Dynamics of an aerial cableway through a time-varying meshing finite element approach

Abstract Cableways have been used intensively for transportation of goods and people since the early nineteenth century. Aerial cableways are primarily modelled based on a continuous representation, well-suited for traditional analytical models. However, due to the increasing complexity of these systems, cableway modeling is evolving to discretised approaches like Finite Element (FE) analysis. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is an alternative to the modal approach for studying the dynamics of nonlinear systems, and it is more suitable for the representation of large displacements needed in the view of the modeling of an entire plant; it is also flexible and computationally accurate. Dynamic models of aerial cableways based on finite element computation with significant geometry changes are currently lacking in the literature. The main purpose of this study is to fill this gap, through the development of a finite element model which is able to describe the dynamic behavior of aerial cableway, keeping into account its time-varying geometry. The system modelling is based on two cables (carrying and hauling), describing a back-and-forth aerial cableway to which a concentrated mass representing the cabin is added. After the introduction of the modelling approach, the finite element model is applied to investigate typical conditions such facilities are exposed to, i.e. overlapping between the hauling and the carrying cables or the large vibrations the hauling cable is subjected to, when the cabin is approaching the station. Versatility and ease of implementation are the main strength of the proposed model, making it suitable to further extensions.