Mitigating Vibrations in Power Lines with a Moving Nonlinear Absorber

Aeolian vibrations are a major cause of fatigue failure in power transmission lines. Traditionally, these vibrations are mitigated using fixed vibration absorbers, such as Stockbridge dampers. However, the performance of these dampers is highly sensitive to their natural frequency and optimal placement, limiting their effectiveness. To address these limitations, moving vibration absorbers have been introduced. Despite their potential, existing studies have largely overlooked the nonlinearities associated with wind-induced lift forces and the moving absorber. This study addresses this gap by incorporating these nonlinearities from wind flow and moving vibration absorbers. We model the fluctuating nonlinear lift force using a van der Pol oscillator and represent the moving absorber’s nonlinear behavior with cubic stiffness. A detailed numerical analysis compares the performance of nonlinear and linear moving absorbers at resonance. Results show that nonlinear absorbers significantly reduce vibration amplitudes, outperforming their linear alternatives. Additionally, parametric analyses are conducted to optimize the configuration parameters of the moving vibration absorber, such as absorber velocity, nonlinear stiffness, and damping, to enhance the stability and efficiency of power transmission lines. Notably, we observe that higher absorber velocities lead to more effective vibration damping without causing material fatigue. These findings present a promising solution for improving the stability and efficiency of power transmission lines under wind-induced vibrations.