ENHANCING THE DAMPING BEHAVIOUR OF STEEL CRANE STRUC-TURES BY INTRODUCING A CONCRETE CORE

The potential use of steel tube confined concrete columns in crane structures is being explored as a means of enhancing damping during the movement of carrying and lifting machines. This is with a view to mitigating the impact of dynamic effects that may arise during operation. The results of experimental studies of tube confined concrete specimens for stability under central compression by static loading are given. This paper presents a methodology for dynamic tests of specimens, which is used to determine the damping ratio of vibrations and the inelastic resistance coefficient of composite materials. The results demonstrate that tube confined concrete specimens possess enhanced damping behaviour in comparison to steel and reinforced concrete structures. This observation suggests that they are an effective solution for load-bearing structures designed to support moving overhead cranes.