Question
Asked 4th Jul, 2014

What is the best way to model a cable (tension) joined in different pulleys in SAP2000?

The cable is attached to a tower structure.

Popular answers (1)

Before considering this question you need to respect the fact that illustrated cables are flexible wire ropes (such as 7x19) which have very small elastic modulus (about 80 GPa to 140 GPa). So the cables might lead to no pronounced effect on the whole system. As a result, you might be able to simply neglect them.
Let's back to the question, modeling such system in SAP highly depends on the considered pulley details. As far as I got the details, following procedure might work.
Model the cables with SAP's cable element and model the pulleys (they are actually a couple of sheaves), with Hook link elements which is available in SAP. Hook link elements have two nodes. Connect the first node to the tower, and the second node to the intersection point of the cable elements. Note that Hook element acts exactly in contrast with the so called Gap elements. You need to use nonlinear analyses as cable and Hook elements are active only during nonlinear analyses. Set zero for initial Hook opening. 
This technique is approximate and its accuracy, as I said, highly depends upon details.
A good indication about accuracy of this technique is developed loads on the cable elements. They all should be the same considering a friction free sheave. Another verification tool is explicit modeling of the whole system in a general purpose FE software.  
3 Recommendations

All Answers (3)

Before considering this question you need to respect the fact that illustrated cables are flexible wire ropes (such as 7x19) which have very small elastic modulus (about 80 GPa to 140 GPa). So the cables might lead to no pronounced effect on the whole system. As a result, you might be able to simply neglect them.
Let's back to the question, modeling such system in SAP highly depends on the considered pulley details. As far as I got the details, following procedure might work.
Model the cables with SAP's cable element and model the pulleys (they are actually a couple of sheaves), with Hook link elements which is available in SAP. Hook link elements have two nodes. Connect the first node to the tower, and the second node to the intersection point of the cable elements. Note that Hook element acts exactly in contrast with the so called Gap elements. You need to use nonlinear analyses as cable and Hook elements are active only during nonlinear analyses. Set zero for initial Hook opening. 
This technique is approximate and its accuracy, as I said, highly depends upon details.
A good indication about accuracy of this technique is developed loads on the cable elements. They all should be the same considering a friction free sheave. Another verification tool is explicit modeling of the whole system in a general purpose FE software.  
3 Recommendations
Abdelrahman Taha
University of Nevada, Reno
If i have a cable-strut flat grid system like that shown in the figure. The upper inclined cables are used as "active cables". Those cables are supported along the boundaries and just pass through the internal joints as if they are pulleys. Those cables are attached to tension equipments and when the are tensioned they create a state of self-stress to the structure.
The problem is how to model the internal joint to be hinged-joint for the struts and pulley for the active cables?

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