AbstractA small‐scale model of an existing cable‐stayed bridge has been designed and built. Hammer, sinusoidal and random signal tests have been performed to determine the dynamic characteristics of the model. An attempt has been made to evaluate the real effect of the vibration of stays upon system damping. Initial measurements have been performed for a model where there was no vibration of the stays because of the absence of appropriately scaled additional mass of these stays. In this way the effect of the cables was eliminated in damping measurement. During the second series of measurements appropriate mass has been added to the stays, causing them to take part in the vibration. The comparison of the measured damping of the model for each case makes possible the estimation of the effect of the stays upon the system damping. By using the shaking table, two types of seismic excitation were applied, with corresponding response quantities in the critical sections being measured. Good agreement between the analytical and the experimental results was achie