Estimation of Tension in Cables with Intermediate Elastic Supports Using Finite-Element Method

Abstract

Cables with intermediate elastic supports are widely used in bridge engineering, but there is a lack of effective methods for estimating the tensions in these cables. In this paper, an analytical form of the equilibrium equation for a tension bar has been used to provide a shape function to develop a suitable finite-element model for a cable. A program for estimating the tension in cables with intermediate elastic supports has been developed in which the bending stiffness of the cable, the stiffness of the end restraints, and the stiffness of the intermediate supports are taken into account by using this element and MATLAB. The program has been verified by comparison of the results from laboratory experiments. The method has been applied to compute the tension in the tie bars of a concrete-filled steel tube arch bridge. This demonstrates that the cable tension estimated by the present method is suitably accurate.