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Contents
1. Cables
CE 131 – Structural Engineering I 2. Analysis of Cables
- Cable subjected to Concentrated Loads
- Cable subjected to Uniformly Distributed Loads
3. Arches
Cables and Arches
4. Three-Hinged Arch
Chapter 4

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4.1 Cables Cables

Cables are often used in engineering structures to
support and/or transmit loads from one member to
another

Suspension Bridge Cable Car

William H. Natcher
Bridge, Rockport,
Indiana, USA
(http://www.pbs.org)

Cable Stayed Bridge Traffic Lights Flexible Membrane

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Cables (Cont.) 4.2 Cable Analysis

 Support loads over long spans for structures Assumptions:
such as suspension bridges, cable car systems  Cable is perfectly flexible.
and similar structures Resistance to bending is very
small and negligible
 Develop mostly tensile stresses
 Cable is inextensible. Change
in length is negligible and the
original length is somewhat
restored after the application of
load.
Resists only axial force!
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4.2.1 Cable Subjected to Concentrated Loads

Cable Analysis (Cont.) (Method of Analysis)
1. Method of Joints and Sections
 The force acting in the
cable is always tangent 2. General Cable Theorem
to the cable at points “At any point in the cable acted upon by vertical
along its length. loads, the product of the horizontal component
of the cable tension (TH) and the vertical
 Weight of cable is distance from the point to the cable (sag) is
negligible compared to equal to the bending moment that would occur at
that section if the loads carried by the cable were
the load it supports.
acting on an end-supported beam of the same span.”

TH x sag = M (4-1)
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4.2.2 Cable Subjected to Uniformly

Example 4.1* Distributed Loads
Cables provide a very effective means of supporting the
Determine the dead weight of girders or bridge decks having very long
spans.
tension in each cable
segment and the
distance yD .

Suspension Bridge
*Problem 5-3, Hibbler. R. C.,
Structural Analysis, 8th Ed.,
p.190
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4.2.2 Cable Subjected to Uniformly

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Kobe, Japan Distributed Loads (Cont.)
Parabolic Cable Catenary Cable
 Longest suspension
bridge in the world Loaded along the Loaded uniformly along its
 Crosses the busy horizontal plane length (i.e. cable subjected
Akashi Strait (Akashi only to its weight)
Kaikyō in Japanese) as
part of the Honshu-
Shikoku Highway
 Completed in 1998
 Central span is 1,991
m long
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Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical) Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical)

 F x  0
 Consider this cable under distributed vertical load wo
 T cos   (T   T ) cos(     )  0
 The cable force is not a constant.
  Fy  0

wo  T sin   w o (  x )  (T   T ) sin(     )  0

M 0  0
w o (  x )(  x / 2 )  T cos   y  T sin   x  0
Cable segment
𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑏𝑦 ∆𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑠 ∆𝑥 → 0,
∆𝑦 → 0, ∆ → 0, ∆𝑇 → 0,
FH
Cable segment d (T cos  )
0 (4-2) d (T sin  )
 wo (4-3)
dy
 tan  (4-4)
dx dx dx

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Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical) Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical)

Integrating eq’n (4-2), where Integrating eq’n (4-7) with
𝑇 = 𝐹 at 𝑥 = 0, we have 𝑦 = 0 at 𝑥 = 0 yields

𝑇 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃 = 𝐹 (4-5) = (4-7)

T sin
Integrating eq’n (4-3), with T 𝑤
𝑇𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 = 0 at 𝑥 = 0, gives FH 𝑦= 𝑥 (4-8)
2𝐹 FH
FH
𝑇 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 = 𝑤 𝑥 (4-6) (Equation of a parabola)
Dividing eq’n (4-6) by eq’n (4-5), then using eq’n (4-4), Using eq’n (4-8) with 𝑦 = ℎ at 𝑥 = 𝐿 gives
the slope at any point is 𝑤 𝐿
𝐹 = (4-9)
𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝜃 = = (4-7) 2ℎ
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Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical) Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical)

Substituting the expression of 𝐹 into eq’n (4-8) gives The tension 𝑇 in the cable is

ℎ 𝑇= 𝑇 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 + 𝑇 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝑦= 𝑥 (4-10)
𝐿 where:
𝑇 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃 = 𝐹 (4-5) T

𝑇 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 = 𝑤 𝑥 (4-6)
FH
FH
𝑇= 𝐹 + 𝑤 𝑥 (4-11)

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Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical) Parabolic Cable (Unsymmetrical)

The maximum tension occurs in the cable when 𝜃 is In summary:
maximum, i.e. at 𝑥 = 𝐿. From eq’n (4-11)
𝑇 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃 = 𝐹 (4-5)
Tmax
(4-12) 𝑇 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 = 𝑤 𝑥 (4-6)
𝑇 = 𝐹 + 𝑤 𝐿 max
T

𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝜃 = = (4-7)
Expressing 𝑇 in terms of 𝑤 ,
substituting eq’n (4-9) to (4-12) 𝑤 𝐿 FH
𝐹 = (4-9)
2ℎ
FH
𝐿 ℎ 𝐿
𝑇 = 𝑤 𝐿 1+ (4-13) 𝑦= 𝑥 (4-10) 𝑇 = 𝑤 𝐿 1+ (4-13)
2ℎ 𝐿 2ℎ
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Parabolic Cable (Symmetrical) Parabolic Cable (Symmetrical)

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Parabolic Cable
From the previous discussions,
 The cable weight, which is uniform along the length
of the cable, is neglected.
 A cable subjected to its own weight will take the
form of a catenary curve [𝑦 = 𝑎𝑐𝑜𝑠ℎ ].

 This curve of the cable approximates a parabolic

shape for small sag-to-span ratio.

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Example 4.2* Catenary Cable

The trusses are pin-connected and suspended from
 Loaded uniformly along its length
the parabolic cable. Determine the maximum force in
the cable when the structure is subjected to the  Example: cable subjected only to its weight
loading shown.

*Problem 5-13, Hibbler. R. C., Structural Analysis, 8th Ed., p.192

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Catenary Cable (Cont.) Catenary Cable (Cont.)

• Consider the half side 𝑤𝑜𝑠
𝑡𝑎𝑛  =
• Consider segment HP 𝐻
of length s For simplification, assume
w0 s 𝐻
TP 𝑐= (a)
 𝑤𝑜
w0 s H P 𝑠
TP Hence, 𝑡𝑎𝑛  = (b)
 s 𝑐
yp
P c 𝑑𝑦
s Also, 𝑡𝑎𝑛  = (c)
H 𝑑𝑥
TP xp TP Equating (b) and (c):
 w0 s 𝑤𝑜𝑠  w0 s
𝑡𝑎𝑛  = H (d)
H 𝐻 =
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Catenary Cable (Cont.) Catenary Cable (Cont.)

The segment length 𝑑𝑠 is given by
𝑑𝑠2 = 𝑑𝑥2 + 𝑑𝑦2
Integrating eq’n (d):
Dividing by 𝑑𝑥 : 𝑑𝑦 𝑠 𝑥
w0 s TP w0 s TP
  = = 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ
𝑑𝑠 𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑥 𝑐 𝑐
H P =1+ (e) H P
s 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 s 𝑥
yp yp 𝑦 = 𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑠ℎ (4-15)
c Subst. equation (d) to (e), then c 𝑐
integrate the equation:
xp 𝑥 xp
𝑠 = 𝑐 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ (4-14)
𝑐
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Catenary Cable (Cont.) Catenary Cable (Cont.)

𝑦 -𝑠 = 𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑠ℎ − 𝑐 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ 𝑇 = 𝐻 + 𝑤 𝑠
1 = 𝑤 𝑐 + 𝑤 𝑠
= 𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑠ℎ − 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ
𝑦 = 𝑐 +𝑠 (4-16) = 𝑤 𝑐 +𝑠
𝑇 =𝑤 𝑦 (4-18)

𝑥 = 𝑐 𝑙𝑛 (4-17)

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Catenary Cable
In summary:

Derivation of equations
for catenary cable
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Example 4.3 Cables and Arches

A uniform flexible cable 200m long weighs 5000 N. The
resultant tensions at the ends of the cable are 8000 N FH
and 8800 N, respectively. What is the difference in
elevation of the two ends? How far is the lowest point
of the cable below the lower end? What is the
horizontal distance between ends?
flip

Ans. ΔZ = 32 m, d = 3.36 m, L = 194.36 m FH

What if the load direction reverses?

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4.3 Arches Arches

Every part of the arch is  An arch acts as inverted cable so it receives
under compression. For compression
this reason, arch bridges  An arch must also resist bending and shear depending
must be made of materials
that are strong under
upon how it is loaded & shaped
compression.

Built before the birth of

Pont du Gard aqueduct
near Nîmes, France
(http://www.pbs.org)
37
Christ, the bridge is held
together by mortar only in
its top tier; the stones in
the rest of the structure New River Gorge Bridge , Natchez Trace Parkway
West Virginia, USA Bridge, Tennessee, USA
stay together by the sheer
force of their own weight. (Source: http://www.pbs.org)
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Geometry of an Arch Types of Arches

indeterminate indeterminate

indeterminate
determinate
Typical Arch
(Source: Hibbler, Structural Analysis, 8th Ed.)
(Source: Hibbler, Structural Analysis, 8th Ed.)
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4.4 Three-Hinged Arch Example 4.4*

The tied three-hinged arch is subjected to the loading
shown. Determine the components of reaction at A and
C and the tension in the cable.
Bx
Ax
By
Ay

(Source: Hibbler, Structural Analysis, 8th Ed.)

41 *Problem 5-21, Hibbler. R. C., Structural Analysis, 8th Ed., p.201

41 42

References
Chang, C.C. Chapter 5: Cables and Arches Lecture
Notes, Hongkong University of Science and Technology.
(https://www.ihome.ust.hk/Chapter5) Accessed March 9,
2016.
Thank you for
Hibbler, R. C. 2012. Structural Analysis. 8th Edition.
Prentice Hall: New Jersey. listening!
Kassimali, A. 2010. Structural Analysis. 4th Edition. PSW
Kent: Boston.
Lasco, J. D. D. 2nd Sem 2014-2015. CE 131 Lecture Notes,
CE Department, UPLB.

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