Cable Structures

Abstract

Historically, cables have been used as structural components in bridge structures. In this chapter, we first examine how the geometry of a cable is related to the loading that is applied to it. We treat concentrated loadings first and then incorporate distributed loadings leading up to a theory for continuously loaded inclined cables. We also analyze the effect of temperature on the cable geometry. Lastly, we develop an approximate formula for estimating the stiffness of a cable modeled as an equivalent straight member. This modeling strategy is used when analyzing cable-stayed structures.