Curvature effect on the in-plane vibrations of arbitrarily sagged cables

investigated by homotopy analysis method

Achref Mansoura , Othman Ben Mekkia , Sami Montassara

a
Université de Tunis El Manar, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, LGC, BP 37, Le Belvédère, 1002, Tunis,
Tunisia

Abstract

Considering the catenary theory, the curvature effect on the linear free vibrations of arbitrarily sagged
and inclined cables is investigated analytically using the Homotopy Analysis Method. Plausible
regions specific to the action of the curvature on both static and dynamic behaviours are highlighted
and defined by mean of the non dimensional parameters governing the motions of cables. The
validity of the proposed model is tested, and the analytical results are compared to numerical ones
in order to verify the accuracy of the HAM based solution.
Keywords: cable, catenary, linear vibrations, curvature, homotopy.

1. Introduction

Problems related to the cable vibrations have been the subject of several papers. This is not
surprising since the cable dynamics are encountered in many engineering applications. The study of
such field experienced a great theoretical and practical development from the late 1970’s until now.
Indeed, taking into account a quasi-static stretching of small sag horizontal cables, a first condensed
model dealing with linear free vibrations was proposed by Irvine and Caughey [1]. Considering
previous assumptions, the dynamic motion was found to be strongly dependent only on one elasto-
geometric parameter denoted λ. Extending the horizontal cables results, a modified solution specific
to inclined shallow cables was proposed by Irvine [2]. The failure of such extension was demon-
strated by the asymptotic solution established by Triantafyllou indicating that the properties of the
inclined cables are totally different from horizontal ones [3]. However, the remarkable dependency
of parabolic horizontal cables on the Irvine parameter λ have been also observed in case of inclined
cables. On the other hand, numerous works were devoted to the investigation of linear vibrations in
case of non shallow cables. In order to, the cable is supposed to oscillate around an initial catenary
profile instead of the linearised parabolic one. While a cubic approximation of the catenary solution
was used by Wu [4] and Zhou [5] to determine the frequencies of small sagged inclined cables, the

Preprint submitted to Journal of Sound and Vibration April 15, 2022

real catenary geometry was introduced by Lacarbonara [6] and both the modal shapes and the vi-
bration frequencies were obtained analytically in case of horizontal cables. In addition, the difference
between the elastogeometric parameters governing the dynamic motion of shallow and non shallow
cables was highlighted in [6] : contrary to the small sag ones, the linear vibrations of deep sag cables
depend on both geometric flexibility and elastic stiffness relative to the geometric stiffness. On the
other hand, a more general model offering an analytical solution addressed to arbitrarily sagged an
inclined cables was developed by Mansour et al. in [7] according to the catenary approach.

Actually, the major attention of research is dedicated to non linear cable dynamics. Finite ampli-
tude vibrations of arbitrarily sagged (parabolic/catenary) cables are investigated under the action
of different conditions like planar and non planar excitations, internal, external or even paramet-
ric resonances. A wide variety of theoretical models based on semi-analytical or purely numerical
treatments have been used to solve the problem. As a matter of fact, as much as the geometric
non linearities caused by the catenary initial profile and/or the quadratic and cubic non linearities
specific to the dynamic configuration generate an extremely rich dynamic response with non linear
interesting phenomena, they make the mathematical problem so complex to solve that it becomes
necessary to use semi analytical or purely numerical procedures. The perturbation technique was
applied by Rega [8, 9] and Zhao [10] to determine the oscillations of horizontal and inclined parabolic
cables. In addition, using the same earlier method, Srinil and Rega studied from one side the non
linear longitudinal and transversal coupling in highly extensible cables [11] and from the other side
the multi-modal dynamics of horizontal/inclined cables when considering internal resonances [12].

Still, despite the great advances in the exploration of different aspects related to the linear and
non linear cable dynamics, the cable’s curvature effect has not been analytically investigated in both
theoretical and experimental studies. In fact, only numerical or mixed treatments have been used
to introduce such effect especially in the case of transmission lines, ocean cable structures [13] or
cables vibrating in a viscous fluid [14]. Furthermore, it should be noted that all proposed models
considering such effect . Therefore, it may be remarked the absence of an analytical model offering
a meaningful solution at least to the free linear undamped problem of curved cables vibrating in
vacuum. Accordingly, the main purpose of the present paper is the development of an analytical
solution using the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM).

2
Inspired from the topology and introduced first by Liao [15], the HAM is increasingly used in many
types of non linear problems in engineering problems [16, 17, 18] and theoretical studies [19, 20] in
the last years. The success of such method returns to the simplicity of its formulation involving
the reduction of the difficulty of the non linear problem after modifying it into a linear differential
system easy to solve systematically. It is well known that the perturbation [21] and non-perturbation
techniques provide such benefit, however under the bookkeeping parameter assumption. The main
favour of the HAM lies in its independence of this last hypothesis: in fact, the adjustment and the
control of the convergence areas specific to the proposed solution is endorsed by an auxiliary param-
eter obtained analytically and known as the convergence-control parameter [22]. However, despite
the advantages mentioned previously besides the need of a model providing an analytical solution
to the difficult non linear differential equations encountered in linear and non linear dynamics of
cable structures, a literature review reveals a very little interest on the application of the HAM on
the analysis of the cables oscillations: as a matter of fact, Zhao may be considered among the few
who addressed a serious interest in the application of such approach to investigate the non linear
in-plane free vibrations of suspended cables [23].

In view of previous observations, we attempt to provide an analytical model based on the HAM
and related to the linear in-plane free oscillations of curved cables. Hence, both mathematical and
engineering interests are carried out in the present work by coupling the effectiveness of the homotopy
approach to the exploration of modal properties of arbitrarily sagged cables vibrating in vacuum.
The first part of the paper presents the differential equations governing the in-plane dynamic mo-
tion of catenary curved cables. The second part is dedicated from one side to the introduction of
the HAM in order to develop an analytical model specific to the oscillations of curved cables. The
effect of cable’s curvature on the initial profile around which the vibrations take place is discussed
in the third part in terms of non dimensional cable parameters. In the following section, the validity
of the HAM based solution is tested and the influence of incurvation on the modal properties is
highlighted through a comparison between the linear dynamics of both considered classes of ca-
bles. Moreover, the limits of the proposed model are investigated in the same part through another
comparison between results obtained from the analytic solution and those found numerically (resp.
semi-analytically) in [24] (resp. in [14]). Finally, concluding remarks and some directions for further
research are drawn.

3
2. Dynamic equations of arbitrarily sagged curved cables

2.1. Formulation of the problem

Characterized by a specific weight γc , a non deformable cross-section denoted by Ac and a linearly

elastic material defined by a Young elastic modulus Ec , a cable displayed in figure 1 and hanged
between two fixed supports A and B situated at different level is considered to have negligible shear
and flexural rigidity. As it is shown in the figure cited above, a planar Cartesian frame (A, X, Y ) is
attached to the cable having an angle α with respect to its horizontal projection characterized by
an initial length l. The strained static profile is determined through the variation of the curvilinear
abscissa s along the total arc-length Lc , with s = 0 at A.

A
N
α X
s
xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
x
xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx mcg
xxxxxxxx
β
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
y
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
ds B
N+dN Y T
dX
v u
L
dY
ds

Figure 1: Static equilibrium configuration of a suspended cable

The initial catenary geometry of the cable can be described according to both coordinate systems
previously mentioned. As it is mentioned in the introductory part of the present paper, accurate
analytical solution based on the catenary approach formulated with respect to the local Cartesian
variable x of the cable’s chord may be found in [7]. However, the determination of the real catenary
geometry with respect to the curvilinear abscissa s may be more convenient in order to take into
account the cable’s curvature.
Hence, the initial profile of curved cables is described by the following expression:
s  2
Y (s, τ ) 1 s
=− 1 + sinh (C1 ) − Rc τ + C2 (1)
Lc Rc τ Lc

4
with :   p 
 C (τ ) = ln C + C 2 + eτ


 1






τ eτ



 C(τ ) = tan α
eτ − 1




(2)
1




 C2 (τ ) = cosh C1
τ









 Rc = Lc = [sinh (C1 ) − sinh (C1 − τ )]



L τ
where:

• Rc a dimensionless parameter expressing the cable’s extensibility as a measure of the ratio

between the cable lengths measured with respect to both curvilinear and local Cartesian co-
ordinates;

• τ a dimensionless ratio between the cable’s weight and its initial tension:

γc Ac l γc Ac L
τ= = (3)
H T

T = H/ cos α being the equivalent along-the-chord tension, η = T /Ec Ac the dimensionless thrust
and L = l/ cos α the chord length.
Around the last static configuration, the dynamic equilibrium is established according to the follow-
ing assumptions specific to the linear theory of vibrations:

• Both in plane and out of plane components of cable vibrations are totally decoupled ;

• Longitudinal dynamics are characterized by small inertia and high frequencies in opposition
to the transverse ones.

Taking into account the small contribution of longitudinal component in the in plane vibration and
considering the high dependency of such oscillations on the nonshallowness caused by initial catenary
profile, the dynamic problem becomes then restricted on the determination of the eigenfunctions and
eigenvalues representing respectively the modal shapes and the frequencies of the transverse motion.
Hence, the dynamic equilibrium defined with respect to the local abscissa s as follows:

∂ 2 v(s, t) 2
Dd Y ∂ 2 v(s, t)
H + H s = m c (4)
∂s2 ds2 ∂t2

5
where

• v the transversal additional dynamic displacement of the cable ;

• HsD the horizontal projection of the additional dynamic tension expressed with respect to local
curvilinear abscissa as follows:
HsD = cos β(s)Ec Ac ǫD
s (5)

where:

– β the angle between the X-axis and the strained static profile spanned by the curvilinear
coordinate s;

– ǫD
s is the additional dynamic strain specific to curved cables.

and:
dX


 cos β (s) =



 ds

 2 (6)
1 dY ∂v dX dY ∂v


D
 ǫs = =


2

1 + dY ds ∂s ds ds ∂s


ds

The horizontal component of the dynamic tension is consequently given by:

 3
ds dY ∂v
HsD = Ec Ac (7)
dX ds ∂s

Hence, equation (4) is reformulated as follows:

∂ 2 v(s, t) 2
Hd Y mc ∂ 2 v(s, t)
+ R s = (8)
∂s2 ds2 H ∂t2

where RsH denotes a non-dimensional ratio between static and dynamic additional tensions related
to curved cables and expressed as follows :

HsD 1 Lc
d2 Y
Z
RsH = = v(s, t)ds (9)
H lηχ∗ 0 ds2

and χ∗ is a non-dimensional ratio between the horizontal projection of the cable’s chord length l
and the cable length L∗e (see the Appendix):

Z l 4
ds
L∗e = dX (10)
0 dX

6
The transverse deflection can be approximate using a finite modal superposition of the form:

N
X
v(s, t) = eiωk,s t ϕk (s) (11)
k=1

where :

• ωk,s is the cable natural circular frequency of the kth mode of vibration obtained using curved
catenary model;

• ϕk (s) is a set of modal shape functions, assumed to verify the geometric boundary conditions.

Thus, the system (8) read:

2
∂ 2 ϕk (s) d2 Y

Ωk,s H
+ ϕk (s) + Rk,s =0 ∀k ∈ N∗ (12)
∂s2 Lc ds2

where :

H is the k th spatial component of the non dimensional ratios RH defined as follows :

• Rk,s s

1 Lc
d2 Y
Z
H
Rk,s = ∗ ϕ(s)ds (13)
Le η 0 ds2

• Ωk,s is the dimensionless frequencies of the kth mode of the cable vibrations determined in
terms of the curvilinear abscissa s and given by:
r
mc
Ωk,s = Lc ωk,s (14)
H

In the following, a curved catenary model is proposed as an analytical solution of equation (12).
Accordingly, the curvature’s effect on the modal properties will be discussed according to the ob-
tained results. Furthermore, a comparison will be held with the catenary-based model developed
in [7] with respect to the chord’s local abscissa in order to highlight the difference between both
formulations. It should be noted that the parameters resulting from the study presented in [7] will
be indexed by the local Cartesian variable x.

7
3. Analytical solution to the dynamic problem

The homogeneous solution of the differential equation (12) can be directly found and written as
below :    
s s
ϕhk (s) = Ak sin Ωk,s + Bk cos Ωk,s (15)
Lc Lc

However, the particular solution ϕpk (s) can not be determined using classic methods such as constant
variation or second term identification since it represents a non classic one expressed as follows :

"  #− 3
d2 Y s 2 2

Rc τ
=− 1 + sinh (C1 ) − Rc τ (16)
ds2 Lc Lc

In order to solve this problem, the differential equation (Ep ) related to the particular solution ϕpk (s)
and formulated herein :
∂ 2 ϕpk (s)
2
d2 Y

Ωk,s
+ ϕpk (s) + Rk,s
H
=0 (17)
∂s2 Lc ds2

is solved using the HAM [22] according to which the resolution of (Ep ) is reduced to a procedure of
solving a system of linear differential equations as below :

h i
(Ep ) ⇔ Ep′ : (1 − q) L ϕ̃pk (s, q) − ϕpk,0 (s) = c0 qN ϕ̃pk (s, q) ; q ∈ [0, 1]

 
(18)

where :

• ϕ̃pk (s, q) is the approximate solution of the unknown kth particular shape modal function ϕpk (s)
expressed in term of the initial problem variable s and the homotopy variable q and given by:

∞
X
ϕ̃pk (s, q) = q j ϕpk,j (s) (19)
j=0

with:
∞
X
ϕpk (s) = ϕpk,j (s) (20)
j=0

• L and N are the two functional operators defined as follows:

Ωk,s 2 p
  
p
L(ϕk (s)) = ϕk (s)


Lc




(21)
Ωk,s 2 p

∂ 2 ϕpk 2
 
H d Y


 p
 N (ϕk (s)) =
 + ϕk (s) + R k,s
∂s2 Lc ds2

8


• q is the homotopy main variable ensuring smooth passages between equations (Ep ) and Ep′ :
In fact, when q is equal to 0, a system constituted of a second order homogeneous differential
equation have to be solved for each term of the series solution ϕk,j . Once q reaches 1, the
solution obtained satisfies the real non-linear equation (Ep ).

• c0 is the convergence criterion satisfying the following formula:

+∞
X
ϕ̃pk,j (s, q, c0 ) = 0 (22)
k=M +1

where M is the truncation order of the series defining the approximate solution ϕ̃pk .

After performing the calculations indicated in the Appendix, the particular solution obtained is
expressed as:
M j−1
!i+1
X X c0 L2c
ϕpk (s) H
= −Rk,s (c0 + 1) j i
Cj−1 f (2i) (s) (23)
j=1 i=0
Ω2k,s (c0 + 1)

where :
d2 Y


 f (s) = −
ds2





# " (24)

 −Ω2k,s −Ω2k,s
c ∈ , 0 ⇒ c =

 0 0

L2c + Ω2k,s
  
2 Ω2k,s + L2c


Satisfying boundaries conditions, the shape function governing the kth mode of cable’s vibration is
expressed as follows :

ϕpk (0) cos (Ωk,s ) − ϕpk (Lc )

   
s s
ϕk (s) = ϕhk (s) + ϕpk (s) = sin Ωk,s p
− ϕk (0) cos Ωk,s + ϕpk (s)
sin (Ωk,s ) Lc Lc
(25)
In order to determine the non-dimensional frequencies Ωk,s, the spatial term related to the di-
H is expressed in terms of the modal shape function ϕ (s) expressed above in
mensionless ratio Rk,s k

equation (25). Thus, the dimensionless eigenvalues Ωk,s are obtained as solutions of the following

9
transcendental equation :
 
X j−1
M X j−1
M X
X
f (2i) (0)g1 (Ωk,s) g3 (Ωk,s) cos (Ωk,sRc ) − f (2i) (Lc )
j=1 i=0 j=1 i=0


j−1
 (26)
M X
X 8τ
− sin (Ωk,sRc ) g1 (Ωk,s ) g2 (Ωk,s) f (2i) (0) + L∗e η + I2 g1 (Ωk,s) = 0
l
j=1 i=0

where :
 
Rc τ tanh (C1 ) (3 sinh (C1 ) + 2)


 I2 = 3 arctan +



 1 + sinh (C1 ) sinh (C1 − τ ) cosh (C1 )





tanh (C1 − τ ) (3 sinh (C1 − τ ) + 2)


−






 cosh (C1 − τ )





 !i+1
M j−1
c0 L2c

sinh (C1 − τ )

 X X
 g1 (Ωk,s ) = j i
(c0 + 1) Cj−1 ; R=

2
Ωk,s (c0 + 1) τ
 j=1 i=0





 h   i
 τ cos Ωk,s + 2

   
Ωk,s sinh C1 4R + 1

 4
 g2 (Ωk,s ) = (tanh C1 − tanh (C1 − τ )) cos

 + cos
6 cosh3 (C1 − τ )



 τ 4Ωk,s





 h   i

   τ cos Ωk,s + 2  
Ωk,s sinh C1 4R + 1

 4
 g3 (Ωk,s ) = (tanh C1 − tanh (C1 − τ )) sin + sin


τ 6 cosh3 (C1 − τ ) 4Ωk,s
(27)

4. Mechanical and geometrical cable parameters

The cable modal shapes and its vibration frequencies determined with respect to curved catenary
static deflections developed earlier, depend from one side on mechanical dimensionless ratios (τ, η)
and from the other side on geometrical ones such as χ and Rc . In order to determine the main
difference between the proposed model and the one presented in [7], the curvature effect must be
highlighted. However, the cable’s curvature expressed via non-dimensional parameter Rc depends
only two parameters: τ and the cable’s inclination α. Since the interest in the present work is in
exploring the curvature influence in case of non shallow inclined cables (0 ≤ α < π/2) and specifying
the limits of the classic catenary approach defined around the cable chord’s static profile and, it

10
seems necessary to define pertinent ranges of variation of the mechanical parameter τ . Accordingly,
a comparison between sag-to-span ratios calculated with respect to both Cartesian and curvilinear
abscissa is performed and plotted in figure 2.

80 1 1.35 1.3 1.2

5

2
1.
5
1.2
70

1.1
1.3
15
1.

5
5
1

1.1 1.2
60
5

1
1.
1.0
1

1.2

50 1
1.
2
15
1.
α(°)

40
1.1

1.
1 05
1.
1.15

30
1.05

1.1
20 5
1.0

10 1.05

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
τ

Figure 2: Ratio between cable sags determined according to both Cartesian and curvilinear abscissa dx /ds versus
dimensionless parameter τ and cable’s inclination α

The curvature effect on the cable’s static configuration is variable along four zones defined by the
inclination angle α as reported in Table 1 and described as follows:

• First region is specific to horizontal cables where same static profiles are obtained according
to both Cartesian [7] and curvilinear formulation (dx = ds ) independently of non-dimensional
ratio τ : the cable’s curvature acts in the same way for taut and loose cables as long as
horizontality is verified.

• The remaining areas characterize the inclined cables manifesting variable curvature for different
ranges of mechanical balance between the cable’s static tension and its total weight:

– Initially, the eventual difference between Lc and L does not affect the geometry of taut
cables (τ < 1) with moderate inclinations (α ≤ π/4). However, the curvature can not
be neglected any more in case of heavy cables. In fact, the sag of a curved cable be-
comes progressively important compared to its analogue obtained by setting Lc = L. In
particular, a difference of 2% is detected when (τ = 1).

11
 α τ dx /ds
 −3 
0 10 , 10 1

]0, π/4] <1 1

≥1 > 1.02

]π/4, π/3] < 1.5 1

≥ 1.5 > 1.02

> π/3 < 2.5 1

≥ 2.5 > 1.02

Table 1: Variation of sag-to-span ratios obtained according to both Cartesian (dx ) and curvilinear (ds ) abscissa with
angle inclination α and dimensionless mechanical parameter τ

– A second zone defining first case of highly inclined cables is bounded between α = π/4
and α = π/3. Same conclusions as previous case can be made. Still, the catenary geom-
etry defined with respect to Cartesian variable x may be adopted for a larger range of
cables involving loose ones (τ ∈ [1, 1.5]). Indeed, the ratio dx /ds rises up 2% only when
τ ≥ 1.5. In opposition to previous cases where the curvature effect depends mainly on
the initial mechanical state of the cable, high values of inclinations requires higher ra-
tios between initial tension and total weight so that the curvature may affect the cable’s
static configuration. Hence, the influence of mechanical parameter τ on cable’s curvature
is reduced when the cable is highly inclined (α > π/4).

– Extremely inclined cables α > π/3 demonstrates same prior phenomenon in a third region
but with greater shift characterizing dimensionless parameter τ : the modification of
initial equilibrium profile under the effect of cable curvature is observed only when τ ≥ 2.5.
The influence of cable’s inclination is enhanced in such area shifting mechanical threshold
related to taut cables (τ < 1) to high ratios specific to loose ones: genuinely, the cable have
to be either very long or very heavy in order to counterbalance the action of geometrical
parameter α to the benefit of curvature effect.

12
 (a) (b)

6 20

5
15
4
c

c
10
R

R
3
5
2

1 0
80 80
60 0.1 60 10
40 40
0.05 5
20 20
α(°) 0 0
τ α(°) 0 0
τ

Figure 3: Variation of parameter

 Rc with dimensionless
 parameter τ and cable’s inclination α for inclined cables
(α ∈ [0, 80]) with : (a) τ ∈ 10−3 , 10−1 , (b) τ ∈ 10−1 , 10 .

Previous investigation is completed by an evaluation of extensibility parameter Rc for inclined taut

and loose cables. Additional aspects concerning coupling between both mechanical and geometrical
parameters τ and α are highlighted. Mainly, it may be noticed from figure 3(a) important values
of extensibility in case of very taut cables. An augmentation of the coefficient Rc above 5 is ob-
served for highly inclined cables. Such increment is established independently of high tension levels
characterizing taut cables; i.e for each inclination a constant stretchability is related to different
mechanical states: in fact, the cable’s inclination appears to be the only factor involved in the en-
hancement of extensibility. Moving to second area (τ ≥ 1), the action of cable’s parameters (τ, α)
on the non dimensional coefficient Rc is completely inverted (figure 3(b)): the difference between
both cable length measures Lc and L seems to be entirely based on dimensionless ratio τ instead of
total dependency on inclination angle α detected earlier.

Yet, despite the important increase of ratio between Lc and L marking inclined taut and loose cables,
the static configuration is affected by cable’s stretchability only for a particular range of non shallow
cables defined by (τ, α) ∈ ([1, 10] × ]0, π/3[) ∪ ([2, 10] × [π/3, π/2[). Next, an exhaustive analysis
related to the influence of cable’s curvature on the cable dynamic behaviour is performed.

13
5. Numerical results

5.1. Modal properties of curved cables

5.1.1. Vibration frequencies

In order to better understand the difference between the present curved model and the one
developed in [7] with respect to the chord’s local abscissa , an investigation is provided on different
configurations defined by the angles α = 0, α = π/6, α = π/4 and α = π/3 for taut and loose cables.
Considering L = 1000m, γc = 7.86t/m3 , and Ec = 1.9 × 107 t/m2 , taut and loose cables are
distinguished from each other based on both non dimensional coefficient τ and dimensionless thrust
η varying between 10−3 and 10−2 in case of steel cables. For such values of mechanical and geometric
properties of the cable, the vibration frequencies and the modal shapes are analysed using both
previous catenary profiles as equilibrium configurations around which the cable is oscillating. In this
case, additional modes of vibration may exist because of the non linear initial geometry.

−3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 7 10 7
(a) (b)
8 6.5 8 6.5

6 6
η

6
η

6
4 4
5.5 5.5
2 2
5 5
0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
τ
−3
τ −3
x 10 x 10
10 10 7
60
(c) (d)
8 50 8
6
6 40 6
η

30
4 4 5
20
2 10 2
4
2 4 6 8 10 2 4 6 8 10
τ τ

Figure 4: Number of modes of horizontal cables determined for: (a) taut cables according to curved catenary model,
(b) taut cables according to the catenary-based model in [7], (c) loose cables according to curved catenary model, (d)
loose cables according to the catenary-based model in [7].

Hence, a study on the number of dimensionless vibration frequencies Ωk ∈ [1, 10] determined via both
previously mentioned models is performed and presented in figures 4-6. Numerical results show good
agreement with predictions based on the understanding of curved effect: in fact, for horizontal taut
cables, any difference between the two catenary models disappears since the cord’s length L and the
 

non deformed cable length Lc are identical. Thus, for such type of cables α = 0, τ ∈ 10−3 , 10−1
the number of frequencies determined by both methods developed previously is the same. Moreover,

14


the oscillations of horizontal cables becoming increasingly slack τ > 10−1 are marked by a strong
increase of the total number of vibration modes as it is indicated in it figures 4(c)-(d). However,
while a minimum augmentation of 60% characterizes the total number of vibration modes specific
to curved loose cables, a maximum rise of only 15% is detected when the initial cable geometry is
given according to the chord’s local abscissa.

−3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 8 10 7
(a) (b) 6.8
8 7.5 8

6 6 6.6
η

η
6.4
4 4
6.5
6.2
2 2
6 6
0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
τ τ
−3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 10 7
60
(c) 8 (d) 8
50
6
6 40 6
η

30
4 4 5
20
2 2
10
4
2 4 6 8 10 2 4 6 8 10
τ τ

 π
Figure 5: Number of modes of inclined α = cables determined for: (a) taut cables according to present curved
6
model, (b) taut cables according to the catenary-based model in [7], (c) loose cables according to present curved
model, (d) loose cables according to the catenary-based model in [7].

Indeed, despite the non linear aspect offered by the catenary model formulated with respect to
Cartesian coordinates, the influence of non linear static profile on the dynamics of a wide class of
inclined loose cables is determined only if a richer model such as the curved one is adopted.

In addition, as it is shown in figures 5 and 6, inclined and especially loose cables manifest higher
difference due to the increase of the curvature effect which leads to more geometric non linearities.
Like it is demonstrated through the analysis conducted in section 3, such effect depends on both
mechanical and geometric parameters of the cable. However, it may be remarked that this double
dependency is identified better when the oscillations are analysed with respect to the real cable
static profile : comparing figures 5 and 6 specific respectively to inclined cables with α = π/6 and
α = π/3, shows a 50% augmentation of the maximum number of modes of vibration from 8 to 12 for
taut cables investigated using the curved catenary model. Contrary to the latter case, performing
the analysis of the cable vibrations around the equilibrium catenary configuration of its chord does
not provide any information on the effect of the inclination on curvature and its influence on the

15
vibration frequencies : in fact, for the same case of taut horizontal cables, the maximum number of
frequencies seems to be unchanged even for an evolution of the inclination from α = π/6 to α = π/3.
On the other hand, loose cables exhibit a dynamic behaviour dependent more on the mechanical
characteristics than geometric ones : the total number of modes rises up to 60 as long as the cable
get more and more loose. As it is expected, this fact is not detected in numerical results presented
in [7] for which the pick of total modes still constant for any selected inclination.

−3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 12 10 7
(a) (b) 6.8
8 11.5 8

6 6 6.6
η

11 η
6.4
4 4
10.5
6.2
2 2
10 6
0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
τ τ
−3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 10 7
60
(c) 8 (d) 8
50 6
6 40 6
η

4 30 4 5
20
2 2
4
2 4 6 8 10 2 4 6 8 10
τ τ

 π
Figure 6: Number of modes of inclined α = cables determined for: (a) taut cables according to present curved
3
model, (b) taut cables according to the catenary-based model in [7], (c) loose cables according according to present
curved model, (d) loose cables according to the catenary-based model in [7].

Such result does not appear surprising since the present model is built on a curved geometry frame-
work very sensitive to directional parameters which generates a complete description of linear vibra-
tions depending on both geometric and mechanical characteristics.
At this stage, a comparison between the first six frequencies determined according to both Cartesian
and curvilinear formulations in the same range (Ωk,x, Ωk,s ) is realised considering previous incli-





nations in three different mechanical configurations (τ, η) ∈ { 10−3 , 10−3 ; 1, 10−2 ; 5, 10−2 } .
Numerical results summarized in Tables 2-3 show that the frequencies obtained in the present paper
as well as in [7] are highly dependant on the cable stretchability expressed by ratio Rc . As it is ex-
pected, the non dimensional frequencies Ωk,x and Ωk,s are indistinguishable in the case of horizontal
taut cables.

16
 −3
−3 x 10
x 10 10 2
10 1
(a) (b) 8
8 0.5 1.5

6 6

η
1
η

0
4 4
−0.5 0.5
2 2
−1 0
0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
τ τ
−3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 2 10 4

(c) 8 1.8 (d) 8

3
6 1.6 6
η

η
1.4
4 4 2
1.2
2 2
1 1
0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
τ τ

Figure 7: Minimum shifting between mode numbers of dimensionless frequencies Ωk,s and Ωk∗,x linearly
 dependant

on each other via extensibility parameter Rc (formula (27)) for taut cables (τ, η) ∈ 10−3 , 10−1 × 10−3 , 10−2 with:
π π π
(a) α = 0, (b) α = , (c) α = , (d) α = .
6 4 3

Such deduction can not be made in case of inclined loose cables where the coefficient of stretchability
is increasing above unity according to both inclination and (τ, η) : as the former parameters increase,
the frequencies determined through the curved catenary model are shifted backward compared to
those found in [7]. As a matter of fact, such phenomenon can be quantified for some frequencies
indicated in Tables 2-3 (red colour) as below :

Ωk∗ ,x = Rc Ωk,s + σ (28)

where σ denotes the shifting between the k th linearly dependent frequencies Ωk∗ ,x and Ωk,s .
A qualitative description of the previous result can be found also in [14] which constitutes a non
linear treatment based purely on numerical resolution [25] of dynamic equilibrium equations specific
to both cubic approximation and exact inextensible catenary geometries defined with respect to
Cartesian and curvilinear abscissa. Yet, as it is shown in Tables 2-3, the linear relationship between
Ωk∗ ,s and Ωk,x can not be applicable for the same mode orders (k = k∗ ), especially for inclined and
loose cables. For illustrative purposes and in view of the generalization of previous results with
respect to dimensionless ratios (τ, η) and for fixed former inclinations α, figures 7 and 8 are plotted
showing the minimum shifting between modes numbers k and k∗ related respectively to frequencies
linearly related to each others via Rc .

17
 −3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 6 10 6
(a) (b)
8 8 5
4
6 6 4
η

η
3
4 2 4
2
2 2
0 1
2 4 6 8 10 2 4 6 8 10
τ τ
−3 −3
x 10 x 10
10 6 10 6
(c) 5 (d) 5
8 8

6 4 6 4
η

3 η 3
4 4
2 2
2 2
1 1
2 4 6 8 10 2 4 6 8 10
τ τ

Figure 8: Minimum shifting between mode numbers of dimensionless frequencies Ωk,s and Ωk∗,x linearly
 dependant

on each other via extensibility parameter Rc (formula (27)) for loose cables (τ, η) ∈ 10−1 , 10 × 10−3 , 10−2 with:
π π π
(a) α = 0, (b) α = , (c) α = , (d) α = .
6 4 3

As it is mentioned before and presented in figure 7, the relationship between Ωk∗ ,x and Ωk,s both
 

associated to taut τ ∈ 10−3 , 10−1 and horizontal cables can be expressed completely by formula
(28) for the same modes number (k = k∗ ). Once the cable is inclined, the former formula can
not predict exactly the modes number of frequencies linearly dependant on extensibility coefficient
Rc : while the minimum shifting seems to be totally independent on mechanical parameters (τ, η)
 π
in case of weakly inclined cables α = , highly inclined ones exhibit non linear distribution of
6  π
shifting increasing up to 4 modes with respect to α α = . The non linear aspect is more high-
3
lighted certainly by figure 8 indicating the minimum shifting in case cables becoming progressively
loose τ ∈ 10−1 , 10 : the frequency Ωk,s related to the kth mode of curved cable vibrations and
 

corresponding to its linearly dependent analogue Ωk∗ ,x can be found even after/before 6 modes.
Moreover, while horizontal loose cables manifest practically a uniform increasing difference between
modes numbers k and k∗ in terms of both τ and η, the same difference calculated for α 6= 0 is
characterized by mixed areas becoming more non linearly distributed as the inclination is getting
more and more important.

18
 α α=0 α = π/6
(τ, η) (10−3 , 10−3 ) (1, 10−2 ) (5, 10−2 ) (10−3 , 10−3 ) (1, 10−2 ) (5, 10−2 )
Rc = Lc /L 1 1.0422 2.4201 1.1547 1.1914 2.4880
Ω1,s /π 0.5 0.4796 0.4131 0.4329 0.4149 0.4017
Ω1,x /π 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Ω2,s /π 1 0.9594 0.6197 0.8658 0.8391 0.6028
Ω2,x /π 1 0.6386 1.0162(1,s) 1 0.6386 1.0162(1,s)
Ω3,s /π 1.5 1.4390 0.8262 1.2989 1.2588 0.8036
Ω3,x /π 1.5 1.5 1.5(2,s) 1.5 1.5 1.5(2,s)
Ω4,s /π 2 1.9189 1.0328 1.7318 1.6785 1.0047
Ω4,x /π 2 1.9753 2.0014(3,s) 2 1.9753 2.0014(3,s)
Ω5,s /π 2.5 2.3987 1.2393 2.1650 2.0982 1.2055
Ω5,x /π 2.5 2.5 2.5(4,s) 2.5 2.5 2.5(4,s)
Ω6,s /π 3 2.8783 1.4462 2.5978 2.5179 1.4066
Ω6,x /π 3 2.8147 3.0043(5,s) 3 2.8147 3.0043(5,s)

Table 2: The first six dimensionless frequencies obtained respectively according to both catenary models presented in
the present work Ωk,s and found in [7] Ωk∗ ,x for inclined cables with: α ∈ {0, π/6}

α α = π/4 α = π/3
(τ, η) (10−3 , 10−3 ) (1, 10−2 ) (5, 10−2 ) (10−3 , 10−3 ) (1, 10−2 ) (5, 10−2 )
Rc = Lc /L 1.4142 1.4444 2.6185 2 2.0214 2.9760
Ω1,s /π 0.3535 0.3461 0.3819 0.5 0.4945 0.3361
Ω1,x /π 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Ω2,s /π 0.7071 0.6922 0.5727 0.7497 0.7420 0.5039
Ω2,x /π 1 0.6386 1.0162(1,s) 1(1,s) 0.6386 1.0162(1,s)
Ω3,s /π 1.0606 1.0385 0.7638 1 0.9892 0.6721
Ω3,x /π 1.5 1.5 1.5(2,s) 1.5(2,s) 1.5(2,s) 1.5(2,s)
Ω4,s /π 1.4141 1.3846 0.9546 1.2499 1.2365 0.8400
Ω4,x /π 2 1.9753 2.0014(3,s) 2(3,s) 1.9753(3,s) 2.0014(3,s)
Ω5,s /π 1.7676 1.7307 1.1457 1.4997 1.4840 1.0082
Ω5,x /π 2.5 2.5 2.5(4,s) 2.5(4,s) 2.5(4,s) 2.5(4,s)
Ω6,s /π 2.1211 2.0770 1.3365 1.7498 1.7312 1.1760
Ω6,x /π 3 2.8147 3.0043(5,s) 3 2.8147 3.0043(5,s)

Table 3: The first six dimensionless frequencies obtained respectively according to both catenary models presented in
the present work Ωk,s and found in [7] Ωk,x for inclined cables with: α ∈ {π/4, π/3}

5.1.2. Modal shapes

Further comparison specific to vibration modes for the same previous cases and presented in fig-
ures 9-12 confirms precedent observations: it is clear that in opposition to the case of inclined cables,
19
the two different catenary approaches describe the same dynamic behaviour related to horizontal
ones. This result affirms also former conclusions about the weak dependency of catenary cables on
the inclination effect when the Cartesian formulation of their static profile is adopted.

α =0 α = π/6 α = π/4 α = π/3

1 1 1 1

Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,4/Rc
0.5 0 0 0
Ω x,4

0 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1 1

Modal shape

Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,5/Rc
0 0 0 0
Ω x,5

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1 1
Modal shape

Modal shape

Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* = Ω x,6/Rc
0 0 0 0
Ω x,6

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L

Figure 9: 4th , 5th and 6th modal shapes of taut cables (τ, η) = 10−3 , 10−3 for different inclinations α.

Furthermore, as higher values characterize the cable inclination α and mechanical parameters (τ, η),
a non linear aspect is much more revealed by virtue of the present curved catenary-based model
than the one proposed in [7] which manifests practically the same behaviour for different selected
inclinations. Such observation highlights the important effect of cable curvature in case of loose
cables. Therefore, the proposed model can be considered as a trustful analytical tool to describe
the curved cable oscillations according to linear theory of vibrations since it takes into account the
geometric non linearities due to the catenary static profile. It offers also a solution exhibiting a high
sensitivity to directional parameters besides its dependency on the initial mechanical state of the
cable.

Still, numerical results cannot be regarded in totality as a good description of the cable vibrations



specific to extremely loose cables e.g: (τ, η) = 5, 10−2 : indeed, even with the variation of the mode
numbers, no change of the modal shapes is detected as it is shown in figure 12. Such observation
highlights the limits of the proposed analytical solution in case of very loose cables.

20
 α =0 α = π/6 α = π/4 α = π/3
1 1 1 1

Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,1/Rc
0 0.5 0.5 0.5
Ω x,1

-1 0 0 0
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1 1

Modal shape
Modal shape

Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,2/Rc
0 0.5 0.5 0.5
Ω x,2

-1 0 0 0
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1 1
Modal shape
Modal shape

Modal shape

Modal shape
Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,3/Rc
0 0 0 0.5
Ω x,3

-1 -1 -1 0
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L

Figure 10: 1st , 2nd and 3rd modal shapes of moderately loose cables (τ, η) = 1, 10−2 for different inclinations α.

α=0 α = π/6 α = π/4 α = π/3

1 1 1 1
Modal shape
Modal shape

Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,4/Rc
0 0 0 0
Ω x,4

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1 1
Modal shape

Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,5/Rc
0 0 0 0
Ω x,5

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1
Modal shape

1
Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,6/Rc 0 0
0 0
Ω x,6

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L

Figure 11: 4th , 5th and 6th modal shapes of moderately loose cables (τ, η) = 1, 10−2 for different inclinations α.

In fact, the appearance of new types of non linearities due essentially to large deformations charac-
terizing the dynamic state of heavy cables and inducing the coupling between the in plane and out of
plane vibration components requires a numerical (semi-analytical) model proposing a solution where

21
the effect of quadratic and cubic non linearities are taken into consideration besides the curvature
effect caused by the initial catenary profile. Accordingly, the next part will be dedicated to the
comparison with results obtained by virtue of nonlinear numerical treatments.

α =0 α = π/6 α = π/4 α = π/3

1 1 1 1

Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,1/Rc
0 0 0 0
Ω x,1

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1 1

Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,2/Rc
0 0 0 0
Ω x,2

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L
1 1 1 1
Modal shape

Modal shape
Modal shape
Modal shape

Ω s,k* ∼ Ω x,3/Rc
0 0 0 0
Ω x,3

-1 -1 -1 -1
0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1
s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L s/Lc ; x/L

Figure 12: 1st , 2nd and 3rd modal shapes of extremely loose cables (τ, η) = 5, 10−2 for different inclinations α.

5.2. Comparison with existing models

Like it is mentioned before, a purely numerical solution can be found in [14] where the effect
of curved geometry is discussed in a comparison with cubic and classic catenary models. In order
to determine the limits of the small deformations hypothesis on which is based the linear theory
of vibrations, the relative error between results obtained via the analytical model developed herein
and exact ones obtained for the inextensible catenary in [14] (thick). Likewise, the comparison
is completed by an evaluation of the relative error between results related to approximate model
corresponding to the cubic approximation of the inextensible catenary and presented in [14] and exact
solution established numerically (thin). The outcome of the comparison realised above highlights the
importance of first order non linearities caused only by catenary static profile in case of moderately
loose cables (τ ≤ 3) : in deed, neglecting quadratic and cubic non linear terms related to the
additional dynamic deformation does not seem to affect the validity of the curved catenary model
which offers good approximation to the cable in plane frequencies compared to solutions obtained
using both cubic approximation and exact inextensible catenary model presented in [14].

22
 α τ L (m) Cable model Transversal (1st ) |δf1 | (%) Transversal (2nd ) |δf2 | (%)
π
0.4525 987.8 Exact [14] 0.148 0.206
6
Approximate [14] 0.148 0 0.206 0

Present work 0.149 0.676 0.209 1.456

2.4627 1187.8 Exact [14] 0.0525 0.106

Approximate [14] 0.0542 3.238 0.103 2.830

Present work 0.0531 1.143 0.115 3.636

3.321 1387.8 Exact [14] 0.0395 0.0921

Approximate [14] 0.0443 12.152 0.0856 7.058

Present work 0.0391 1.013 0.0949 3.040

π
0.5568 1209.9 Exact [14] 0.120 0.161
4
Approximate [14] 0.120 0 0.168 4.348

Present work 0.125 4.167 0.171 6.211

2.6651 1409.9 Exact [14] 0.0450 0.0918 0

Approximate [14] 0.0449 0.22 0.0823 10.349

Present work 0.0423 6 0.0906 1.307

3.5354 1609.9 Exact [14] 0.0346 0.0787

Approximate [14] 0.0378 9.249 0.0792 0.635

Present work 0.0362 4.624 0.0804 2.114

π
0.7811 1711 Exact [14] 0.083 0.119
3
Approximate [14] 0.0829 0.120 0.120 0.840

Present work 0.083 0 0.121 1.681

3.0440 1911 Exact [14] 0.0346 0.0682

Approximate [14] 0.0336 2.890 0.0643 5.718

Present work 0.0338 2.312 0.0676 0.880

3.9310 2111 Exact [14] 0.0276 0.0600

Approximate [14] 0.0299 8.333 0.0650 8.333

Present work 0.0266 3.623 0.0600 0

Table 4: Relative errors |δf1,2 | between frequencies (Hz) obtained by: exact solution [14] and analytical curved model
(present work) (thick); exact and approximate developed by Sorokin et al. [14] (thin), for different inclination angles,
cable’s chord lengths and mechanical dimensionless ratio τ .

23
An approximate maximum relative error of ±6% shows the practical aspect of the HAM based
solution established according to linear theory of vibrations. However, it should be noted that such
accuracy reduces in case of extremely loose cables (τ > 3): the discrepancy between the frequencies
predicted by the analytic method and those determined using the exact or approximate formulation
rises up from ±0 − 1% to ±6%. In fact, the vibrations of heavy cables depend mainly on non
linearities issues from dynamic additional tension.

6. Discussions and conclusion

Accounting for the curvature effect, an analytic model based on the HAM and related to the ca-
ble’s in plane free oscillations is developed according to the linear theory of vibrations. An extensive
study performed on static and dynamic behaviours according to both Cartesian and curvilinear ab-
scissa demonstrates the limits of the model presented in classical literature such as the one developed
recently in [7]. In fact, two main conclusions may be drawn from this investigation as follows:

• While both cable measurements Lc and L seems to be the same in case of small sag ca-
bles, the static configuration of non shallow ones varies intensively under the action of cur-
vature. Such influence depends essentially on the coupling between the inclination angle α
and the parameter τ defining mechanical balance between static tension and the total ca-
ble’s weight. As a matter of fact, the effect of cable’s curvature on its static profile is per-
manently shifting to higher values of τ as long as the cable’s inclination keeps increasing:
getting more and more inclined, the static profile is affected by the initial curved profile
only when the cable becomes increasingly heavy. The shifting of curvature effect is de-
tected for a wide range of non shallow inclined cables defined by both τ and α as follows
: (τ, α) ∈ ([1, 10] × ]0, π/4]) × ([1.5, 10] × ]π/4, π/3]) × ([2.5, 10] × ]π/3, π/2[)

• Much more than the static one, the cable’s dynamic behaviour exhibits high sensitivity to
the curvature action. As it is expected, geometric non linearities dues to the catenary profile
induce the activation of additional modes of vibration. However, even in case of moderately
 

loose cables τ ∈ 10−1 , 1 , the number of such modes seems to be underestimated when the
dynamic equilibrium is defined with respect to the chord’s local abscissa: in such case, both
curvature and cable stretchability are not sufficiently taken into consideration. In addition,
the vibration frequencies manifest great dependency on the cable’s curvature. An exhaustive
investigation demonstrates the existence of a linear relationship between frequencies obtained

24
 analytically according to the present curved model and the ones determined using classic
catenary formulation defined around Cartesian abscissa. Yet, it is found that the curvature
generates an important shifting between the mode numbers related to the frequencies linearly
dependant on cable’s stretchability: such difference is highly manifested for extremely inclined
non shallow cables.

Moreover, the curved model specific to the in plane free linear vibrations and developed analytically
using the HAM is compared to numerical solutions related to three dimensional cable oscillations
and obtained by virtue of both Galerkin approximation and finite element procedure. The accuracy
of the proposed solution is verified by a maximum relative error rate of 6% considering important
inclinations (α = π/3) and high ratios between cable’s weight and its static tension. Moving to the
case of extremely loose cables (τ > 3), the validity of the proposed model is reduced : higher error
rates reaching up 6% do not show the inaccuracy of analytical treatment as much as they demonstrate
the limits of the linear dynamics assumptions in case of very loose cables where the non linearities
caused by the coupling between the in plane and the out of plane vibration components can not be
neglected. This entails the necessity to a full numerical or semi analytical model dealing with highly
curved cables where geometric non linearities characterizing both static and dynamic configurations
are taken into account. Nevertheless, the proposed model can be considered as a useful analytical
tool to the correct analysis of linear and weakly non-linear dynamics of cables.

Appendix

Curvature parameter χ∗

Considering the cable catenary geometry described by equation (1) and applying geometric
compatibility:
2 "  #
dY 2
 
dX
1+ =1 (A1)
ds dX

the quadratic term is given by the following formula:

4
3 + cosh 4 C1 − τl X cosh 3 C1 − τl X
 
 

ds
= + (A2)
dX 8 2

25
By integration of the previous equation, the cable length L∗e is expressed as:

Z l 4  
ds 3 sinh (4C1 ) − sinh (4 (C1 − τ )) sinh (3C1 ) − sinh (3 (C1 − τ ))
L∗e = dX = l + +
0 dX 8 32τ 6τ
(A3)
Hence, the non dimensional parameter χ∗ verifies the following formula:
 
∗ 3 1 sinh (4C1 ) − sinh (4 (C1 − τ )) sinh (3C1 ) − sinh (3 (C1 − τ ))
χ = + + (A4)
8 2τ 16 3

HAM-solution

The procedure leading to the determination of particular solution related to linear dynamics of
curved cables and based on HAM is here presented. Equation (18) written explicitly as follows:

∂ 2 ϕpk,j
 2 "  2 #
Ωk,s Ωk,s
qj ϕpk,j (s) = q j+1 c0 + (c0 + 1) ϕpk,j (s) − qc0 Rk,s
H
f (s) ; ∀j ∈ N∗
Lc ∂s2 Lc
(A5)
Identifying same order polynomials with respect to homotopy variable q, the following system is
obtained :

c0
ϕpk,1 (s) = −  H
2 Rk,s f (s)





 Ω k,s


 Lc







  


c0 c0


 p H  (2)
 ϕk,2 (s) = −  Ωk,s 2 Rk,s   Ωk,s 2 f (s) + (c0 + 1) f (s)

 

Lc Lc







  2 



 c0 c0  (4) c0 2
ϕpk,3 (s) = −  H  (2)

2 Rk,s   2  f (s) + 2 (c0 + 1)  2 f (s) + (c0 + 1) f (s)

 



 Ω k,s Ω k,s Ω k,s


 Lc Lc Lc

 ...




(A6)
By virtue of recurrence method, the j th component of the series expressing the particular solution
related to the kth modal shape function ϕpk is obtained as follows :

 i+1
j−1
X  c0 
ϕpk,j (s) = −Rk,s
H
 2  (c0 + 1)j−1−i Cj−1
i
f (2i) (s) (A7)
Ωk,s
i=0 Lc

26
Hence :
 i+1
+∞ j−1
+∞ X
X X  c0 
ϕpk (s) = ϕpk,j (s) = −Rk,s
H
 2  (c0 + 1)j−1−i Cj−1
i
f (2i) (s) (A8)
Ωk,s
j=1 j=1 i=0
Lc

The convergence of the proposed solution is ensured by the convergence criterion c0 determined
as follows :
 i+1
+∞ +∞ j−1
X X X  c0 
ϕpk,j (s) = 0 ⇒  2  (c0 + 1)j−1−i Cj−1
i
f (2i) (s) = 0 (A9)
Ωk,s
j=M +1 j=M +1 i=0 Lc

where M is the truncation order. Thus :

−Ω2k,s
≤ c0 ≤ 0 (A10)
Ω2k,s + L2c

Ω2k,s
Choosing c0 = −   , the particular solution is expressed as below:
2 Ω2k,s + L2c

 i+1
M j−1
M X
X X  c0 
ϕpk (s) = ϕpk,j (s) = −Rk,s
H
 2  (c0 + 1)j−1−i Cj−1
i
f (2i) (s) (A11)
Ωk,s
j=1 j=1 i=0 Lc

Numerical investigation demonstrates that a small number of terms (M = 5) is sufficiently accurate

to determine the particular solution ϕpk (s).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express their thanks to Professor Giuseppe Rega from La Sapienza Unicer-
sity of Rome for his valuable comments on this paper.

References

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