Abstract
Braided steel cables have the potential for improving the mechanisms providing them several advantages in comparison with rigid elements. Nevertheless, a limitation in the use of cable mechanism is that due to the inherent flexibility, the problem of vibration arises. In this research, we investigate the axial viscoelastic behavior of 1/32″ braided steel cables. The essential idea is to determine the parameters of elasticity (k) and viscosity (b) as a function of the length of the cable in its axial direction. It was achieved through the design and construction of a test bench and the design of an experiment. The test bench is a free vibration particular design machine. One end of the cable is fixed to the structure, and in the other end, a load is attached. Then, the load is released, and the free vibration of the cable in the axial direction is registered. The factor of the experiment is the length of the cable. There are six levels, and these were repeated four times. We demonstrated that the braided steel cables have a viscoelastic behavior like a Kelvin-Voigt. Also, we found a relation between the effective length of the cables and the parameters of elasticity and viscosity.
