Numerical Analysis of Cable Structures

Cable this structural element known since prehistoric times perhaps – was for many years used exclusively for mechanical engineering purposes. It has penetrated the civil engineering at the end of the 19th century thanks to the progress of the bridge engineering. [1]. Its excellent flexibility (and its related zero bending moments) and strength enable it to span very long distances with minimal crosssectional area. It becomes an excellent constructional element for overarching longspan capabilities. The inconvenience of the cables is their shape instability, especially in the case of the local loads. It is necessary to provide detailed analysis for varied using of the cable constructions. The analysis of more complex cable structures is not easy. This is the geometrically nonlinear case the results can be obtained through the use of computer technology. Methods to solve these systems are many some are listed in [2, 3, 4, 5]. The aim of this paper is to compare the model example dynamic relaxation method and force density method. The cable element will be used to approximate the behavior of the cables [4]. Self-created scripts in MATLAB are used for both the calculation methods. Paper 240