Critical examination of various approaches used for analysing helical cables

Abstract

Using theoretical parametric studies covering a wide range of cable (and wire) diameters and lay angles, the range of validity of various approaches used for analysing helical cables are critically examined. Numerical results strongly suggest that for multi-layered steel strands with small wire/cable diameter ratios, the bending and torsional stiffnesses of the individual wires may safely be ignored when calculating the 2 × 2 matrix for strand axial/torsional stiffnesses. However, such bending and torsional wire stiffnesses are shown to be first order parameters in analysing the overall axial and torsional stiffnesses of, say, seven wire stands, especially under free-fixed end conditions with respect to torsional movements. Interwire contact deformations are shown to be of great importance in evaluating the axial and torsional stiffnesses of large diameter multi-layered steel strands. Their importance diminishes as the number of wires associated with smaller diameter cables decreases. Using a modified version of a previously reported theoretical model for analysing multilayered instrumentation cables, the importance of allowing for the influence of contact deformations in compliant layers on cable overall characteristics such as axial or torsional stiffnesses is demonstrated by theoretical numerical results. In particular, non-Hertzian contact formulations are used to obtain the interlayer compliances in instrumentation cables in preference to a previously reported model employing Hertzian theory with its associated limitations.