Finite element modeling of cable sliding and its effect on dynamic response of cable-supported truss

The cable system of cable-supported structures usually bears high tension forces, and clip joints may fail to resist cable sliding in cases of earthquake excitations or sudden cable breaks. A analytical method that considers the dynamic cable sliding effect is proposed in this paper. Cable sliding behaviors and the resultant dynamic responses are solved by combining the vector form intrinsic finite element framework with cable force redistribution calculations that consider joint frictions. The cable sliding effect and the frictional tension loss are solved with the original length method that uses cable length and the original length relations. Then, the balanced tension distributions are calculated after frictional sliding. The proposed analytical method is achieved within MATLAB and applied to simulate the dynamic response of a cable-supported plane truss under seismic excitation and sudden cable break. During seismic excitations, the cable sliding behavior in the cable-supported truss have an averaging effect on the oscillation magnitudes, but it also magnifies the internal force response in the upper truss structure. The slidable cable joints can greatly reduce the ability of a cable system to resist sudden cable breaks, while strong friction resistances at the cable-strut joints can help retain internal forces.