A prestressed tendon based passive control system for bridgesA prestressed tendon based passive control system for bridges Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2015-10-111997enA new concept for passive control of bridges based on prestressed tendon systems is proposed and studied in this paper. It consists of a two-level prestressing cables system whereas permanent (dead) loads are relieved by the first level prestressing cables and moving loads together with excessive displacements are supported by the second level prestressing system. Advantages of using this system instead of classical active and passive control schemes are discussed. The structural analysis problem with the prestressed tendon controllers is formulated as an optimal control problem for structures governed by variational inequalities. Exact and simplified solution methods are considered. An engineering oriented design method is proposed and demonstrated by means of a numerical example.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Computers and Structures6631165–1175 Stavroulakis Georgios Σταυρουλακης Γεωργιος Michalópoulos, Andréas E.C. Zacharenakis Panagiotopoulos, P. D., 1950- Elsevier Applied mechanics Engineering, Mechanical mechanics applied applied mechanics engineering mechanical