Nonlinear vibration analysis of vortex-induced vibrations in overhead power lines with nonlinear vibration absorbers

Vortex-induced vibrations are one of the major factors in fatigue failure of power transmission lines and can be mitigated using vibration absorbers in the form of Stockbridge dampers. Since power transmission lines play an important role in modern infrastructure, a thorough understanding of the nonlinear dynamical interactions between conductors, dampers, and wind forces is crucial. Although different nonlinear models exist for conductor vibration with attached dampers or under wind force, no work combines all these nonlinearities in a single model and examines the dynamics of the conductor along with dampers. In an attempt to fill this gap, this work combines the nonlinearities from the mid-plane stretching of the conductor, equivalent cubic stiffness of the Stockbridge damper, and fluctuating lift force modeled as a Van der Pol oscillator in a single model to investigate the nonlinear vortex-induced vibrations. In this work, the conductor is modeled as a simply supported beam and the Stockbridge damper as a mass–spring–damper–mass system with a combination of cubic and linear stiffness. The governing equations of motion are solved analytically using the method of multiple scales for the case of primary resonance between the fluctuating lift-force and conductor. Analytical findings are further validated by comparing against the numerical integration of a reduced-order system, and the results show an excellent match. The analysis is extended by conducting a parametric study to investigate the effect of different system parameters on the frequency response curves. These findings are promising and further provide a direction to design an optimal vibration absorber.