CABLES

FLEXIBLE CABLES
• Are used in numerous engineering applications.

• The term flexible means that the cables are incapable of developing
internal forces other than tension.

• The effects of distributed forces, such as the weight of the cable or

the weight of the structure that is suspended from the cable are
considered.
• Flexible cables may support
- Concentrated loads
- Distributed loads
- Its own weight only
- All three or only two of the above

- In several cases the weight of the cable may negligible compared with the
loads it supports.
Three cases will be considered in the
analysis:
I. Cable subjected to concentrated loads

When a cable of negligible weight supports several concentrated loads, the

cable takes the form of several straight-line segments, each of which is
subjected to a constant tensile force.
 Cables supporting traffic lights

Cable taking the form of several straight

line segments
II. Parabolic Cables (cables subjected to uniformly distributed loads)

When the intensity of vertical loading w is constant, the description closely

approximates a suspension bridge where the uniform weight of the roadway
may be expressed in terms of the constant load intensity w.
Suspension bridge
III. Catenary Cables (cable subjected to its own weight)
For a uniform cable suspended at two points in the same horizontal plane and
hanging under its own weight is considered as catenary. The vertical force
supported is equal to the weight of the section of cables of length, S, in place
of the load distributed uniformly with respect to the horizontal.
Suspended power lines
 Example 1.
• A cable supports a load of 490.5 N/m uniformly distributed with respect to the
horizontal and is suspended from the two fixed points located as shown.
Determine the maximum and minimum tensions in the cable
100 m

A
20 m
B
20 m

490.5 N/m
Solution:
Pass a cutting plane at the minimum point of the cable and draw the
FBD of the left and right side of the section.

Left side FBD Right side FBD

Solve equations 1 and 2 simultaneously:

x = 58.58 m and

To = 21040.10 N
For the maximum tension, Tmax:

Force triangle:

490.5x Tmax

To
Example 2.
A power line is suspended from two towers 200 m apart on the same
horizontal line. The cable has a mass of 18.2 kg/m of length and has a
sag of 32 m at midspan. If the cable can support a maximum tension of
60 kN, determine the mass, m of ice per meter which can form on the
cable without exceeding the maximum cable tension.
Given:
200 m

A B
Tmax = 60 kN
32 m

O
μcable = 18.2 kg/m

Required: m = mass of ice per meter

Solution:
Let: μ = μcable + m
Define the lowest point on the cable:

At point O:
Tmax = 60 kN

y = 32 m

To

X = 100 m
Equation 2 in equation 1:

By trial and error: