Abstract
This paper discusses the stiffness of a heavy inextensible cable in terms of the work done against gravity when the cable is loaded, and examines the relations between this energy treatment and the conventional ‘deflexion theory’ in common use. The latter is often presented in a form that appears to imply that the gravity stiffness of a cable is negligible; this is seen to be misleading and to result from neglect of a term in the expression for zero extension and of the discontinuities that arise with concentrated loads. General expressions for the gravity stiffness are given appropriate to applied loads small compared with the cable weight, and the gradual reduction in the accuracy of these expressions as the applied loads are increased is examined.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
