turbulence; I L is the lock-in index and is used to
reflect the lock-in effect in aeolian vibration, which
may take the value of 0.09; IV is the turbulence
intensity of the wind and

IV = V / Vm ,

(5)

in which V is the standard deviation of wind speed;

and Vm is the mean wind speed.
The turbulence intensity can be determined by the
statistics of local wind. However, this information is
lacking. Then an empirical equation in Ref. [2] may be
used to estimate the value.
2.2 Improvement of conductor self-damping
When a conductor flexes, its strands slip against
each other. This relative motion generates frictional

J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2009, 8(1): 50-56

51

Z. X. Ye, et al.
Aeolian vibration control measures

forces which provide damping. In addition, internal

losses are incurred within the core and individual
strands of the conductor at the microscopic level,
which is known as the material damping. The
combination of these dissipative effects is referred to as
conductor self-damping, which depends on material
composition, manufacturing technology, actual
tensions, ambient temperature, vibration frequency and
amplitude, and other factors. Conductor self-damping
thus is determined mainly by experimental
measurement. It is usually approximated in the
following form:
PC = Kf (

y0
) ,
D

(6)

where y0 is the amplitude of vibration; K, and are

coefficients determined experimentally.
At the preliminary design stage, if no cable sample is
available and the cable type has not yet been measured,
some hypotheses are required. It would be convenient
to have available rules that predict internal losses of
cables. Noiseux [9] derived the earliest calculation laws
of internal damping of stranded cables based on the
basic cable differential equation. Lu [4] suggested a
semi-empirical equation for calculating conductors
self-damping as:
PC = 1.07 106 Eeq k D kS K 0 L

D 4.5 f 6 + A2.5
,
Vc 5

(7)

where A is the displacement amplitude; L is the length

of a conductor; kS is the reduction factor on the
maximum conductor bending stiffness and kS = 0.5 ;
kD is an empirical factor, and kD = 0.54 for an
aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR)
conductor, while kD = 0.65 for a stranded steel
conductor; Vc is conductors wave velocity, which is
related to the conductors catenary constant C, and
Vc = Cg , in which g is the gravity constant; Eeq is
the equivalent Youngs modulus of the conductor; K 0
is a constant for conductors, which can be determined
by test.
By curve fitting the Kinectrics data, the following
results were obtained [10].
1) For an all-aluminum conductor (AAC) Arbutus
conductor:

K0 = 0.003 5 and = 0.433 2;

52

2) For an ACSR Drake conductor:

K0 = 0.004 2 and = 0.425 6.

We modified the semi-empirical equation theoretical
calculations referring to the test results of Xu and
Wang [11] and realized the improvement of conductor
self-damping. Certainly, experiment tests might be
necessary to obtain the exact self-damping values of
some types of wire.

2.3 Improvement of power dissipated by dampers

We applied an improved calculation method [12] to
optimize the damper location. First, the probable
distribution of transmission line vibration frequencies
were obtained according to the frequency distribution
of the wind speed. Then the weighted amplitude ratio
was calculated to determine the optimal installation
position of dampers on aerial conductors. This method
can take into consideration the dangerous vibration
frequency range and the occurrence probability of each
vibration frequency. Finally, an advanced formula [13]
was used to calculate the power characteristics of
damper, which can take into account the damper
installation position and the conductor bending
stiffness and tension.
When dampers are fixed on overhead transmission
lines, the characteristics of the coupled vibration of
dampers and transmission lines create a complicated
problem involving a structure-flow interaction. There is
a significant error if we do not consider the distortion
due to the dampers when we study the response of
transmission lines. Therefore, finding the ratio of the
amplitude at the dampers clamp to that at the free span
is necessary.
We found different approaches in the literature
solving for the amplitude ratios. For example, Li et al.
[14] indicated that the finite element method can
analyze the dynamic characteristics of conductordamper coupling systems and account for damper
position, a conductors bending stiffness, the rotational
effect of dampers, and the possible support flexibility
at the end of a conductor span. We used this approach
to carry out modal analysis of the coupling system and
find the amplitude ratios for each vibration mode.
3

Calculation of power dissipated by wire

dampers
Wire

dampers

are

J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2009, 8(1): 50-56

very

complex

vibration

Z. X. Ye, et al.
Aeolian vibration control measures

elimination systems. There is no complete systematic

method for designing and calculating the power they
dissipated. Therefore, their installation is usually based
on qualitative analysis and simulation testing. Wire
dampers (Bretelles) consist of a length of conductor
which is similar to the main conductor in the span.
They are mounted under the main conductor and
attached by a type of parallel groove clamp. Three- and
four-loop dampers of one piece construction (festoons)
mount around the attachment clamps reaching out into
the span. The energy dissipation mechanism of wire
dampers is similar to the combinations of many
Stockbridge dampers. Festoons of varying lengths have
a damping action for different vibration frequencies.
They take many forms, such as the modified Bate
damper, the cross wire damper, the Christmas tree
formed damper, and so on.
Wang [5] pointed that wire dampers combined
with Stockbridge dampers are reasonable and suitable
for the vibration damping of long span transmission
lines. This anti-vibration measure has been applied in
more than 20 long span projects in P. R. China.
Laboratory testing, the field vibration measurement,
and running state detection all have shown that it is
effective and practical. Therefore, we mainly studied
this measure in the paper.

3.1 Mechanical model of wire damper

We assumed that two ends of a wire damper are
rigidly fixed on an overhead conductor. The average
wire pressure is T; the mass per unit length of wire is m;
the wire bending stiffness is EI; and the wire damping
ratio is . Suppose the vertical displacement of wire
dampers is y, the governing equation for the free
motion of a wire damper then can be deduced as
EI

4 y
2 y
2 y
y

+
+
=0,
T
m
4
2
2
t
x
x
t

(8)

c =

n T n EI
1 + 2

,
L2 m
L T 2m
2

y ( x, t ) = e

(9)

where n is a natural number. Each main vibration shape

2m

( A cos c t + B sin c t ) sin

n
x,
L

(10)

where A and B are constants.

Suppose the connection points of a wire damper are
x1 and x2 respectively. According to the conditions for
matching displacement, velocity and acceleration of the
two points, the ratio of the amplitude of wire damper
( Ab ) to that of free span conductor ( Ac ) is obtained.
n ( x2 x1 )

nx2
nx1
sin
cos
2
sin
Ab
Lc
Lb
Lc
=

n
x
x
A
(
)
2
1
c
sin

L
b

nx1
sin
,
Lc

(11)

where Lc is the length of conductor; Lb is the full arc

length of wire damper.
3.2 Power dissipation calculation formulae for wire
dampers
When a wire damper vibrates due to external forces
(such as aeolian excitation), the vibration equation may
be approximated as:
EI

4 y
2 y
2 y
y
T 2 + m 2 +
= F ( x, t ) ,
4
t
x
x
t

(12)

where F represents the dynamic force acting on the

wire damper due to vortex shedding. Multiplying Eq.
y
(12) by
and integrating it over one cycle and over
t
one span length leads to
L

where x is the abscissa and represents the length from

the damper location to the supporting clamp; and t is
the time. Solving Eq. (8), the natural vibration
frequencies of wire dampers c can be obtained:
2

is

4 y
2 y
2 y
y y
EI 4 T 2 + m 2 + d t d x =

t0
t t

x
x
t

L t0 +
y
(13)
0 t0 [ F ( x, t )] t d t d x .

t0 +

The left side of Eq. (13) corresponds to the energy

dissipated by the wire damper over one cycle and over
the span length. The right side of Eq. (13) refers to the
energy imparted to the wire damper span by external
forces over one cycle. Thus the power dissipated by the
wire damper can be found by the left-hand side of Eq.

J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2009, 8(1): 50-56

53

Z. X. Ye, et al.
Aeolian vibration control measures

(13) after incorporating Eq. (10) into Eq. (13).

Pb = 16 5 EI c 4 A2 fLb + cc3 A2 m

EI
,
T

(14)

where is the vibration wavelength; and c is the

material damping ratio of wire damper.
Generally, after a suspended wire damper is
subjected to its own weight, its assumes a catenary
configuration. The curve equation can be written as
y = C cosh( x / C ) . Assuming the span length of wire
damper is Ld and the sag of wire damper is S, the full
arc length of wire damper can be approximated by
Lb = L d +

8S 2
.
3Ld

The material damping ratio of conductor can be

empirically expressed as follows.
Free span:
0.5

f 2A k D
c = K 0 f (2) 2 2 D 106 ,
2
Vc

and span terminal

per unit length is 1.595 5 kg m1, and the average

running tension is 48 945.8 N.
In the project, we chose the wind power curve of
Diana and Falco to compute the wind energy. Taking
into consideration the effect of wind turbulence
intensity, we theoretically calculated the value of
ground wire self-damping and advanced it by referring
to test results of other types. Based on the improved
energy balance method, we developed a computer
program using Matlab software. Then we computed the
deflection and bending strain in a conductor without a
damper. According to the standard of danger vibration
[15], when the bending strain () exceeds 200 106, it
is dangerous for aluminum steel-covered strands
JLB20B-240. Therefore, the dangerous vibration
frequency range is from 7.4 Hz to 62.9 Hz. According
to the calculation method in Ref. [12], we can
determine the maximum vibration proof efficiency (M)
at the location of the corresponding x (Fig. 1).
It can be seen from the Fig. 1 that the best location
of FR4 dampers (one type of Stockbridge dampers) are
1.01 m, 2.34 m and 3.70 m away from the supporting
clamp when the key protection frequency range is from
6 Hz to 65 Hz. The results of analysis after dampers
were mounted in these positions are shown in Fig. 2.

0.5

m kD D
c = K 0 f 2fA
106 .
EI 2

The energy dissipation calculation formula for wire

damper then can be expressed as:
Pb = 1.07 106 Eeq kD kS K 0 Lb

D 4.5 f 6 + A2.5
+
Vc 5

8.7 104 Eeq 0.25 kD K 0 m0.75

D1.5 f 3.5+ A2.5

,
Vc

(15)

in which Vc = Tg .
4

Anti-vibration design of ground wires

We mainly introduced the anti-vibration measure

design for ground wires because the aeolian vibration
of ground wires generally is more severe. We took the
Han River long span project as an example. The Han
River long span transmission lines of the 1 000 kV
Jindongnan-Nanyang-Jingmen UHV AC transmission
project are 1 650 meters long. The type of ground wire
is JLB20B-240 and its diameter is 0.020 m. The mass

54

Fig. 1 Maximum vibration proof efficiency (M) with its

corresponding length from the location of damper to the
supporting clamp (x) after installing FR4 type dampers

The aeolian vibration of the Han River UHV long

span project ground wires is severe (Fig. 2). The
dangerous frequency range is 8 Hz to 64 Hz, which is
wide. Three Stockbridge dampers are needed at each
end. Fig. 2 shows that Stockbridge dampers of two FR3

J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2009, 8(1): 50-56

Z. X. Ye, et al.
Aeolian vibration control measures

type plus four FR4 type in the span achieve better

vibration reduction than 6 FR4 ones. Therefore,
combined use of Stockbridge dampers with different
power characteristics better suppresses aeolian
vibrations. However, exceeds 200 106 when
vibration frequencies are between 45 Hz and 52 Hz.
Test calculations indicate that additional Stockbridge
dampers have no obvious effect. Therefore, we chose
to use Stockbridge dampers combined with wire
dampers.

computing and optimizing structural forms of wire

dampers, wire dampers are eventually designed as
combinations of a 4.0 m single festoon wire damper, a
3.0 m one, a 2.0 m one, and two 0.8 m ones in the span
(5 festoons in total). The nearest mounting point is
0.3 m away from the supporting clamps of the
conductor. Fig. 3 shows the mounting configuration
and Fig. 4 shows the analysis results.

Fig. 3 Installation scheme of dampers and FR dampers

Fig. 2 Bending strain () of the ground wires with and

without dampers

Suppose wire dampers using the same material as

the ground wire, the cable sag is 1/10 to 1/5 times its
full length. Referring to Eq. (9), the expression for
natural frequencies of a wire damper ( n ) can be
simplified as:

n =

n T n 2 2 EI
1 + 2
.
L m
LT

(16)

Inserting each parameter into (16) gives:

2

n =

n T n 2 2 EI
n
1 + 2
= 26.92 .
L m
LT
L

(17)

The minimum resonant frequency for a 4.0 m single

festoon wire damper is approximately 3 Hz, about
42 Hz for a 1.0 m one, and roughly 66 Hz for a 0.8 m
one.
Considering the deficiency of energy consumption in
high frequency of Stockbridge dampers, we arranged 2
to 3 0.8 meter-long festoons wire dampers. After

Fig. 4 Bending strain () with combination anti-vibration

measures

It can be seen from Fig. 4 that wire dampers

combined with Stockbridge dampers can respond to
most of the frequencies experienced over the range of
wind speeds causing vibration, and can keep the
bending strain under the required standard. Short
festoon wire dampers have very good energy
dissipation capacity at high frequencies. If they are
decreased in weight by layer-stripping, a broader range
of frequencies possibly could be suppressed. The
results show that this damping device can satisfy the
vibration prevention requirements of UHV long span
transmission lines. Nevertheless, the accuracy of
numerical calculation results mainly depends on
parameters of wind input power and conductor selfdamping, which need the confirmation of field testing.

J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2009, 8(1): 50-56

55

Z. X. Ye, et al.
Aeolian vibration control measures

Conclusions

1) An improved energy balance method can account

for the effect of terrain and ground objects, support
boundary conditions at the span end of conductors,
average running tension of the conductor, and the
damper position. Therefore, the method is applicable in
aeolian vibration suppression design and calculation.
2) The derived energy dissipation calculation
formulae of wire dampers are effective theoretically
and practically.
3) The results of numerical calculation show that
wire dampers combined with Stockbridge dampers are
effective at suppressing aeolian vibrations. This
damping device can satisfy the vibration prevention
requirements of UHV long span transmission lines,
which can be used for the vibration damping of long
span transmission lines.
4) Theoretical results must be checked and verified
by field testing because of the particularity and
importance of UHV. Vibration model testing and field
vibration measurement absolutely are necessary for
construction. It is possible to design transmission lines
with more operational safety using these methods.

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

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Edited by XUE Jing-yuan

56

J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2009, 8(1): 50-56