Load deformation characteristics of shallow suspension footbridge with reverse profiled pre-tensioned cables

Cable supported structures offer an elegant and economical solution for bridging over long spans with resultant low material content and ease of construction. In this paper, a model of shallow cable supported footbridge with reverse profiled pre-tensioned cables is treated and its load deformation characteristics under different quasi-static loads are investigated. Effects of important parameters such as cable sag and pre-tension are also studied. Numerical results performed on a 3D model show that structural stiffness of this bridge (model) depends not only on the cable sag and cross sectional areas of the cables, but also on the pre-tension in the reverse profiled cables. The tension in the top supporting cables can be adjusted to a high level by the pre-tension in the reverse profiled bottom cables, with the total horizontal force in the bridge structure remaining reasonably constant. It is also evident that pre-tensioned horizontally profiled cables can greatly increase the lateral horizontal stiffness and suppress the lateral horizontal deflection induced by eccentric vertical loads.