Tips&Tricks

CableElements

CableElementsinSFRAMETipsandTricks

Cablesareusedinavarietyofstructuresthatemploytheiruniquecharacteristicstocreateanefficient
design.Itisimportanttorealizethat,whilesimilarinsomeways,CablesandBeamsdonotbehave
alike.ThisTipsandTrickswilldiscussthetheorybehindCableElements,andhowyoucanproperly
implementthemintoyournextmodel.

WhatisaCable?

ACableisaflexiblestructuralmemberthatiseffectiveatresistingtensileforces.Ithelpstothinkofthe
Cableelementasapieceofrope.Itshighflexibilitymakesittoounstabletoprovidecompressive,
bendingorshearresistance.Commonapplicationsinclude:tensionmembersinsuspensionbridges,
guywiresfortall,slenderstructures,andauxiliaryelementsinfabricstructures.AsCablesusually
requirelargedeformationsinordertoreachequilibrium,theuseoflinearanalysisisgenerally
ineffectiveandnonlinearanalysismustbeperformed.AllCables,exceptthosecompletelyvertical,
developasaggedshapedependentontheirownselfweight,andprestress.

ModelingConsiderations

Asmentioned,Cablesalmostalwayshavesomesortofcatenarysag,aswellassomeprestressforceto
avoidinstabilityinthestructure.Usuallyeithertheshapeortheprestressisknown,andtheothermust
befound.

Ifwebeginwithaknownorassumedgeometry(sag)wecaniteratetoconvergeontheinitially
unknownprestresswhileretainingtheoriginalgeometry.
Ifwestartwithaknownorassumedstressedstate,wecanconvergeonaninitiallyunknown
geometrywhileretainingtheoriginalprestress.

Ultimately,wedesiretomodeltheequilibriumstateoftheCableStructurewhereananalysisrevealsno
furtherdeflectionsunderthecombinedeffectsoftheCablesselfweightandprestress.Wecanspeed
uptheiterationprocessbyeithermakinginformedguessesoftheunknownvalues,orusethetrick
methodofadjustingthestiffnessoftheCableElements.Thesetwoalternativesareoptional,butwill
reducethenumberofstepsrequiredtoreachequilibrium.

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 Tips&Tricks
CableElements

DemonstrationoftheTrickMethodtoFindingInitialConditions

ThisdemonstrationassumesthatyouhavealreadycreatedyourCableSection,andMaterials(ensure
thattheCablesmaterialhastheShearModulussettozero,astherearenosheareffectsinCables).The
followingstepsareperformedassumingweknowtheinitialprestressintheCable,andwanttofindthe
geometry.

1. SelecttheMemberTypetool,andchooseCableasthemembertypeyouwanttouse.
2. SettheinitialprestressoftheCabletoyourdesiredamount(thisisyourknownorassumed
initialcondition).
3. CreateaCableElementbyclickingontwopointsintheGraphicalInputWindow.
4. FixbothendsupportsoftheCable.
5. CreateanewloadcaseandcallitSelfWeight.EnsurethattheGravitationalFactorintheZ
directionissetto1.
6. AtthispointwewillwanttosubdivideourCablememberintosmallerelements,suchthat
severalstraightelementscanrepresentthecurvedshapereasonablywell.Forthisexample,the
cablewasmodeledwith4elements.
7. PerformaNonlinearStaticAnalysis
8. AftertheAnalysisiscomplete,wecanexaminetheAxialForceandZDeflectiondiagrams.You
willnoticethatyourAxialForceisnotconsistentwiththeprestressappliedearlier.Thisis
becausethestressmustincreasetoaccountfortheselfweightloadonthecable.

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CableElements

9. Thisiswherethetrickcomesin.WewillcreateacopyofourCablematerial,andrenameit
LowE.Muchlikeitsnamesuggests,wewillreducetheModulusofElasticityofthisnew
materialbyafactorof1000.Themagnitudeofthisreductionisjustaruleofthumb.Youcan
reduceitevenmoretofurtherspeeduptheiterationprocess,however,reducingittoofarwill
leadtoinstabilities.Keepthisinmindifyourunintoerrorsduringanalysis.
10. ChangeyourCablesmaterialtothenewLowEmaterialandrunanotheranalysis.
11. ReexamineyourAxialForceandZDeflection,youllnoticeyourprestressassumptionismuch
closertoyourAxialForceresults.

12. Atthispoint,itistimetoupdatethecablegeometrywiththedeflectedshape.IntheGeometry
Window,chooseFile>UpdateGeometry.Inthisdialog,wecanchoosewhichloadcasetouseto
replaceourinitialgeometry.Atthistime,wealsoneedtounselectUpdatePrestressForall
elementtypes.

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CableElements

13. Afterclickingok,youmaynoticethecablesagslightly.Wehavesuccessfullyreplacedour
originalgeometrywithdeformedgeometryandcompletedthefirstiteration.Byclickingonany
existingjointwiththeJointToolactive,youcanviewitsupdatedcoordinates.
14. Next,thisprocessshouldberepeateduntiltheincrementaldeflectionisverysmall.Checkafter
eachstepthattheprestressispreserved.
15. Itmaybetemptingatthisstagetoconsidertheanalysiscomplete,butthereisonemorestep.
Wehavebeenanalyzingthecablewithunrealisticmaterialpropertiestohelpconvergence.
Onceconvergenceisreached,however,weneedtoreapplytheoriginalmaterialandrepeat
theanalysisonelasttime.
16. Aftertheanalysis,ensureyourAxialForcesareasexpected,andobserveyourdeflectionresults;
theyshouldbeverysmallastheyrepresenttheincrementaldeflection,notthetotal.Forthe
totaldeflection,youwillneedtocheckthejointcoordinates.

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CableElements

17. WiththeCableshapeandprestressnowknown,wecanproceedtoanalyzetheremainderof
ourstructure,aswellasaddotherloadstotheCables.AddingloadstotheCableswillnot
requirefurtheriteration,asweareloadingastructureinequilibrium.

RememberthattheaboveproceduredeterminedthegeometryofaCableforwhichweknewthe
desiredaxialforce.NowletssaythatweknowtheexistinggeometryoftheCable(ourfinal
geometryfromabove),andwewishtodeterminetheprestress.Wewillcontinuewiththemodel
createdattheendofthelastexample,exceptwewillassumethatwedonotknowtheprestressat
thispoint.

1. RatherthanusingtheLowEmaterialwecreatedinthepreviousexample,wewillcreatea
newmaterialandcallitHighE.WewilladjusttheorderofmagnitudeofEaccordingly,solets
makeit1000xstifferthanouroriginalsteelmaterial.
2. ApplythisnewHighEmaterialtoourCable.
3. Toavoidanyanalysiserrorsduetoinstability,wemustapplyaninitialguessofourCables
prestress.Wewillapplyaninitialvalueof10kNinthiscase.Ifwedonotapplyaprestressour
CableElementwillbeunstable.
4. RunaNonLinearStaticAnalysis,andviewtheSelfWeightLoadCaseresultsforAxialForce.
Youshouldnoticethattheaxialloadafterthisstepisverycloseto50kN.Asyouprobably
rememberthisistheequilibriumprestressbasedonthegeometrywehave.You'llalsoseethat
ourdeflectionresultsareverysmall,andareassumednegligible.

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 Tips&Tricks
CableElements


5. Atthis pointwemustupdateourCableprestressbasedonourrecentanalysisresult.
6. UsetheUpdateGeometrytoolagain,andensurethattheoptionforUpdatingPrestressesfor
CableElementsisselected.

7. ReapplyyouroriginalCableMaterial,andrunanotherNonLinearStaticAnalysis.Yourresults
shouldmatchthoseofthepreviousexample.

ForfurtherexplanationofCableElementspleasevisittheHelpSystembuiltintoSFRAMESoftware.
AdditionalinformationcanbefoundinthebookTensionStructures:Behaviour&AnalysisbyJohn
WilliamLeonard.

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