Estimation of cable tension force using the frequency-based system identification method

Abstract

This work proposes a new technique to estimate cable tension force from measured natural frequencies. The proposed method is able to simultaneously identify tension force, flexural rigidity, and axial rigidity of a cable system. Firstly, a finite element model that can consider both sag-extensibility and flexural rigidity is constructed for a target cable system. Next, a frequency-based sensitivity-updating algorithm is applied to identify the model. The proposed approach is applicable to a wide range of a cable system that is beyond the applicable limits of the existing methods. From the experimental works, it is seen that the tension force is determined with an accuracy of 3% by the proposed approach. Furthermore, it is observed that the flexural rigidity of cable with high bending stiffness is proportional to the applied tension force.