CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS OF STATICALLY DETERMINATE

CABLES
OBE [ CO1 PO1 & CO2 PO3]
What is cable?
- Cable is a tensile structure carrying only tension and no compression or bending.
- Cable is used in engineering structures for support and to transmit loads from one
member to another.
- Always used to support suspension roofs, bridges and trolley wheels.
- In the force analysis, the weight of the cable itself may be neglected; however, when
cables are used as guys for radio antennas, electrical transmission lines and derricks, the
cable weight may become important and must be included in the structural analysis.
- the cable is perfectly flexible and inextensible.
Flexible cable offers no resistance to shear or bending.
Inextensible cable has constant length both before and after the load is applied
and geometry of the cable remains fixed.
-They are 3 cases will be considered in the cable system:
1. A cable subjected to concentrated loads.
-same level of support
-different level of support
2. A cable subjected to a uniformly distributed load.
-same level of support
-different level of support
3. A cable subjected to the combination of both concentrated and uniformly
distributed load
Example:

P
Figure 1: A cable subjected to a concentrated load supported at same level.
1

P
Figure 2: A cable subjected to 3 concentrated loads supported at different level.

Figure 3: A cable subjected to a uniformly distributed load supported at same level.

Length of cable
1. Cable loaded with concentrated load (supported at same and different level)
E w
A

D
B
P
C
P
P

S = length of segment AB + length of segment BC + length of segment CD

+ length of segment EF

2. Cable loaded with a uniformly distributed load supported at same level.

A
h

S = L + 8h2
C
3L
where,

L = Horizontal span between 2 supports

L
h = Vertical distance from the supports A & B to the lowest point, C

3. Cable loaded with a uniformly distributed load supported at different level.

d2

A
d1
C 12 + 2d22
S = l1 + l2 + 2d
3 l1 3 l2w

l1 = horizontal distance from support

l1 A to point C l2
l2 = horizontal distance from point C to support B
d1 = vertical distance from lowest point to support A
d2 = vertical distance from lowest point to support B

Cable loaded with a uniformly distributed load supported at same level.

HB

HA
h

WL are:
Reaction for WL
cable subjected to UDL and supported at same level
2

i) Vertical reactive forces at the support:

C B = WL
VA = WL
V
W
2
2
ii) Horizontal force in the cable at the midspan section:
HC = WL2
L
8h
iii) Vertical force in the cable at the midspan section:
VC = WL - Wx
2
iv) Tensile force, T in the cable at C:

HA

T2 =

HC2 + VC2

T = HC2 + VC2
= WL2 2 + WL - Wx
8h
2

WL
2
W

Note: Maximum tensile force in the cable occurs at x=0 (at support) X = L
Tmax =
WL2 2 + WL 2
2
8h
2
Minimum tensile force in the cable occurs at x=L/2 (at the lowest point)
Tmin =
WL2 2 + 0
= H
8h

HC

VC

Cable loaded with a uniformly distributed load supported at different level.

HA

HB

d2

VB
d1

+ Fy = 0, VA + VB wL = 0
C V = wL
VA +
B
V
A

------------------------ (1)

+ Fx = 0, -HA + HB = 0
HA = HB
l1

------------------------ (2)

l2

LEFT
+ Fy = 0, VA wl1 = 0
VA = wl1

--------------- (3)

+ Fx = 0, -HA + HC = 0
HA = HC

--------------- (4)

+ MA = 0, - HC(d1) + wl1 l1 = 0
2
2
HC = wl1
2d1
HA = wl12
--------------- (5)
2d1

HA

d1

VA

l1

HC

VC=0

RIGHT
+ Fy = 0, VB wl2 = 0
VA = wl2
+ Fx = 0, -HC + HB = 0
HB = HC

--------------- (6)
--------------- (7)

+ MB = 0, HC(d2) wl2 l2 = 0
2
2
HC = wl2
2d2
HB = wl22
--------------- (8)
2d2

HC

HC ( LEFT ) = HC ( RIGHT )
wl12 = wl22
2d1
2d2
wl12 = 2d1
wl22
2d2
l12 = d1
l22
d2

VB

d2

VC=0

l2

l1 = d1
l2
d2

Clifton Bridge, Bristol, UK

Munich Olympic Stadium, Germany

HB