Search for: All records

While analyses have been performed for fixed masses on power line conductors, they have not been in the context of interactions between the conductor and a mobile damping robot (MDR). There is a need to explore the potential impact of the MDR on the power line and the resulting implications for the MDR’s development as current methods of vibration control do not adequately address fatigue failure caused by wind-induced vibrations (WIV). Fixed passive vibration absorbers (FPVAs) are widely used on power lines, but they are inherently limited by their fixed nature since changes in wind conditions affect absorber performance as conductor mode shapes change. An MDR can overcome these limitations by actively transporting a passive absorber to conductor antinodes where the absorbers can most effectively remove energy from the system. In this paper, we experimentally investigate the effects of an untuned suspended mass on the conductor as an analog for the MDR, and we perform numerical analysis in MATLAB using equations of motion obtained via Hamilton’s Principle. The insights gained from this work lay a foundation to guide future experiments that will better define the operating conditions of the MDR and lead to the creation of an appropriate control framework.