Analysis of cables in cable-stayed bridges

Abstract

This work has as objective the study of the static and dynamic analysis of cables in cable-stayed bridges. The cable self-weight applied along the entire length leads to a tension variation. The significant nonlinearity implies a two-stage analysis. In a first stage, a static analysis is conducted iteratively for a solution of the equilibrium system of equations and the determination of the static support reactions. The second stage of the study consists on the assessment of the dynamic behavior of stays under loading effect. The dynamic behavior can be approximated by means of the cable vibration theory for small sagged cables where provides formulas for the quantification of natural frequencies and mode shapes. Considering the dependence of these frequencies on the cable tension, the experimentally identified natural frequencies can be used to calibrate cable tension. Additionally, parameters as deformations can be used to improve the fitting and will be discussed in the paper. (c) 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London.