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Cable Structure

Cables are flexible structural components that transmit loads and provide support. There are two main types of cable structures: suspension and stayed cables. Suspension bridges hang the deck below main cables anchored at both tower ends, supported by vertical suspender cables. Cable-stayed bridges have towers that transmit loads to the ground, with cables running directly from the towers to support the deck farther from the towers. While suspension bridges rely on tension in anchored main cables, cable-stayed bridges use towers as primary load-bearing structures and cables that pull horizontally rather than directly up.

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Editha Baniqued
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308 views

Cable Structure

Cables are flexible structural components that transmit loads and provide support. There are two main types of cable structures: suspension and stayed cables. Suspension bridges hang the deck below main cables anchored at both tower ends, supported by vertical suspender cables. Cable-stayed bridges have towers that transmit loads to the ground, with cables running directly from the towers to support the deck farther from the towers. While suspension bridges rely on tension in anchored main cables, cable-stayed bridges use towers as primary load-bearing structures and cables that pull horizontally rather than directly up.

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Editha Baniqued
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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I.

CABLE STRUCTURE

A cable is a flexible structural component that offers no resistance when compressed or


bent in a curved shape.

Cables are often used for support and to transmit load from one member to another.
When used to support suspension bridges the cables form the main load carrying
element in the structure.

Cable structure is a form of long-span structure that is subject to tension and uses
suspension cables for support. Highly efficient, cable structures include the suspension
bridge, the cable-stayed roof etc.

Being inextensible the cable has constant length before and after the load is applied. As
a result, once the load is applied the geometry of cable remains fixed.

2.1 Types of Cable Structure

There are generally two types of cables structures.

1- Suspension type cables


2- Stayed type cables
2.1.1 Suspension type cable structures

A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (the load-bearing portion) is
hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders.

This type of bridge has cables suspended between towers, with vertical suspender
cables that transfer the live and dead loads of the deck below, upon which traffic
crosses. This arrangement allows the deck to be level or to arc upward for additional
clearance. Like other suspension bridge types, this type often is constructed without
falsework.

The main type of force in a suspension bridge are tension in cables and compression in
the pillars.

The suspension cables must be anchored


at each end of the bridge, since any load
applied to the bridge is transformed into a
tension in these main cables. The main
cables continue beyond the pillars to deck-
level supports, and further continue to
connections with anchors in the ground.

The roadway is supported by vertical


suspender cables or rods, called hangers. The bridge will usually have two smaller
spans, running between either pair of pillars and the highway, which may be supported
by suspender cables or may use a truss bridge to make this connection.
2.1.2 Stayed type cable structure

A cable-stayed bridge has one or more towers (or pylons), from which cables support
the bridge deck. In the cable-stayed bridge, the towers are the primary load-bearing
structures which transmit the bridge loads to the ground.

A cantilever
approach is often used to support the bridge deck near the towers, but lengths further
from them are supported by cables running directly to the towers.

The cables pull to the sides as opposed to directly up, requiring the bridge deck to be
stronger to resist the resulting horizontal compression loads; but has the advantage of
not requiring firm anchorages to resist the horizontal pull of the main cables of the
suspension bridge.
By design all static horizontal forces of the cable-stayed bridge are balanced so that the
supporting towers do not tend to tilt or slide, needing only to resist horizontal forces from
the live loads.

There are four major classes of rigging on cable-stayed bridges:

1- mono
2- harp
3- fan, and
4- star

1. Mono design

The mono design uses a single cable from its towers and is one of the lesser-used examples of
the class.

2. Harp design

In the harp or parallel design, the cables are nearly parallel so that the height of their
attachment to the tower is proportional to the distance from the tower to their mounting on
the deck.

3. Fan design

In the fan design, the cables all connect to or pass over the top of the towers. The fan design is
structurally superior with a minimum moment applied to the towers, but, for practical reasons,
the modified fan (also called the semi-fan) is preferred, especially where many cables are
necessary.

4. Star design
In the star design, another relatively rare design, the cables are spaced apart on the tower, like
the harp design, but connect to one point or a number of closely spaced points on the deck.

2.2 Applications of cabled structures

1) Suspended bridges

• The complete suspension system of this


type of bridge can be realized using parallel
strands system, that can be installed one by
one directly on site without the needing of
high capacity lifting equipment.

2) Suspended roof

• Lightweight roofs are usually realized using


cable structures as main structural element,
since they allow an easy and quick
construction sequence.

• The system is complete with all the relevant


clevis connections to the columns and to the
covering elements, and can be easily customized to match with both structural and
aesthetical requirements.

3) Pedestrian walkways
• Applications include stay cables or hangers for pedestrian walkways, tied-arch-bridges
and other cabled structures.

• Cable stays or hangers are made using parallel strands with low relaxation or, in some
cases, using high strength bars.

• In case of parallel strands systems, the complete bundle can be either prefabricated
on ground /in the warehouse and then lifted to its final position or each single element
can thread one by one.

2.3 Suspension Structures vs. Cable-stayed Structures

Cable-stayed bridges and suspension bridges may appear to be similar but are quite
different in principle and in their construction.

In suspension bridges, large main cables (normally two) hang between the towers and
are anchored at each end to the ground. The main cables, which are free to move on
bearings in the towers, bear the load of the bridge deck. Before the deck is installed, the
cables are under tension from their own weight.

Along the main cables smaller cables or rods connect to the bridge deck, which is lifted
in sections. As this is done, the tension in the cables increases, as it does with the live
load of traffic crossing the bridge. The tension on the main cables is transferred to the
ground at the anchorages and by downwards compression on the towers.
In cable-stayed bridges, the towers are the primary loadbearing structures that
transmit the bridge loads to the ground.

A cantilever approach is often used to support the bridge deck near the towers, but
lengths further from them are supported by cables running directly to the towers.

By design, all static horizontal forces of the cable-stayed bridge are balanced so that the
supporting towers do not tend to tilt or slide and so must only resist horizontal forces
from the live loads.

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