CENG 311 -STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS I

CABLES
Chapter 6
OBJECTIVE ❖ To analyze the forces on cables
OF THIS and study the geometry of
CHAPTER cables supporting vertical loads.
 6.1 & 6.2 INTRODUCTION

❖ Cable is perfectly flexible & inextensible

❖ Due to its flexibility, cable offers no resistance to shear
or bending
❖ The force acting in the cable is always tangent to the
cable at points along its length
 6.3 VARIATION OF CABLE FORCES
❖For cables supporting vertical forces, the value of the tension force
(T) inside the cable changes as the slope of the cable changes.
❖However, the horizontal component H (or FH) of the tension force
T in the cable is constant along the cable.
❖If the cable has a slope 𝜃, then H=Tcos𝜃 . When the cable is
horizontal (𝜃=0) then T=H.
❖On the other hand, the vertical component V (or FV) of the tension
force T in the cable is not constant and also changes as the slope
of the cable changes.
❖If the cable has a slope 𝜃, then V=Tsin𝜃
 6.4 ANALYSIS OF A CABLE SUPPORTING
GRAVITY (VERTICAL) LOADS
❖ In our study, our focus will be on
two types of vertical loads on
cables:
❖ Vertical Concentrated forces:
under these forces the cable will
have straight segments between
every two forces.
❖ Vertical uniformly distributed
loads: under this load, cables
take the shape of a parabola.
❖ Note: we are neglecting the self
weight of the cable in our
analysis.
SOME TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW IN
CABLES ❖ The vertical distance between the
cable’s chord and a point on the
Angle of chord
cable is called the sag of the
cable (y) at that point.
Cable’s chord
❖ In some references, the cable’s sag
is called (h).
❖ The cable forces and sag can be
determined by using equilibrium
equations

Note: Due to the applied concentrated

forces, segments between the forces
become straight line
Therefore, each segment experiences
cable’s span constant tensile force
 RB = TBD
By
ANALYSIS OF CABLES SUPPORTING
VERTICAL CONCENTRATED FORCES Bx

❖ In general, to get the unknown tension TBD

forces, reactions and distances, we can
use one of the following approaches:
❖ Drawing FBD of the cable and apply
Equations of Equilibrium.
❖ Taking a section through the cable
and use equations of equilibrium on
part of it.
❖ Drawing the FBD of a point on the
cable and apply ΣFx=0 & ΣFy=0

❖ Note: In cables, every support has two reactions (one vertical and one
horizontal), the resultant of these two reactions is equal to the tension
force in the cable segment connected to the support.
Example 1: Determine the tension in each segment of the cable
shown in Fig. (a). Also, what is the dimension h?
TBA

Fig. a
Fig. b Free body diagram
Solution:
M A = 0
TCD (3 / 5)(2m) + TCD (4 / 5)(5.5m) − 3kN (2m) − 8kN (4m) = 0
TCD = 6.79kN
 Equilibrium of points C and B in sequence. Point C (Fig. c)
+Fx = 0
6.79kN (3 / 5) − TBC cos  BC = 0

+  Fy = 0
6.79kN (4 / 5) − 8kN + TBC sin  BC = 0
 BC = 32.3o and TBC = 4.82kN

Point B (Fig. d)
+Fx = 0;  −TBA cos  BA + 4.82kN cos 32.3o = 0
+  Fy = 0;  TBA sin  BA − 4.82kN sin 32.3o − 3kN = 0
 BA = 53.8o and TBA = 6.90kN
Hence from Fig. (a)
h = (2m) tan 53.8o = 2.74m
 ANALYSIS OF CABLES SUBJECTED TO
UNIFORM DISTRIBUTED LOAD

(b)
Cable with uniform horizontally The free-body diagram of a small
distributed vertical load of w0 segment of the cable having a
At lowest point (origin), x=0, the cable is length s is shown in Fig (b)
horizontal, i.e. slope =0

Applying equation of equilibrium for small segment, yields

+Fx = 0
−T cos  + (T + T ) cos( +  ) = 0
−T cos  + (T + T ) cos( +  ) = 0
 −T cos  + (T + T )(cos  cos  − sin  sin  )
+  Fy = 0
−T sin  − wo (x) + (T + T ) sin( +  ) = 0  is small, therefore, sin=0 & cos =1
−T cos  + (T + T )(cos  ) = 0
M O = 0
wo (x)(x / 2) − T cos y + T sin x = 0  −T cos  + T cos  + T cos  = 0

Dividing each of these eqn by x and taking the limit as x →0,

hence, y →0 ,  →0 and T →0 , we obtain:

d (T cos  )
= 0 eq n 5.1
6.1
dx
d (T sin  )
= wo eq n 6.2
5.2
dx
dy
= tan  eq n 6.3
5.3
dx
 Integrating eqn 6.1 and at x=0, T is horizontal, i.e. T= FH
d (T cos  )
 dx = constant , Tcos =FH eqn 6.4
(5.4)

Where FH is the horizontal component of the cable force. Tsin

Which means that the horizontal component of force at T

FH
any point along the cable remains constant.
FH

Integrating eqn 6.2 , realizing that at x = 0, Tsin = 0 we have:

 d (T sin  ) =  wo dx  dy =
wo x
FH
dx Equation 6.8 is equation
of parabola
T sin  = wo x (5.5)
eq n 6.5
Integration with y = 0 The constant FH may
Dividing Eq 6.5 by Eq. 6.4 be obtained by using
at x = 0
wo x the boundary condition
tan  = eqn
eqn 5.6
6.6   dy = 
wo x
dx y = h at x = L
FH FH
dy wx
= tan  = o
w
y = o x 2 eq
wo L2
or ,
dx FH 2 FH
eqnn 5.7
6.8 FH = eqnn 6.9
5.8
eqn 6.7 2h
 The maximum tension in the cable occurs when  is maximum,
i.e. at x=L.
Hence from (eqn 6.4)2 + (eqn 6.5)2

Tmax = F 2 H + ( wo L) 2 eqn
eq n 5.10
6.10

wo L2
Substituting FH = in Eqn 6.10 Tsin
2h
T
2
FH
 L 
Tmax = wo L 1 +   eqn
eq n 5.11
6.11 FH
 2h 

Note:
1. We have neglect the weight of the cable
2. A cable subjected to its own weight will take the form of a curve
3. If the sag-to-span ratio is small, this curve closely approximates a
parabolic shape
Example 2: Find the tension forces in the cable at points A,B
and C. The distributed load along the cable is w0=12 kN/m.
30 m
A

12 m C

B 6m

Solution:
The origin of the coordinate axes is set at the lowest point, B where
cable slope is zero. The parabolic equation of the cable is,
wo 2
y= x Eqn (6.8)
2 FH
6 2
12kN/m 2 6 2 i.e. y= x (1)
= x = x FH
2 FH FH
 The location of point C from origin is ( x’, 6), i.e. at C, x=x’ & y=6
From parabolic equation,
6 2 6 /2
y= x or, 6= x
FH FH

FH =1.0x/ 2 (2)

For point A, [x= -(30-x’) & y=12]

 From parabolic equation, Thus from eqn (2) we have
6
12 = [−(30 − x ')] 2
FH = 1.0(12.43)2 = 154.4 kN
FH
6 From Eqn (1), we have
12 = [ − (30 − x ')]2
dy 12
1.0 x '2 = x = 0.07772 x (3)
x '2 + 60 x '− 900 = 0 dx 154.4
 x ' = 12.43m
 At point A, x= −(30 − x’)= −(30 − 12.43) = − 17.57 m
dy
tan  A = = 0.07772(−17.57)
dx x =−17.57

= −1.366
 A = −53.79o

Using Eqn 6.4, Tcos =FH

FH 154.4
TA = = = 261.4 kN Similarly, at point c, x=12.43
cos  A cos( −53.79 )
o
dy
tan C = = 0.07772(12.43)
Similarly, at point B, x=0 dx x =12.43

dy = 0.9657
tan  B = = 0   B = 0o
dx x =0 C = 44.0o
FH 154.4
FH 154.4 TC = =
TB = = = 154.4kN cos C cos 44.0o
cos B cos 0 o
= 214.6 kN
 6.5 GENERAL CABLE THEOREM
❖ The theorem states that: At any point
on a cable supporting vertical loads,
the product of the cable sag h and
the horizontal component H of the
cable tension is equal to the bending
moment at the same point on a simply
supported beam that carries the same
loads in the same position as those on
the cable. The span of the beam is set
to be equal to span of the cable.
𝑯𝒉 = 𝑴
Example 3: Determine the reactions at the supports produced by
the 120-kip load at midspan using the equations of static
equilibrium and using the general cable theorem. Neglect the
weight of the cable.
Solution:
Using General Cable Theorem

Look also at example 6.2 page 236 in your textbook