Dynamic Analysis of Active‐Control, Cable‐Stayed Guideway

The effects of cable‐tension control on guideway deflection of a planar, cable‐stayed support structure for moving vehicles is examined. The structure studied is referred to as double stayed, as it incorporates stay cables both above and below the guideway in a symmetric arrangement. Use of double stay cables allows static guideway alignment to be determined and maintained by cable pretension. A typical guideway section is modeled as a simply supported beam with discrete elastic supports at the cable connections. The supporting pylon is treated as a cantilever beam with concentrated end loads. Fourier analysis and the method of assumed modes are used to solve the coupled equations of motion when the guideway is subjected to a moving constant load. Numerical results show that guideway deflection can be effectively reduced through tension control in the lower stay cables. Modification of lower‐cable tensions in response to external loading has the effect of increasing the load‐carrying ability of the pretension in upper cables.