Cables and Suspension Bridge

Prof. Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam

Department of Civil Engineering
DUET, Gazipur

Cables

Assumptions:
1. Cable is perfectly flexible and inextensible.
2. No resistance to shear/bending.
3. The force acting in the cable is always
tangent to the cable at points along its
length.
Only axial force!

1
 Example 5.1 Concentrated Forces

Determine the tension in each segment of the cable. Also,

what is the dimension h?

Solution (Example-5.1)

qBA qBC

M A  0
TCD (3 / 5)(2m)  TCD (4 / 5)(5.5m)  3kN (2m)  8kN (4m)  0
TCD  6.79kN

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 Solution (Example-5.1)
Joint equilibriu m at C
6.79kN (3 / 5)  TBC cos q BC  0
6.79kN (4 / 5)  8kN  TBC sin q BC  0
q BC  32.3o and TBC  4.82kN

Similarly, Joint equilibriu m at B

q BA  53.8o and TBA  6.90kN

Finally, h  ( 2m) tan 53.8o  2.74m

Cable: Uniformly Distributed Load

 Consider this cable under distributed vertical load wo
 The cable force is not a constant.
wo

FH

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 Cable: UDL

Fx  0
 T cos q  (T  T ) cos(q  q )  0

  Fy  0
 T sin q  wo (x)  (T  T ) sin(q  q )  0

d(T cos q)
 0 eqn 1
With anti - clockwise as  ve dx
M 0  0 d(T sin q)
 w o eqn 2
dx
wo (x)(x / 2)  T cos qy  T sin qx  0 dy
 tan q eqn 3
dx

T cosq   T cosq  T cos(q  q )  cosq 

Cable: UDL
d(T cos q)
 0 eqn 1
dx
d(T sin q)
 w o eqn 2
dx
dy
 tan q eqn 3 Tsinq
dx
T
 From Eqn 1 and let T = FH at x = 0: FH
T cos q  cons tan t  FH eqn 4 FH

 Integrating Eqn 2 realizing that Tsinq = 0 at x = 0:

T sin q  wo x eqn 5

 Eqn 5/Eqn 4:
dy wo x
tan q   eqn 6
dx FH

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 Cable: UDL

dy wo x
tan q   eqn 6
dx FH

FH

 Performing an integration with y = 0 at x = 0 yields

wo 2 y = h at x = L wo L2
y x eqn 7 FH  eqn 8
2 FH 2h

Cable profile: h 2
y x eqn 9
parabola L2

Cable: UDL Tmax

qmax
 Where and what is the max tension?
T cos q  FH eqn 4

T sin q  wo x eqn 5
FH
T  FH 2  ( wo x) 2

 T is max when x=L Tmax  FH 2  ( wo L )2 eqn 10

wo L2
FH  eqn 8 Tmax  wo L 1  ( L / 2h )2 eqn 11
2h

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 Cable: UDL

T cos q  FH
T sin q  wo x
dy wo x
tan q  
dx FH T
q
wo L2
FH 
2h
FH
h
y  2 x2
L

Tmax  wo L 1  ( L / 2h)2

Example 5.2
The cable supports a girder which weighs 12 kN/m.
Determine the tension in the cable at points A, B & C.

12kN/m

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 Solution (Example-5.2)
The origin of the coordinate axes is established at point B, the lowest
point on the cable where slope is zero,
wo 2 12kN/m 2 6 2
y x  x  x (1)  0.0389 x 2
2 FH 2 FH FH
Assuming point C is located x’ from B:
6 2
6 x'  FH  1.0 x'2 (2)  154.4kN
FH
From B to A:
6
12  [(30  x' )] 2
FH
6
12  [(30  x' )] 2
1.0 x' 2 FH
x' 2 60 x'900  0  x'  12.43m

Solution (Example-5.2)
TA
y  0.0389 x 2 qA
TC

qC

dy
tan q   0.0777 x
FH=154.4kN

dx
17.57m 12.43m

dy dy
tan qC   0.966 tan q A   1.366
dx x 12.43 dx x  17.57

qC  44.0o q A  53.79o
FH 154.4 FH
TC    214.6kN TA   261.4kN
cos qC cos 44.0o cos q A

T cos q  FH

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Example 5.3: Suspension Bridge
Determine the max tension in the cable IH. Assume
the cable is parabolic under uniformly distributed
load.

Solution (Example-5.3)

 M C  0  I y  Ay  0.667 FH

 M B  0  I y  Ay  18.75

FH  28.13 kN

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Solution (Example-5.3)

FH  28.13 kN

wo L2
FH 
2h

wo  3.13 kN / m

Tmax  wo L 1  ( L / 2h )2  46.9 kN