Abstract: In this paper, how to compute the eigenfrequencies of the structures composed of a series of inclined cables is shown. The physics of an inclined cable can be complicated, so solving the differential equations even approximately is difficult. However, rather than solving the system of 4 first-order equations governing the dynamics of each cable, the governing equations are instead converted to a set of equations that the exterior matrix satisfies. Therefore, the exterior matrix method (EMM) is used without solving the original governing equations. Even though this produces a system of 6 first-order equations, the simple asymptotic techniques to find the first three terms of the perturbative solution can be used. The solutions can then be assembled to produce a 6 × 6 exterior matrix for a cable section. The matrices for each cable in the structure are multiplied together, along with the exterior matrices for each joint. The roots of the product give us the eigenfrequencies of the system.

Key words: inclined cable, exterior matrix method (EMM), eigenfrequency