• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.523-534
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• 2017

Cable-supported ribbed beam composite slab structure (CBS) is proposed in this study. As a new cable-supported structure, it has many merits such as long span availability and cost-saving. Inspired by the previous research on cable-supported structures, the fabrication and construction process are developed. Pre-stress design method based on static equilibrium analysis is presented. In the algorithm, the iteration convergence can be accelerated and the calculation result can be kept in an acceptable precision by setting a rational threshold value. The accuracy of this method is also verified by experimental study on a 1:5 scaled model. Further, important parameters affecting the mechanical features of the CBS are discussed. The results indicate that the increases of sag-span ratio, depth of the ribbed beam and cable diameter can improve the mechanical behavior of the CBS by some extent, but the influence of strut sections on mechanical behavior of the CBS is negligible.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.715-725
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• 2002

In this study, a method to determine the deformed shape of planar cable under vertical loads was presented. To obtain the deformed shape of cable by general cable theorem, a sag at arbitrary point is usually given. However, in general cases without a given sag, the proposed method determines the deformed shape of cable based on the equations of cable theorem and geometric compatibility by iterative way. The method was also extended to slove extensible cable. It was acknowledged from numerical analysis and model tests in laboratory that the proposed method is valid lot analysis of extensible cable as well as unextensible cable.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.149-160
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• 2023

Lightness and flexibility of membrane roofs make them very sensitive to any external load. One of the most important parameters that controls their behavior, especially under wind load is the sag/span ratio of edge cables. Based on the value of the pretension force in the edge cables and the horizontal projection of the actual area covered by the membrane, an optimized design range of cable sag/span ratios has been determined through carrying on several membrane form-finding analyses. Fully coupled fluid structure dynamic analyses of these membrane roofs are performed under wind load with several conditions using the CFD method. Through investigating the numerical results of these analyses, the behavior of membrane roofs with cables sag/span ratios selected from the previously determined optimized design range has been evaluated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.4
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• pp.533-545
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• 2020

An optimal design method for a spoke double-layer cable-net structure (SDLC) is proposed in this study. Simplified calculation models of the SDLC are put forward to reveal the static responses under vertical loads and wind loads. Next, based on an energy principle, the relationship among the initial prestress level, cross-sectional areas of the components, rise height, sag height, overall displacement, and relative deformation is proposed. Moreover, a calculation model of the Foshan Center SDLC is built and optimized. Given the limited loading cases, material properties of the components, and variation ranges of the rise height and sag height, the self-weight and initial prestress level of the entire structure can be obtained. Because the self-weight of the cables decreases with increasing of the rise height and sag height, while the self-weight of the inner strut increases, the total weight of the entire structure successively exhibits a sharp reduction, a gradual decrease, a slow increase, and a sharp increase during the optimization process. For the simplified model, the optimal design corresponds to the combination of rise height and sag height that results in an appropriate prestress level of the entire structure with the minimum total weight.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.375-392
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• 2005

Cable supported structures offer an elegant and economical solution for bridging over long spans with resultant low material content and ease of construction. In this paper, a model of shallow cable supported footbridge with reverse profiled pre-tensioned cables is treated and its load deformation characteristics under different quasi-static loads are investigated. Effects of important parameters such as cable sag and pre-tension are also studied. Numerical results performed on a 3D model show that structural stiffness of this bridge (model) depends not only on the cable sag and cross sectional areas of the cables, but also on the pre-tension in the reverse profiled cables. The tension in the top supporting cables can be adjusted to a high level by the pre-tension in the reverse profiled bottom cables, with the total horizontal force in the bridge structure remaining reasonably constant. It is also evident that pre-tensioned horizontally profiled cables can greatly increase the lateral horizontal stiffness and suppress the lateral horizontal deflection induced by eccentric vertical loads.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.291-311
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• 2012

The multi-span suspension bridge having double main cables in the vertical plane is investigated regarding endurance of live load distribution in the case of non-displaced pylon and pylon displacement. The coefficient formula of live load distribution described as the ratio of live load on the bottom cable to the top cable is obtained. Based on this formula, some function in respect of this bridge are derived and used to analyze its characteristics. This analysis targets the cable force, the cable sag and the horizontal displacement at the pylon top under live load etc. The results clarified that the performance of the live load distribution and the horizontal force of cables in the case of non-deformed pylon has a similar tendency to those in the case of deformed pylon, and the increase of pylon rigidity can increase live load distributed to the bottom cable and slightly raise the cable horizontal force under live load. However, effect on the vertical rigidity of bridge and the horizontal force increment of cables caused by live load is different in the case of non-deformed pylon and deformed pylon.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.3
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• pp.255-272
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• 2023

Spatial cable systems can provide more transverse stiffness and torsional stiffness without sacrificing the vertical bearing capacity compared with conventional vertical cable systems, which is quite lucrative for long-span earth-anchored suspension bridges' development. Higher economy highlights the importance of refined form-finding analysis. Meanwhile, the internal connection between the lateral and vertical sags has not yet been specified. Given this, an analytic algorithm of form-finding for the earth-anchored suspension bridge with spatial cables is proposed in this paper. Through the geometric compatibility condition and mechanical equilibrium condition, the expressions for cable segment, the recurrence relationship between catenary parameters and control equations of spatial cable are established. Additionally, the nonlinear general reduced gradient method is introduced into fast and high-precision numerical analysis. Furthermore, the analytic expression of the lateral and vertical sags is deduced and discussed. This is very significant for the space design above the bridge deck and the optimization of the sag-to-span ratio in the preliminary design stage of the bridge. Finally, the proposed method is verified with the aid of two examples, one being an operational self-anchored suspension bridge (with spatial cables and a 260 m main span), and the other being an earth-anchored suspension bridge under design (with spatial cables and a 500 m main span). The necessity of an iterative calculation for hanger tensions on earth-anchored suspension bridges is confirmed. It is further concluded that the main cable and their connected hangers are in very close inclined planes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.661-667
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• 2011

In the famous equivalent elasticity modulus method proposed by Ernst for the geometrical nonlinear analysis of stay cables, the cable shape was assumed as a parabolic curve, and only a part of the gravity load normal to the chord was taken into account with the other part of gravity load parallel to the chord being ignored. Using the actual catenary curve and considering the entire gravity load of stay cables, the present study has derived the equivalent stiffness method to analyze the sag effect of stay cables in cable-stayed bridges. The derived equivalent stiffness can be degenerated into Ernst's equivalent elasticity modulus method with some approximations. Therefore, the Ernst's method is a special and approximate formulation of the present method. The derived equivalent stiffness provides a theoretical explanation for the famous Ernst's formula.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.71-81
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• 1983

This paper was mainly concentrated On the structural analysis of the cable-stayed bridges through the linear and nonlinear analysis method. And also this compares and analyses the characteristics of the two typical system, the radiating and harp arrangement. As a result, The radiating configuration is stiffer than the harp configuration in many respects Besides, the difference between the linear and nonlinear analysis method is proportional to the sag. But as the cable of the cable-stayed bridges is tauter, the difference is lesser.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.471-485
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• 2010

In comparison with the common two-tower suspension bridge, due to the lack of effective longitudinal restraint of the center tower, the three-tower suspension bridge becomes a structural system with greater flexibility, and more susceptible to the wind action. By taking a three-tower suspension bridge-the Taizhou Bridge over the Yangtze River with two main spans of 1080 m as example, effects of structural parameters including the cable sag to span ratio, the side to main span ratio, the deck's dead load, the deck's bearing system, longitudinal structural form of the center tower and the cable system on the aerodynamic stability of the bridge are investigated numerically by 3D nonlinear aerodynamic stability analysis, the favorable structural system of three-tower suspension bridge with good wind stability is discussed. The results show that good aerodynamic stability can be obtained for three-tower suspension bridge as the cable sag to span ratio is assumed ranging from 1/10 to 1/11, the central buckle are provided between main cables and the deck at midpoint of main spans, the longitudinal bending stiffness of the center tower is strengthened, and the spatial cable system or double cable system is employed.