Consists of three main features: pylons, cable stays, and a bridge girder.

Mainly used for road bridges, and to span narrow areas. The design for Cable Stayed bridges has been around since the early 1600s.
Not created until the 19th century because people were unsure of how to construct them.

Harp Cable Stayed: This bridge is constructed with the cables parallel with each other, allowing them to be proportional to the tower with their mounting on the deck. Fan Cable Stayed: This bridge has all the cable stays radiate from the top of the pylon, and is usually modified enabling the cable anchors to be spread across a certain distance throughout the bridge.

Diagram of Harp system vs. Fan System

Comparisons
Strmsund Bridge
Fan design and uses multiple towers. A small bridge compared to the Russky, but was built 60 years ago. Revolutionized how cable stayed bridges are constructed today.

Russky Bridge
Harp design, uses one tower to support the cables on each side. Almost 8 times longer than the Stromsund. Took four years to fully construct.

 This type of bridge is new, there arent 100 year old Cable Stayed bridges. Strength of cables has prevented these types of bridges from failing. Modern computer simulation of the bridges allow engineers to predict possible failures and correct it before construction.

Cable Material
Cable Steel
Strongest of the two materials. Wires have a diameter of 5-7 mm, with an ultimate tensile strength of 1600 MPa. Three times stronger than structural steel.

Structural Steel
Weaker material when it comes to this bridge. These wires have the same diameter, (57mm), but its ultimate tensile strength is 350500 MPa. A36 most common structural steel.

Cable Material
Lock Coil Cable Parallel Wire Strand

Cable Material
Locked Coil Cable
Outer layer of wires are composed in a Z shape. All the wires are helical. The wires are all self compacting. Wires stay tight under tension, allowing the modulus of elasticity to be reduced by 15%-25% Used a lot less between the two types.

Parallel Wire Strand

All of the wires are either straight or parallel with each other. They arent self compacting due to their design. Most designs have a special wrapping, and have an inserted polyethylene tube, with a cement grout. This prevents corrosion. Brooklyn Bridge used this type of wire.

Pylon Design
Central Cable Plane
Well suited for fan and harp-shaped cable stay bridges. Usually, with this design the cross section of the pylon forms a rectangular box that also provides support for the bridge.

Pylons w/o Backstays

No backstays equal a lot of bending stress. Backstays provide balance for the bridge and its cables. High strength materials allow cable stay bridges to not require a backstay.

Steel bridges are composed of stiff steel panels for the girder. This is the typical design of a girder for a Cable Stayed bridge.

 Pylons are subjected to compression from the vertical forces of the cable. Its important to determine what length the pylons should be, because it varies for each bridge constructed. The pylons will begin to buckle if theyre not the right height or not supported by the girder.

Alamillo Bridge in Seville, Spain

 Modulus of elasticity deals with the cables stays of the bridge and how much pressure it can handle. Compressional force, being pushed downward due to the tower/towers all the cable stays are connected to. Tensional force is being applied downward on the cables. Sag of the wires, usually only applies to longer Cable Stayed bridges longer than 150 meters.

 The tower of a Cable Stayed bridge is responsible for absorbing and dealing with compressional forces (however, cable stays have to deal with lateral forces, unlike the suspension bridges.) Well suited for axial tension, yet weak against compression and bending forces. As a result, the bridge is strong under normal traffic loads, but vulnerable to winds.

Diagram of the Forces

 Each of the cable stays have a unique connector that is placed in sockets at the end of the cables. An effective erection procedure is by free cantilevering from the base of the pylons. Cable are placed symmetrically on the main span of the girder. Girders for the road deck are made from carbon steel and happen to be more brittle, but also stiffer.