Analysis of Cable under Dynamic Contact and Large Deformation

Abstract

For simulating contact interactions and high displacement gradients between the cable and the saddle at the middle tower of triple-tower suspension bridges, a cable element is developed by combining the absolute nodal coordinate formulation and the quasi-conforming technique. New curvature strains are developed and elastic forces are explicitly formulated for the cable elements. Thereafter, it is compared to the original one to verify its locking remedies. The numerical solutions using the element are compared to analytical results and solutions by the original element. Compared to the original, the proposed element suppresses the high-frequency disturbances in the velocity and acceleration curves. Using the element, the contact and sliding behavior between the cable and the saddle is analyzed by employing parameters obtained experimentally. The saddle’s mechanical and frictional performance subjected to different friction coefficients and unbalanced cable forces is investigated. The proposed model exhibits excellent accuracy in the prediction of the sliding force and the contact status between the cable and the saddle.