CABLE STRUCTURES

Cables are flexible elongated elements having very small cross section as compared to their
length. Because of flexible nature the cables tend to deform under the loading and resist the load
by development of pure/axial tensile stresses. The tensile load is evenly divided and the cable is
evenly stressed throughout its cross section at any particular location that is why the cables are
considered to be most efficient structural elements.
Cable Stayed structures:
High Strength cables in the form of stays hold the roofing members such as Box Beams,
Decks, Slabs, Steel girders, Trusses etc. in position.
Roofing elements rest on Columns, Pylons at the ends or centrally for support and the
cantilever/projecting portion of the beams /deck/girders is held in position by one or more
cable stays at various point along the length.

Rigid roofing elements transfer the load to columns directly or through the cables. The
cables are attached symmetrically to the roofing on both sides of columns which helps to
cancel the horizontal force component of the inclined cables and minimize the moment at
the top of the tower or column. Lateral forces are resisted by the rigid nature of roofing. The
tower height is usually 1/6 or 1/5 of the span length.
 Pylon

Guy Cables
Cable Stays

Rigid Deck

Cables - Tension
Pylons - Compression
Girder - Tension/Compression
Girder
Deck - Bending

Cable Stayed Structure

Cable Suspended structures:

•The roof is suspended from the main parabolic cable with the help of suspenders and is free
of any other vertical support.
•Main parabolic sagging cable is either hung from the towers/masts or taken over the towers
and anchored t the ground on he other side of tower.
•Parabolic shape of cable helps to reduce lateral thrust on the towers and pull on the
anchorage.Suspenders are of varying height provided at regular intervals along he main
cable to suspended roof.
•Guy cables are used to secure roof against lateral or upward forces.
•Rigid roofing elements resist twisting/torsion forces and protect structure from any damage.
 Towers/Pylons

Parbolic Cables

Rigid Deck

Cable Suspenders

Girder
Hanging Cable Roof:
In this type the roofing material of the structure rests directly on the high strength tension
cables hung from the supporting members of the structure.
Cables are anchored to rigid Pylons or Guyed Mast supports directly
Or cables are anchored to curved beams or arches supported by the number of columns.
Curved beams and arches act as compressive members to resist the forces imposed by the
cables attached to it.
Cables run in parallel or radial pattern.
Structure may have single layer of cables or double layer of cables placed one above other
or perpendicular to each other.
Synclastic and Anticlastic forms can be worked out with the help of single or double layer
cables.
 Main Cables
Roofing Material

Inclined Masts
Guy Cables
 Hanging Cable roof with Rigid Pier Support

Hanging Cable Roof with Guyed Mast Support

 Synclastic Cable Structure
Single Layer Primary Cables
(Concave, Tension)

Single Layer Secondary

Cables (Convex, Tension)

Inclined Concrete Arch.

(Compression)
 Synclastic Cable Structure

Single Layer Primary Cables

(Concave, Tension)

Single Layer Secondary

Cables (Convex, Tension)
Concrete Arch.
(Compression)
 Central Arch

Cables Hung
from the Arch

Peripheral Support
Main Cables Guy Cables

Struts

Double Cable Roof (Concave Top)

Main Cables Guy Cables

Struts

Double Cable Roof (Convex Top)

 Tension Ring
Radial Hanging Cables

Rigid Compression Ring Columns

Hanging Cable Roof (single layer cables)

 Hub
Vertical Struts
Radial Double
Cables

Compression Ring Columns

Double Cable Roof (Bicycle wheel)

Crane, cable structure.
Cable Stayed Roof, Jahn Stadium Germany, 1963.
Small tension structure for a coffee shop. Note the cables radiating from the apex of the building to the edge
beams.Spokane, Washington
Cable-stayed roof at Squaw Valley, California. Built for the Winter Olympic Games, this building encloses the ice-
rink. The roof span is 90M. and the apex height is 27M above floor level. Maximum snow load of 100 psf is reduced to
50 psf by pumping warm air through the cells of the roof deck.
Detail of anchorage, cable arrangement, and steel posts
for ice-rink roof. The cables are three 2.25 in. diameter
bridge strands: two go to the farthest anchor point on
the roof, and one to the nearest. Steel posts are tapered
section consisting of four-flanged cross-shaped
sections. Under dead load they were prestressed
backwards so as to be straight under maximum live
load.
Inside of the ice-rink arena structure. The roof is
supported on cable-stayed steel box girders which
are connected together at mid-span only by a
horizontal sliding joint. The box girders are 2 ft.
wide and taper in depth from 2 ft. at the apex to 3 ft.
6 in. at the base of the steel posts.
Close-up of the mid-span joint in the ice-rink's roof structure. The joint between the beams at the apex of the roof
allows relative horizontal movement but no relative vertical movement between the ends of the beams. Note also the
cable anchorage towards the right in the near beam. At maximum live load, vertical deflection of apex is 22 in.
Cable-stayed roof (see also GoddenC71-C74). The steel posts are subjected to a large top loading from the cables. In
the plane of the cables the posts are restrained from buckling by the cable connection, but transversely the posts are
unsupported. The posts could have been braced together, but were not for aesthetic reasons. Under dead load the
towers were prestressed backwards, so that they are straight under live load.
Suspension spans of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. View taken from Yerba Buena Island looking west
towards the city. This 8100 ft. total crossing between island and city presented a problem in design with many
suggested solutions. Design adopted consists of two complete suspension bridges end-to-end, with a central common
anchorage point. The two main spans are 705m each.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. View underneath west side-span. Note the different bracing geometry in tower,
and in the vertical and transverse directions in the stiffening truss.
View along axis of double-bridge from the Yerba Buena
anchorage. The common anchorage of the two bridges
can be seen in the distance in GoddenC42 as a concrete
pier in the Bay and with its top level with the top chord
of the truss.
Detail of pin-jointed truss connection, approach span to San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Pin joints are used in older
bridges or situations where rotation has to be allowed for due to settlement, or for construction purposes.
Dulles Airport Terminal, Chantily, Virginia USA
Airport Terminal Building, Dulles International Airport. This cable roof structure with a span of 141 ft. was designed
by Eero Saarinen. It is constructed on a modular plan. Washington, D.C.
Detail of pier supports in Dulles Airport Terminal building. Point of connection of roof cable to the pier is 49.5 ft.
above ground. Increasing width of pier towards the ground is due to the resultant cable force at its point of connection.
Compare this with a medieval cathedral buttress that also increases in width towards its base.
Interior of Dulles Airport Terminal. The tension in the roof cable is balanced by a horizontal thrust taken at the level
of the floor in this slide.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. Outside view of the completed arena. Oakland is in a highly seismic zone, and the
continuous X-columns that support the ring beam also resist the inertia forces caused by the entire roof mass being
accelerated by any direction of ground motion. Oakland, California, Oakland Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum Arena. View outside the arena. The X-columns, concrete ring beam, cables, and central tension ring
have been constructed, and the work is starting on lifting the concrete ribs that rest on the cable.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. Inside the arena, showing the connection between the steel cables and the ring beam. The
scale can be seen from the figures on the arena seating in the foreground.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. Inside the arena showing the
central steel tension ring (red) and the cable anchorage
on the inner face of the ring. Note the crane used for
lifting the concrete ribs passing through the center of the
ring.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. Lifting the 90-ft long precast concrete ribs from the floor of the arena through a gap
on the radial cables made by omitting one cable. Note the scale of the rib from the figure directly beneath. The
web thickness of the rib is a mere 2.0 in. The near end of the beam will be connected to a similar beam to form a
full 180-ft rib.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. The concrete rib of slide GoddenG22 has now been lifted through the cables and is being
lowered onto one of the cables (it is the right of the two beams shown). The rib has a groove in the lower flange to
receive the cable. The left beam is already in position.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. The ribs were erected in pairs
and braced together for lateral stability during the
construction phase. Final stability is achieved by the
transverse diaphragms shown unconnected in this view.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. To maintain a symmetrical loading pattern during construction, and a relatively uniform
tension on the ring beam, the ribs were erected in a uniform pattern. At this stage there are single rib-pairs north,
south, east, and west.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. Inside view of the
completed arena taken in daylight. Note the form of
the completed roof with the radial ribs and
circumferential diaphragms.
Oakland Coliseum Arena. Inside view of the completed arena taken after dark in artificial lighting. The form of the
roof is particularly striking in this light. This view shows the arena being used for basketball.
J. S. Dorton Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, 1952
Architect: Matthew Nowicki, William Henley Deitrich
Engineer: Fred N. Severud, Elstad, Krueger

The J. S. Dorton Arena, one of first cable roofs structure

having dimensions of 92 m x 97 m and the roof is suspended
between two parabolic arches in reinforced concrete
intercrossing each other, lying in two plans that form an obtuse
angle, and supported by columns in steel covered in concrete.
The cable network consists of 47 pre-stretched suspension
cables with diameter varying from 19 mm to 33 mm with
closed bridge socket attached to its extremities. The
prestressing cables have diameter varying from 13 mm to 19
mm with open bridge socket attached to its extremities. The
roof experienced vibrating movements, which was corrected by
The building serves agriculture, industry,
adding stay cables along the periphery.
commerce and the general welfare of North
Carolina. It has earned an international reputation
since its construction in 1951. The innovative
design was created by the late Matthew Nowicki
while head of the Department of Architecture at
North Carolina State University. Professor
Nowicki was killed in an airplane accident
shortly after being commissioned as the architect.
His personal friend, William Henley Deitrick of
Raleigh, was named to the project. In 1972,
Dorton Arena was named a National Historic
Monument.
Exterior View from side showing intersecting inclined arches.
Dorton Arena was constructed in 1951 and since has
joined the list of national historic buildings of USA. Its
construction and seating possibilities make it ideal for
such events as circuses, horse shows, sports events,
livestock, boat, flower and machinery shows, musical
and other entertainment events, public assemblies and
religious and political conventions.

Plan of Arena

Plan of Elliptical Field, 218’ x 126’

The metal roof, suspended on a network of cables, which extend crosswise from the parabolic arches, is saddle-shaped.
The 4.3 m wide arches reach a maximum height of 27.4 m. They cross each other at about 7.9 m above the ground,
then extend into a tunnel below the surface at the east and west ends.
The roof, so suspended, eliminates any necessity for structural steel supports and presents no view obstructions from
any seat. The exterior walls are constructed of translucent heat and glare-reducing glass above the lobby levels and of
heat-absorbing transparent glass on the lobby levels.
The weights of the roof is equalized by 14 tension cables, with 50.8 mm strands connecting each end of the parabola
through the stress tunnel.
RCC Arches and Columns
Interior View of the Arena, Concrete Arches crossing each other at 7M height on the opposite side
Arena used for Industrial Exposition.
Exterior view during cold season,
 D. S. Ingalls Hockey Rink, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, 1958
Architect: Eero Saarinen
Engineer: Fred N. Severud, Elstad, Krueger
The arena is named in honor of David S. Ingalls , who twice captained the Yale hockey team.,.

The roof consists of two saddle surfaces spanning between three arches. The roof is 23.2 m high at its zenith. The
cable nets are covered with wood decking.
Olympic Stadium Athens
Types of Cables used in Structure
Delta Plate Rapid Link Rapid Link
 Swaged Adjustable Fork

Swaged Fork

Swaged Tensioner

In Line Tensioner

Stud
Bridge Socket
SUSPENSION STRUCTURES
DEFINITION: Suspension structures are those with horizontal planes (road decks, roofs, and even floors)
supported by cables (hangers) hung from the parabolic sag of large, high-strength steel cables.
STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS: The strength of a suspended structure is derived from the parabolic form
of the sagging high-strength cable. This parabolic form is designed so that its shape closely follows the exact form
of the moment diagram(s). This creates a highly efficient structure. The sagging cable performs best under
symmetric loading conditions because the cable may deform significantly as it attempts to adjust to an eccentric
loading . As the cable adjusts to this load it shifts the rest of the structure. This adjustment causes secondary stresses
in the horizontal surface and additional deformation. The parabolic curve of the cable is also susceptible to
developing harmonics from eccentric or lateral loads such as wind. These increased harmonics can create great
movement in a structure, sometimes enough to cause dramatic failure, as in the case of the Tacoma Narrow bridge.
Rather extensive calculations must be made to determine the natural frequency of a suspension structure and to test
the stiffness of it's horizontal surface in order to prevent the structure from developing destructive harmonics.
CONSTRUCTION CHARACTERISTICS:The horizontal surface (bridge deck, etc.) is usually a simple or
continuous beam, most commonly configured as a truss or box beam. The box beam is advantageous because it
resists torsional forces well, although it provides a greater surface area subject to wind loading. The large curving
cable consists of many, many smaller cables which are tightly spun together. As the cables are being spun together
they are also stretched over the span and attached to the supports. After being attached the appropriate curve is
created by tensioning the cable. This curve is formed without the real dead load of the structure, therefore the
completed curve has a different shape than the one created during construction. Finally, the horizontal surface
supported by the cable is hung piece by piece from the sagging cable.
TYPICAL MATERIALS The horizontal surface is most commonly a steel structure because of its relative
lightness, or a steel and concrete composite. Towers are of either stone, concrete, or steel. Cables are of steel.
RULES OF THUMB DESIGN:The shape of the cable can be found quite simply with graphic statics methods.
Once the moment diagrams of various loading conditions have been drawn, simply make the shape of the sagging
cable approximate the worst case scenario or a composite approximation of the different loading cases.
The tower height is usually about 1/9 of the span.
Longest Spans: Golden Gate Bridge: 4200 feet = 1280 meters (built in San Francisco in 1937 by O.H. Ammann)
2) Humber Estuary Bridge: 1410 meters (Germany)
Cable Stayed Structures:
The cables of a cable-stayed structure work solely in tension. The cables must not only have sufficient capacity
to carry the dead load, but must also have enough reserve capacity to carry the live load. Otherwise, the
horizontal surface may suffer serious deformations. The horizontal surface must be sufficiently stiff to
transfer and/or resist the lateral and torsional stresses induced by wind, unbalanced live loads, and the
normal force created by the upward pull of the stays. The stays are usually attached symmetrically to the
column or tower with an equal number of stays on both sides. This is so that the horizontal force component of
the inclined cables will cancel each other out and minimize the moment at the top of the tower or column
CONSTRUCTION CHARACTERISTICS
The horizontal surface (bridge deck, roof, etc.) usually acts as a simple beam, most commonly in the form of a truss
or box beam. The box beam is advantageous because resists torsional forces well; however, it provides a greater
surface area subject to the lateral forces of the wind.

The towers are the first portion of the structure to be constructed. The section of the horizontal surface supported by
the first stay is built next. In a similar fashion, the remaining pieces are connected until the horizontal surface is
successfully c ompleted and supported.
TYPICAL MATERIALS
A steel deck beam is most common, however, a concrete beam, despite the considerable increase in weight, can be
used for some shorter spans. The towers may be of any material, historically stone, concrete or steel. The cables are
of high stre ngth steel. The tower height is usually 1/6 or 1/5 of the span length.

Longest Spans:
•Alex Fraser Bridge: 1515 feet (British Columbia, Canada)
•Skarnusundet Bridge: 530 meters (Finland)
•Normandy Bridge: 2826 feet = 856 meters (France)