Three-Dimensional High-Fidelity Dynamic Modeling of Tether Transportation System with Multiple Climbers

This paper studies the dynamics of a tether transportation system by the nodal position finite element method in the framework of an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian description. Material coordinate is introduced as a state variable that is decoupled with the position coordinate. The movement of climbers is represented by moving nodes associated with the material coordinates. It is integrated into the finite element method by a variable-length tether together with a process of dividing and merging elements. The dynamic behavior of the tether transportation system with multiple climbers is studied. The results show that the elastic-flexible tether model is able to capture the high-frequency oscillation of the tether transportation system. The oscillation could have an adverse effect on the safe operation of the tether transportation system, especially in causing fatigue failure of the tether, and must be considered.