Damping measurements of steel poles and tubular towers

The evaluation of the wind-induced response of light and slender structures is strictly bound to damping modeling. While several papers exist dealing with damping of buildings, forecasting models concerning steel poles and tubular towers are almost totally lacking. In order to properly appreciate this quantity, an experimental full-scale activity has been undertaken whose aim, execution and results are herein described. At present, four structures have been investigated providing, for each of them, the logarithmic damping decrement as a function of motion amplitude. Results illustrated by this paper are part of a wider research aimed at formulating suitable damping models and analyzing the role of this parameter in the wind-excited response of structures.