International Journal of Science and Advanced Technology (ISSN 2221-8386) Volume 3 No 7 July 2013

http://www.ijsat.com

Cable Stayed Bridge

Partha Pratim Roy
B. E. (Civil); M. E. (Structure)
Vice President (Technical), ADAPT International
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
pproy76@gmail.com

Abstract - This paper describes Basics, Important Aspects,
Types and Few Notable Examples of Cable Stayed Bridges.
I. ABOUT CABLE STAYED BRIDGES
A cable-stayed bridge, one of the most modern bridges,
consists of a continuous strong beam (girder) with one or
more pillars or towers in the middle.
A typical cable-stayed bridge is a continuous girder with
one or two towers erected above piers in the middle of the
span. From these piers, cables are attached diagonally to the
girder to provide additional support. Cable-stayed bridges
have a low centre of gravity which makes them strong
against earthquakes, but at the same time makes them
vulnerable to uneven sinking of the ground.
Cables are stretched diagonally between these pillars or
towers and the beam. These cables support the beam and
are anchored in the tower.
The tower of the bridge forms the vertical side of the right
triangle. The distance between the points of attachment of
preceding cables on the tower should be equal. Likewise,
the points of attachment of the cables on the beam of the
span should be equidistant.
One can calculate the length of the remaining cables
after the first cable has been installed by applying the
proportionality concept or the Pythagorean theorem.
When building a cable-stayed bridge, to figure out how
long the cables need to be, engineers either use scale
drawings or Pythagoras and trigonometry to find the
required length of cable for each section and the angle
between the cable and the vertical.
Laboratory experiments needs to be conducted for the
Cables to see how its stretch varies with the angle to the
vertical. This experiment also determines how much a
length of cable stretches when it supports a mass.

Cables are extremely well suited for axial tension,
however are weak against compression and bending forces.
As a result, long span cable stayed bridges, though strong
under normal traffic loads, are vulnerable to the forces of
winds. Special measures are taken to assure that the bridge
does not vibrate or sway under heavy winds.
Because the only part of the structure that extends above
the road is the towers and cables, cable stayed bridges have
a simple and elegant look.
B. Tension and Compression
Different components of Cable Stayed Bridge takes care
of Tension and Compression. The tower is responsible for
absorbing and dealing with compression forces. Tension
occurs along the cable lines. This works well because a
moving load is not applied evenly across the bridge, and as
it moves one set or the other of the diagonals will find itself
in tension.

II. IMPORTANT ASPECTS FOR BUILDING A CABLE

STAYED BRIDGE
A. Mathematical and Experimental Factors:
While finalizing the Geometry of a Cable Stayed
Bridge, engineers mathematically need to think of many
things, like:
 Horizontal distance from tower to point of
attachment
 Height of point of attachment above bridge level
 Stretched length of cable
 Angle between cable and tower Figure 1. Tension and Compression Elements

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International Journal of Science and Advanced Technology (ISSN 2221-8386) Volume 3 No 7 July 2013
http://www.ijsat.com

C. Shape of the Bridge
Triangles are one of the shapes used by the attachment
of the cables and the beam – this shape is used because of
its ability to transfer the tension as the moving load goes
across the bridge.
For medium length spans between 500 and 2,800 feet,
cable-stayed is fast becoming the bridge of choice. Cable
Stayed Bridges are having modern looking geometric
shapes which are eye pleasing as well as necessary for
strength. Lastly it is also a cost effective solution.

III. TYPES OF CABLE STAYED BRIDGES

Geometrical differences of Cable Stayed Bridges are
based on how the cables are attached to the pillars. There
are two major types:

A. Parallel Attachment Design or HARP Design

In this case Cables are made nearly parallel by having
the height of attachment on the pillar equals to the distance
from the pillar along the roadway as shown below:

Figure 2. Common Shapes of Cable Stayed Bridges

In this bridge, the distance of the cable up the tower is

equal to the distance from the tower to connection point on
the beam and is a 90 degree angle.

A rectangle is attached at the convergence point of the

beam and tower for stability. The Triangulated bracing Figure 3. HARP Shape Design
between the cables reduces the amplitude of oscillations.
B. Radial attachment design or FAN Design
For this type the cables all connect to or pass over the
D. Advantages of Cable-Stayed Bridges
top of the pillar as shown below:
Following are the major advantages of a Cable Stayed
Bridge over other conventional types of bridges.
 Cable uses a single support only
 Well-balanced in terms of taking care of Tension
and Compression
 Cables can be fabricated separately
 Horizontal loads are contained within the structure
o Ideal for use when the river banks are
fragile like banks with alluvial mud
 The cables disperse a load across more area easily
o Cables from nodes on tower to road is
variant of a triangle
Figure 4. FAN Shape Design
 Greater inherent rigidity of the triangulated cable-
stayed bridges C. Notable cable-stayed bridges
Civil engineers need to use a combination of geometric  Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge: the longest cable-stayed
shapes to build the strongest structures, hence it is bridge in the Western Hemisphere, spanning the
extremely important for engineers to carry out the technical Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
calculations necessary to plan a bridge project.  Bandra Worli Sea-Link: The new 5.6 kilometres (3
mi) 8-lane twin carriageway cable-stayed bridge of
Also stage construction analysis for with proper the sea-link project and the West Island Freeway
planning of construction is essential. If the sequence and the system, opened on June 30, 2009, connects Greater
specifications are not correct, the bridge could collapse. Mumbai, India to the western suburbs.

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International Journal of Science and Advanced Technology (ISSN 2221-8386)
http://www.ijsat.com
 Cable Bridge: The first cable-stayed bridge in the
United States, crosses the Columbia River and
connects Pasco, Washington to Kennewick,
Washington, USA.
 Centennial Bridge: a six-lane vehicular bridge that
crosses the Panama Canal with a total length of
1.05 km (3,451 ft).
 Millennium Bridge: In Denver, USA, a 130 foot (40
m) long pedestrian bridge which won the Gold
Award in 2003 from the New York Association of
Consulting Engineers. The bridge is a focal point of
the film "Nowhereland" starring Eddie Murphy.
 Greenville Bridge: The third longest cable-stayed
bridge main span, 1,378-foot (420 m), in the United
States, and fourth longest in North America,
crossing the Mississippi River between Lake
Village, Arkansas and Greenville, Mississippi.
 Kap Shui Mun Bridge carries both road and railway
traffic, with a main span of 430 metres and an
overall length of 1323 metres, connecting Ma Wan
and Lantau Island in Hong Kong as part of the
Lantau Link serving Hong Kong International
Airport.
 Indiano Bridge over the Arno River in Florence,
Italy, 1978, is the first earth-anchored cable-stayed
steel bridge in the world with central planes of
cables, single inclined masts, vented deck. Central
span of 210 m.
 Luling Bridge over the Mississippi River in
Destrehan, Louisiana; it was the first cable-stayed
bridge in the United States carrying an interstate
highway
 Megyeri Bridge over the Danube in Budapest,
Hungary, opened in 2008
 Millau Viaduct is the bridge with the tallest piers in
the world: 341 metres tall (1,118 ft) and roadway
270 metres high (886 ft), spanning the Tarn River
in France. With a total length of 2460 m and seven
towers, it also has the longest cable-stayed
suspended deck in the world.
 New Railroad Bridge: the first bridge in Europe to
use cable-stayed girder system in the railroad
industry, connects two banks of Sava river in
Belgrade, Serbia.
 North Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River in
Chicago, Illinois, USA utilizes cable-stayed
elements to avoid the full-size abutments required
for a pure suspension bridge, while providing
additional support via a suspension cable to
minimize the height of the bridge's support towers.
 Nový Most: The world's longest cable-stayed
bridge in category with one pylon and with one
cable-stayed plane, spanning Danube river in
Bratislava, Slovakia. The main span is 303 metres,
total length 430.8 metres. The only member of
World Federation of Great Towers that is primarily
used as a bridge. It houses a flying-saucer
restaurant at the top of pylon 85 metres high.
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 John O'Connell Bridge over the Sitka Channel,
between Japonski Island and Baranof Island in
Sitka, Alaska, 1972.
 Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge over the Pinheiros
River in São Paulo, Brazil 2008. It has a 138 metres
(450 ft)-high pylon under which two stayed roads
cross each other turning 90° to the opposite bank of
the river.
 Oresund Bridge, a combined two-track rail and
four-lane road bridge with a main span of 490
metres and a total length of 7.85 km, crossing the
Öresund strait between Malmö, Sweden and the
Danish Capital Region.
 Penang Bridge in Malaysia connects Penang island
with the Malay Peninsula, with its longest span
measuring 225 m.
 Pont de Normandie across the Seine in Normandy,
France - briefly the world's longest cable stayed
bridge.
 Rande Bridge in Spain near Vigo is the highway
cable stayed bridge with the longest and slenderest
span in the world at the time of construction (1977).
Three long spans of 148 m + 400m + 148 m.
Pylons in concrete, girder in composite steel-
concrete.
 Rama IX Bridge, Bangkok, Thailand 450 m main
span, 6 traffic lanes, completed 1987, at that date
the second longest centre span in the world.
 Rio-Antirio bridge with a total length of 2880 m
and four towers, this is the bridge with the second
longest cable-stayed suspended deck (2258 m long)
in the world, spanning the Gulf of Corinth near
Patra, Greece.
 Second Severn Crossing between England and
Wales is 3.186 miles (5.127 km) miles long,
consisting of a single central navigation span over
the "Shoots" channel and approach viaducts on
either side.
 Skybridge is the world's longest transit-only bridge,
spanning the Fraser River between New
Westminster and Surrey, BC, Canada.
 Sundial Bridge is an award-winning single spar
pedestrian bridge spanning the Sacramento River in
Redding, California.
 Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the world's longest
bridge with a cable-stayed main span; carries I-275
across Tampa Bay south of St. Petersburg, Florida,
United States. The very similar looking Oresund
bridge is slightly shorter but has a longer main
span.
 Suramadu Bridge in Indonesia is the longest cable-
stayed bridge in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. It
connects the city of Surabaya in Java island with
the island of Madura. Its main span is 818 metres
long.
 Surgut Bridge is the longest one-tower cable-stayed
bridge in the world, crossing the Ob River in
Siberia.
 Sutong Bridge spans the Yangtze River Delta in
eastern China. It has the longest span of any cable-
International Journal of Science and Advanced Technology (ISSN 2221-8386)
http://www.ijsat.com
stayed bridge at 1,088 metres (3,570 ft), surpassing
Japan's Tatara Bridge for the world's longest cable-
stay main span, but its overall length is shorter than
the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the United States.
 Tatara Bridge has the second largest span of any
cable-stayed bridge at 890 metres (2,920 ft), part of
a series of bridges connecting Honshū and Shikoku
in Japan.
 Ting Kau Bridge is the world's first major four-span
(three towers) cable-stayed bridge, forming part of
the road network connecting Hong Kong
International Airport to other parts of Hong Kong,
China.
 Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon, Portugal is the
longest bridge in Europe, with a total length of 17.2
km (10.7 mi), including 0.829 km (0.5 mi) for the
main bridge, 11.5 km (7.1 mi) in viaducts, and 4.8
km (3.0 mi) in extension roads.
 Veterans' Glass City Skyway in Toledo, Ohio has a
total length of 8,800 feet (2,682 m). The bridge is
the most expensive project ever undertaken by the
Ohio Department of Transportation(ODOT),
costing approximately US$237 million. It carries
six lanes of Interstate 280 across the Maumee
River.
 Vidyasagar Setu (2nd Hooghly Bridge) in Kolkata,
West Bengal, India is the longest cable-stayed
bridge in the Indian subcontinent, with the main
span measuring 457.2 m (1,500 ft) and total length
being 823 m (2,700 ft).
 Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge is the world's widest
cable-stayed bridge; carries 10 lanes of Interstate 93
over the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. It
is also the first cable-stayed bridge with an
asymmetrical deck design.
 Zhivopisny Bridge in Moscow, Russia, is the
highest cable-stayed bridge in Europe.
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 Zarate-Brazo Largo Bridges' over the Paranà Guazù
and Paranà de las Palmas Rivers in Argentina
(1977). They are the two first road and railway long
span cable-stayed steel bridges in the world. Spans:
110 m + 330m + 110 m.
Partha Pratim Roy (born 1976), holds a Bachelor's
degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Structural
Engineering from The Bengal Engineering and Science
University, Kolkata, a premier and one of the oldest institutes in
India. He has more than 16 years of global experience in various
A/E/C software solutions. He presently handles Global Technical
Support and is also responsible for all Training and Pre/Post Sales
Technical matters for Afro-Asia Pacific region of ADAPT
International. He has earlier worked in key positions with global
responsibilities in Research Engineers/Netguru Inc and Bentley
Systems Inc.
He is currently perusing his doctoral works in Assam
Engineering College, Guwahati University, under the guidance of
Dr. Jayanta Pathak. His topic of research is “A Study of Various
Parameters affecting Optimal Design of Multi-Span Cable Stayed
Bridge”. Some of his papers were published in Indian Road
Congress Magazine (on “High Speed Corridor Projects”);
CADD-Zoom magazine (on “Product Review: STAAD.Pro
2005”); Civil Engineering & Construction magazine ( on “Recent
Developments of Structural Design Modules in STAAD”); ACE
Update (on “Structural Analysis Software for Concrete Building
Design”) and various we forums like IRCON International etc.