TCM301/05 Advanced

Construction Technology
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 Unit 4 Cables and Arches
4.1 Cables
4.2 Arches
4.3 Applications of Cables and Arches
Objectives
By the end of Unit 4, you should be able to:
• Determine the stability of cables subjected to concentrated loads.
• Identify the types of arch structures.
• Determine the stability of arch structures.
• Explain the applications of cables and arches in construction.
4.1 Cables

• Flexible structural element used to carry non-axial loads

in tension.
• Normally made of high tensile steel.
• Undergo changes in geometry in accordance to the
direction of the load applied.
• However, these deformations are small and they are
normally neglected in the stability analysis of cables.
• Commonly used to support suspended roofs, bridges
and cable car system
Advantages of Cables

• Advantages:
– Provide contemporary design and translucency to suit specific
architectural expressions
– Lightweight and high tensile strength
– Faster construction time.
– Easier to be transported (in rolls)
– Good seismic resistance.
– Cheaper fire protection methods by using foaming polymers.
– Low maintenance cost
 Advantages of Cables (Cont’)

• Potential drawbacks:
– Increased deformability mainly of kinematic nature
– Relatively poor anticorrosion resistance
– Need of supporting structures in taking up the abutment shear,
and because of light weight and deformability they require
special stabilization arrangements to provide geometric shape
invariabilities.
 Analysis of Cables

• Two important assumptions: the cable is perfectly

flexible and inextensible.
• Perfectly flexible means the cable offers no resistance
to shear or bending and, therefore, the force acting in
the cable is always tangent to the cable at points along
its length.
• Being inextensible means the cable has a constant
length before and after loads are applied. As a result,
once the load is applied, the geometry of the cable
remains fixed, and the cable can be treated as a rigid
body.
 Analysis of Cables (Cont’)

Geometry of unloaded cables:

Reading:
http://www.ijee.ie
Geometry of cable upon loading: /articles/Vol19-
2/IJEE1382.pdf
 Analysis of Cables (Cont’)

• When the external loads are applied at the mid span of

the cable, we can expect that the cable reacts in
tension, and it takes the form of several straight line
segments which is known as a funicular shape.
• The unknown parameters are the 4 support reactions at
A and B (rxA, ryA, rxD, ryD,), the cable tensions in each of
the 3 segments (TAB, TBC, TCD), and the two sags (hB,
hC). This yields a total of 9 unknowns.
 Analysis of Cables (Cont’)

• To solve the unknowns, we can write 2 force

equilibrium equations (ΣFx = 0, ΣFy = 0) at each of the
points A, B, C, and D.
• Thus, a total of 8 equilibrium equations can be formed
easily.
• However, to solve the 9 unknowns, we need at least 9
equilibrium equations.
• This requires one more equation that may be formed
from the geometry of the cable. For example, if hB or hC
or L is given, then the problem can be solved.
Analysis of Cables (Cont’)

Working example:
Consider the same example above, the values of
external loads, segment lengths and some of the sags
are given, as shown in Figure 4.5. Determine the
tension forces in each segment (TAB, TBC, TCD), and the
total length of the cable. D
0.5 m A
TCD 1.0 m
0.5m + y TAB
TBC C y
B

10 kN 5 kN

1.5 m 2.5 m 2m
4.2 Arches

• Arch is defined as a beam curved to form a semicircular

shape, which is used to span an opening and to support
loads from above.
• Used to support loads mainly in compression.
• However, because of its rigidity, arch must also resist
some bending and shear.
Advantages of Arches

• Advantages:
– Longer span
– Carry more loads
– Multitude of Uses
 Types of Arches

• Based on construction materials:

– Stones and bricks arch
– Reinforced concrete arch
– Steel arch
• Based on geometries:
– Flat arch
– Triangular arch
– Round arch
– Pointed arch
 Types of Arches (Cont’)

• Based on support conditions:

– Fixed-fixed arch
– Two-hinged arch
– Three-hinged arch
 Analysis of Arches

• Focus on the statically determinate three-hinged arch

only. P
C
L/4

h
b
A B
rxA rxB
L/2 L/2
ryA ryB

• By taking moment equilibrium about support A,  M A  0 :

ryB .L  P.L / 4
ryB  P / 4
 Analysis of Arches (Cont’)

By taking Fy  0:

By taking moment about hinge C

(consider all forces right of the hinge), M C  0:
 Analysis of Arches (Cont’)

By taking  Fx  0 : Web Reference:

http://www.youtube.
PL com/watch?v=CdNY
rxA  rxB 
8h TjXJPKE&feature=r
elated
The moment below the concentrated load:
M P  ryA .L / 4  rxAb http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=Kmn5
3PL PLb XgXEPwA
MP  
16 8h
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=d7Gq
qJpbtO4
Analysis of Arches (Cont’)

Working Example:
A three-hinged arch in a parabolic shape is used to
support a uniform load acting over the whole length of
the arch, as shown in Figure 4.14. Determine the
bending moment at point D. (Hint: The parabolic shape
of the arch has an equation of y  x  102 x 2 ).
20
4.3 Applications of Cables and
Arches
• Cables are strong tensile members while arches are
good in compression.
• Thus, they are often used together to form an efficient
structural system to resist high structural loads over a
long span.
• For building structures, the common applications
include doorway, roof support, suspended members, or
even the main structure of a building.
• With respect to the bridges, the cables and arches are
typically used for suspension and cable-stayed bridges.
 Building Structures
• Doorways

• Roof

• Column free structure system for stadium

 Bridges

• Suspension bridges suspend the bridge by cables from

two tall towers.
• To stiffen the deck and reduce the tendency of the
roadway to sway and ripple, supporting truss system
beneath the bridge deck is required.
• Can easily cross distances between 600 – 2,000 m.
• Given the complexity of their design and the materials
needed to build them, they are, however, often the most
expensive type of bridge compared to other
alternatives.
 Bridges (Cont’)

• Load transfer mechanism of suspension bridge:

 Bridges (Cont’)

• Cable-stayed bridges differ from suspension bridges in

that they neither require anchorages, nor do they need
two towers.
• Instead, the cables run from the roadway up to a single
tower that alone bears the loads from the bridge deck.
• Cable-stayed bridges are a popular choice for bridge
construction as they offer all advantages of suspension
bridges but at a lesser cost for span up to 1 km.
• They require less steel cables, are faster to build and
incorporate more precast concrete sections.
 Bridges (Cont’)

• Load transfer mechanism of cable-stayed bridge:

Reading:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/build-bridge-p3.html

Web Reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfNUuMEhJs4
Thank you