ficatioii in which his method can be used for resistance and reactance always varied sub- which process
h process is essentially identical to that
conductors with a magnetic core, provided a
constant relative permeability for the mag-
netic material can be assumed. This would
appear to be correct if the magnetic material
were a single solid strand. However, if the
magnetic core consisted of 7 or 19 strands,
or more, the method would hardly be valid,
because the cross section of the core would
not be circular, and the flux lines that are
circular in the author's development would
be severely distorted from circular form.
Under those circumstances, the average or
effective permeability in the circular direc-
tion would be different from that in the
longitudinal direction, and also correction
for the noncircular pattern of flux lines will
be necessary. Thus, it appears doubtful
that the method could be used if the mag-
netic core consists of more than one strand.
A member of years ago the late Prof. W.
R. Work of Carnegie Institute of Tech-
nology conducted a number of tests on
aluminum conductor steel reinforced, and I
undertook to make calculations to verify,
so far as possible, the test results. These
tests showed that if two or more layers of
aluminum surrounded the steel core the
effect of the core on the reactance was
negligible, and the reactance could be com-
puted as if the conductor were hollow.
From the data available it was not possible
to tell whether the skin effect loss was
affected by the core or not.
However, if only one layer of aluminum
strands was spiraled around the core, the
core had a pronounced effect on both the re-
sistance and reactance of the core, and both
A Direct Method ror Sag-Tension
Calculations
THEODORE P. HARLEY
ASSOCIATE MEMBER AIEE
TRANSMISSION-line design engineers
are always confronted with the prob-
lem of determining sags and tensions in
overhead transmission lines. The gen-
eral problem is more complicated for
greatly inclined and long spans. This
paper proposes a new and direct method
for calculating sags and tensions which is
simple and accurate for greatly inclined
and long spans.
The method, while both graphical and
analytical in nature, has been based
directly on the catenary relations. It has
Paper 53-182, recommended by the AIEE Trans-
mission and Distribution Committee and approved
by the AIEE Committee on Technical Operations
for presentation at the AIEE Southern District
Meeting, Louisville, Ky., April 22-24, 1953.
Manuscript submitted September 8, 1952; made
available for printing March 27, 1953.
THEODORE P. HARLEY is with the Bureau of Recla-
mation, Denver, Colo.
AUGUST 1 953 Harley-A Direct Method for Sag-Tension Calculations
stantially with current in the conductor.
It was not found possible to assign an
average permeability to the core which
would reconcile the test results for conduc-
tors of different sizes. It is therefore evi-
dent that additional test work is necessary
before the resistance and reactance of such
conductors can be computed with satis-
factory accuracy.
J. Zaborszky: Dean Lewis' discussion is
appreciated as it brings out several pertinent
additional points.
The procedure, however, which he pro-
posed for the case when the strands are not
spiraled or when the longitudinal flux is
neglected is not essentially different from
the procedure described in the paper, the
reason being that in the absence of the
longitudinal reactance terms the first equa-
tion of equation 6 will only contain ratio ki
the second equation only ratios k1 and k2,
the third only ratios ki, k2, and k3, etc.
Consequently, ki can be directly calculated
from the first equation; then substituting k1
into the second equation k2 can be calculated
directly from there. When k5 and k2 are
known the third equation in a similar fashion
directly yields k3, etc. This means that
when all strands are straight or when the
longitudinal flux is neglected the method of
the paper requires no solution of simultane-
ous equations in the general sense since the
solution of the simultaneous equations auto-
matically reduces to a process of successive
determination of current division ratios,
been based on a set of curves developed
by the author and designated as the C
curves relating the values of C for differ-
ent temperature conditions. The sag
and tension at any temperature and for
any particular span can be determined by
the intersection of an auxiliary curve
associated with the temperature and the
proper C curve. An example of the C
curve is given in Fig. 1.
Notations and Units
T=tension at any point in cable, pounds
T =tension at upper support, pounds
H = horizontal component of tension in
cable, pounds
w =unit weight of cable, pounds per foot
V= total unit vertical load including the
weight of the cable and ice, pounds
per foot
h =unit wind load acting on cable, pounds
per foot
proposed in the discussion. The principal
difference is that the k ratios yielded by the
paper are ratios of the current in the indi-
vidual layers to the current in the center
layer or strand, while the method described
in the discussion yields the ratio of the
current in the individual layer to the total
current in all strands located interior to the
layer.
The difficulties described in the discussion
as being associated with the application of
the method to conductors containing mag-
netic strands do exist. However, it appears
that even if the layers were solid magnetic
cylinders, it would be quite difficult to
ascribe the proper value of permeability to
the individual layers. It would seem then
that it may not be much more difficult or
much less accurate to assign a suitable
average permeability to the stranded mag-
netic layer. Furthermore, the difficulties
described in the discussion for magnetic
layers consisting of round strands are re-
stricted to the circular flux, and are not
present for the longitudinal flux (Appendix
II). The longitudinal flux becomes the
more important component for the alumi-
num cable steel reinforced conductors with
one layer of aluminum which are mentioned
in the discussion.
Consequently, it is believed that reason-
able approximate values could be obtained
from this method even for conductors con-
taining magnetic strands; however, the
author agrees with the discusser that con-
siderable experimental work would be
needed before that end could be reached.
WT=resultant unit force on cable = Vvi+
pounds per foot
S= stressed length of cable, feet
s = distance along catenary from the low
point to any other point P(x,y), feet
s,= distance along catenary from the low
point to the upper support, feet
Lu = unstressed length of cable, feet
L = horizontal distance between supports,
span, feet
K=ratio of vertical distance to horizontal
distance between supports, feet
c=straight line distance between supports,
feet
x, =horizontal distance from the low point
to the higher support, feet
X2=horizontal distance from the low point
to the lower support, feet
yi =vertical distance from the directrix of
the catenary to the higher support,
feet
Y2=vertical distance from the directrix of
the catenary to the lower support,
feet
Ptx,y) =any point on the catenary with (x,y)
as co-ordinates
a = catenary constant equal to the ratio of
horizontal tension to the unit force
on cable, feet
u = unstressed length factor = LuIL, feet per
foot
t=temperature, degrees Fahrenheit
A = area of cable, inch2
Ei= modulus of elasticity, initial, pounds
per inch2
Ef =modulus of elasticity, final, pounds per
inch2
Z=L/2a, numeric
603
 Fig. I (left). Illustrative y
T z M=-Z example of C curve
0 0.12640 33.12
3000 30 0.13285 34.81
o 60 0.13935 36.51
90 0.14555 38.13
o200 120 0.15180 3977 120

oloool Fig. 2 (right). General

catenary
FIGURE I
fined as follows
0.10 0.11 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.15
z L xi
f(x) = -+ sinh- cosh XI-+ sinh X.2 cosh X2
- -
a a a a a
Development of Theory From these two basic equations, the un- (4)
stressed length Lit is found to be and
The catenar- equations for the cable
P1P2 shown in Fig. are Lu=a (sinh-+ sinh -)- XI X2
(5)
a a g(x) = sinh 1+ sinh 2
a a
y=a cosh-
x
(1) J4,-a12 1 x1 XI
2AE a
- + sinh
a
coh - +
a Equations 4 and 35 may be simplified
by making the following substitutions
and sinh -cosh - (3)
a a L
s=a sinh--
x
(2)
-=Z
2a (6)
a Two functions, f(x) and g(x), are de-
XiZ
sinh Z sinh2Z(2Z)
- = Z+D
a
(7)
Table I. Table for N,
X2ZD (8)
sinh Z sinh(2Z) sinh Z sinh (2 Z) a
Z 4Z N= Z 4Z N= Z
z 2Z sinh Z z 2Z
sinh ZZ
By substituting equations 6, 7, and 8 in
0 .. ... 1.000000 .1. 000000. .. 1.000000 0.2.55 ... 0 .989244 equations 4 and a, expanding the hyper-
0.003.. .0.02... 0.999995 .1.000001.. .1.000017 0.260... 1 .04 .0.988822 ... 1 .011303 ... 1.045680 bolic functions, and combining the terms,
0 .010 .0.04 ... 0.999983. .1.000017... 1 .000067 0.265 .. 0.988391 equations 4 and 3- become
0.013 .0 .05. .0.999952 ... 1.000038... 1.000150 0.270. .1 .08 0.987953.. .1.012194 .1.049314
0.020.. .0.08... 0 .999933. ..1.000067. .1.000267 0 .275 ..0.987506
0.023.-. . 10 . 999896 ....1.000104 .1.000417 0.280 ..1 .12 .0.0.987052 1 .013118 ... 1.0053092
0.285 0.986590
f(x)=2Z+ sinh(2Z)(coshID+ sinh2D) (9)
0.030 .0.12... .0.999850... .1.000150... 1.000600 ..

0.033 . 14... .0.999796 ... 1.000204 ..1.000817 0. 290. ..1 .16 .0.986120 1 014076. .1 .057017
0.040.. .0 .16.. .0 .999733 .1.000267. . 001067 0 .295 ...0O.. 985642 and
0.045.-. ..18.. 0 .999663.. .1.000337.. 1t.001331 0 .300 1 .20 0.985156 .1 .013068 ... 1.061089
O .050. ...20 .999583 ...1 .000417 .. 1 .001667 0.305.. 0.984662 g(x)=2 sinh Z cosh D (10)
0. 06 ...23 .999496... .1 .000504 1.002018 0.310. ..1 .24.. .0.984161... 1 016094 1 065309
0.060.. .0.24 .0 .999400 .. 1 .000600.. 1.002402 0. 315 ... ..O.0.983652 To simplify still further, the following
0 .065.. .0.26 .0 .999296 .. 1.000705 1.002819 0.320. 1 .28 0.983135 ..1 .01714. ..1 .069678
0.070.. .0.28.. .999184 ... 1.000817 1 .003270 O .325 .. 0.982610 substitutions are made
0.075. ..0.30. . 999063. .1.000938 .. 1 003754 0.330.. .1 .32 0.982078 .1.1.(18249. ..1.074198
0.080. .32 .0.998934 ... 1.001057 .. 1.004272 0 .335 .. .0.981538 g(x) = sinh Z
0.085.. .34 .0 .998797... 1 .001204 ...1 .004824 0.340... 1 .36.. .0.980990. .1.019378 .. 1 .078868 2Z
C= 2Z --cosh
Z
D (11)
0.090.-. . 36. .0.998651 1. 001331 ... 1. 005409 0.345. .. 0.980435
0.093) .0..38 .0.998497 ..1 .001505 ..1 .006028 0. 30.. .1.40 .0 .979871 0102042 ... 1 083691
0.100
0.105 ...
.40. .0.998333 ... 1 .001667 ... 1.006680
.. 0.998163
0 .355 ... 0.979301
0.360. 1 .44 . 978722. .1 021740 ....1.088667
f(x) 1 r sinh (2Z) X
=--
B 8Z 11+
0.110 .0 .44 .997986... .1 .092018 1 .008086 0 .365 .. 0.978136
I 4Z L 2Z
0. 1135 . .. 0.997799 0 .370 .1 .48.0 .977543 .1 .022973 ...1 .093798
0 .120. ...48 ... 0.997604 .1 .002402 .1.009628 0.373 .. 0.976941

0.125 ... O .997401 0 .380.. 1 .2 ... 0.976333 ...1 .024241 ... 1.099085 (cosh2 D+ sinh2 D)] (12)
0.130.. .0.52.. .0.997189. ..1.002819... .1.011303 O .385 .. 0.975716
O .13 ... .. 0996969 0.390. ..1.56 .. 1.975073 .1.025543 .1 .104330
0.140. .0.36 0 996741 1.003270 .. 1.013118 0.39 ... 0.974462 and
0.145 ... .. 0996504 0 .400. ..1 .60.. 0 .973823 .1.1.026881 .1.110132
0.150.. .0.60 .0.0.996260 .1 .003754 1 .013068 0 .403 ... . 0 .973177 Lit
0. 15 .. 0.0.996007 0 .410.. .1 .64 .. . 972323 .0282533.. .1.15895 (13)
0.160.. .0.64 .0.995746... .1.004272... 1 017154 0.415 .. 0.971862 L
0.163 .. 0.995477 0.420. ..1 68 0.971194... .1.029660... 1.121819
0.170.. .0.68 .0 .995200 .1.004824.. .1.019378 0.425 .. 0.970518
0.175 ... 0.0.994914 0.430. ..1.72 ..0.969833 .1.031103. .1.127906 Equation 3 then becomes
0.180 .0.72 0.994620... 1.005409 ... 1 .021740 0.435 .. 0.969145
0.185. .. 0.994319 0.440... 1 .76... .0.968448 .032380 ..1.134157 WLB
0.190.. .0 .76 ... .0.994009 ....1.006028.. .1.024241 0.445 ... 0
0.967743 C=u+ AE (14)
0.195 0.993691
.. O 450.. .1.80 ... 0.967081... 1.034093 ....1.140574
0.200 .0..80 .0.0.993364 .1 .006680 ... 1 .026881 0.455 ....O.0.966311
0.205 ........0.993030 0 .460.. 1 .84... .0.965585.. .1.035642 ... 1 .147158 The solution of the general problem
0.210 0.84.. .992688. .1 .007366 ....1.029660 O .465 ... 0
0.964851
0.2153... 0. 0.992337 0.470.. .1.88.. .0.964111.. .1.037223.. .1.153911 centers around equations II and 14.
0 .220. ..0.88 .0.0.991931 ... 1.008086.. .1.032580 0.475 ... 0
0.963363
0.225 .....0...0.991612 0 .480... 1.92... .0.962608....1.038843 ....1.160835
0.230.. .0.92 .0.0.991237 ....1.008840 .. 1.035642 0.485 ... 0.961846 The C Curve
0.235 ... O .990833 0.490.. .1.96. 0.961077.. .1.04000- 1.167931
0.240.. .0.96. .990464 .1..009628 1.038845 0 .495 .. . 0.960300
0.245- ... 0990063 0 .00- . 00 .0. 0.959517.. .1.042191 ... 1.175201
0
The C curves are based on equation 11.
0.250 .1 .00 0.989659 ..1 .010449 1.042191 0.505 ... 0,958727 This equation is repeated here in a more

604 Harley A Direct 7Method for Sag-Tension Calculations AUGUST 1 953

 7000 rI 77Y
0
4000f
I I I I
H
A,1/
6000
(0 K0TO.6
LI
-.'t ., (D 3000 LOWER
0 SCALE KOT .6-/
to o
0
0 K= 022
x
5000
0
CM :9 2000
0 L'J
I 0
UPPER
C. 0 4000 SCALE
__
-'o IVi
3000
0.38 0.39 0.40
0.35 0.36 0.37
z

Ct 8000
5000
If If ^' 7z
_,~l
-IT-
(0 40001 4000
0
t-

x K =0 0.06---
7000 A__
-.D
tc;

(Z
0
o

0
2000

1000

0
0
0

0
, 3000
c,j 2000

C=)2000
4000
3000

SCALE
K
K

-_ , //
___~~~~~~~~~/
LOWER

NE R,,
-
0.22---_- =AV
0.30-.

00
I

UPPER
SCALE
UF'
CD
0

0
0 6000_
.2000

5000
30 z_ ~PLATE7
LOWER
__SCALE
---K 0TO O0.04-

-4K 00.20---..

_SCALE
UPPER

I000
'00
o(: PLATE 8
4000
to
0
3OQF | | | | | K - 0 TO 0.06- 00DC XPLATE5 0.40 0.41 0.42 0.43 0.44
0.25 0.26 0.27 0.28 0.29 03 0 0.455
x z z
20001 6000
4000
ci
0n
1
i=o3>\1
KI- ?
5000 ~
K=0-
300( U~~~~~~~~A CD
LOWER I 0
0 SCALE TO 10.04--
PLATE =
-K 0.22-- x
0 "-- / 2 3|
0.15 0.16 0.17 0.18 0.19 0.20 o 400(01 -I,
to> 2004
C01 K -0.30- |
C.) 0
UPPER
~~~~~~SCALE__ 0
o 300 0
100'

Fig. 3. C curves
PLATE 6
_-WW
2000 / .. ..

0.30 0.31 0.32 0.33 0.34 0.35

z z
 sinh Z \Iaximum load condition occurs at Iow
Table ll. Computations for the C Curve, Where Z=0.23 and z =1.008840
z temperatures when ice and wind are evi-
dential. The cable then assumes an in-
K. 0.22 0.24 ........ 0.26 0.28 0.30 clined position as shown in Fig. 4. L'
K2
K4.
.0.0484 ........ 0.057600 ........ 0.067600 ........ 0.078400 ....
0.00234356 ........ 0.00331776 ........ 0.00456976 ........ 0.00614656 ....
0.09
0.0081
and b' replace L and b respectively and
K6.. 0.000113380 ........ 0.000191103 ........ 0.000308916 . 0.00048189 .0.000729
........ are computed as follows
First term + 1 000000 + 1 . 000000 +1 000000 +1 000000 + 1 000000 = bwx
Second term+0. 033778+0.028297+0.033257+0.038516+0.044215 bt =b (19)
Third term-0. 000283 -0 .000400-0.000553-0.000742-0.000977
Fourth term+0.000007+0.000011+0.000018+0.000029+0.000043
cosh D 1.023502 1.027908 1.032722 1.037803 1.043281 and
sinZ
cosh D 1.032554 1.036999 1.041855 1.046981 1.052508
z
First term = + 1. 000000 Fourth term = + 0. 0625 (KN) 6
L'= \/,2-(b')2 (20)
Second term = +0. 5 (KM)2 Sum of terms = cosh D The cable tension at the higher support
Third term = -0. 125 (KN) 4 C = sinh Z/Z cosh D = 1. 008840 cosh D
is obtained from the equation

complete form. sinh (0.25) / . 0.022X0.250 T,=aw cosh - (21)

C=
sih
Zcosh arc sinh (KN) (15)
In the last equation, the following sub-
stitutions have been made
Nv= sinhz Z (16)
D =arch sinh (KN) (17)
By using K as a parameter, a series of C
curves are drawn for Z ranging from 0 to
0.5. Fig. 3 shows nine plates comprising
the C curves. These curves have been
computed for only certain values of K.
It is necessary to interpolate C values for
intermediate K's. If an arbitrary value
of K is assumed, C in equation 15 may be
computed for all values of Z. A constant
CL is subtracted from these computed
values of C. The differences, C- CL, are
recorded and plotted for values of Z from
0 to 0.50. CL varies and is a function of
the K and the particular plate used. CL
may be obtained for any value of K from
equation 15. The Z that is used in this
equation is the lowest that appears on the
plate that is being used. For example,
for Z equal to 0.28 and K equal to 0.22,
plate 5 is used, since Z equal to 0.28 lies
between the range of 0.25 and 0.30.
Since Z equal to 0.25 is the lowest value of
Z on this chart, it is used in equation 15
for computing CL.
Both C and CL are respectively
sinh (0.28) sih 0.022XO.23
0.28 0.28 ) 6. Obtain the corresponding Z for the new
= 1.013357
and
0.25 sinh 0.25 /
= 1.010688
The process of plotting C- CL can be
long and tedious. The sinh Z/Z is easy
enough and is computed in Table I, but
the cosh arc sinh (KN) is more difficult.
Cosh arc sinh (KN) is a rapidly converg-
ing series which may be represented by
the following expression
Cosh arc sinh (KN)=1+0.5 (KN)2-
0.125 (KN)4+0.06.25 (KN)6 (18)
Table II illustrates how this series may
be ascertained for Z equal to 0.23 and for
K equal to 0.22, 0.24, 0.26, 0.28, and 0.30.
Solving the General Problem
The general problem is to find the sags
and tensions of a cable span for a tem-
perature range of from 0 to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit, given the maximum allowable
tension for the cable. The steps that are
to be followed are the following:
1. Obtain an approximate Z for the maxi-
mum load condition.
2. Plot TilTmax versus Z. For plotting
purposes, three points are sufficient. They
should correspond to Z1 equal to Z-0.005,
Z2 equal to Z, and Z3 equal to Z+0.005.
3. Read off Z at the point on the tension
curve where the ordinate Ti/Tma,i is unity.
4. Obtain the unstressed length factor for
this Z.
5. Obtain a new unstressed length factor
for the new temperature condition.
temperature condition.
7. Calculate for sags and tensions.
a
where
-=Z-+
a
(KN) -0.16667(KN)3+
0.075(KN)5 (22)
T1 is a function of Z. To obtain Z
approximately for the heavy load condi-
tion, resort is made to the following
equation, which is accurate to two places.
C
Zn =2 (23)
max -b'
w
T1/ Tmax is plotted against Z for
Z1=Z-0.005. Z2=Zn, and Z3=Z+
0.005, using equations 21 and 22. (Use
Tables I and III.) The Z corresponding
to TI/Tmax equal to unity is the Z for
maximum load condition (final) when the
cable is subjected to the maximum allow-
able tension.
Now that Z is known for the heavy load
condition, the corresponding unstressed
length factor is attainable through the use
of Table IV and equations 11 and 12.
First rows 1, 2, and 4 through 11 are com-
pleted in sequential order. Then row 13
is computed from equation C= sinh Z/Z
cosh D, using the Z that is given and re-
corded in row 1 and following the example
of Table II. The final unstressed length
factor is the difference between row 11
and row 13.
The initial unstressed length factor is
obtained by subtracting the permanent
set from the final unstressed length factor.
The unstressed length factor for any
other temperature T1 is
'I =u [1+ (ti-t)] (24)

Table Ill. Tension and Sag

T1(H cosh T,(H cosh
z KN A H=AW xi/a x2/a cosh xi/a cosh x2//a xl/a) x2/a) T6/Tmax
0.135 ......0.0423981 .....3878.15 . .... 9792.32 . 0.177397 .. ...... 1.015776 .. .... 9946.80 ............. ..-.1.036125
0. 140 ...... 0.0423884 ..... 3739.64 . .... 9442.59. 0.182387 .. ...... 1.016679 .. .... 9600.08 .............. ..-.1.000008
0.145 ......0.0423783 ...3610.69.. 9116.99 .
.... 0.1873773....1.017607...92775 .............. 0.966407
0.1222 ...... 0.0352411 ..... 4285.19 ..... 4705.14 . 0.157434 ...... 0.086966. 1.012418 ...... 1.003784 ...... 4763.57 ..... 4722.94
0.13555 ...... 0.0352209 .....3863.15 ..... 4241.74 . 0.170764 ...... 0.100336. 1.014616 ...... 1.005037 ...... 4303.74 ..... 4263.11

606 Harley-A Direct Method for Sag-Tension Calculations AUGUST 1 953

 Table IV. Sag Calculations pounds per square foot. A half-inch of
b = 37.0 Feet b'= 44.530 Feet A = 0.7261 ice is assumed on the cable. In the
L=1047.3 Feet L'=1047.1 Feet Ein = 9.8 X 1 o6 calculations, reference is made to Figures
K = 0.0353289 K' = 0.0425270 Ef=10.8X10o 1 and 5 and to Tables I, III and IV.
W = 1.098 W'=2.525 0=10.586X1 -6 The unit weight of ice is computed
from the formula
Row Weight of ice=0.311(d22_d,2)
1 ... /.. 0.14 .. 10 where d2 is the diameter of the cable
2 ... ........ 0 degrees Fahrenheit final ...... 0 degrees Fahrenheit initial covered with ice and d1 is the diameter of
3..... ..11........... ... 100 295 7 . 1 .0 02 449
4 ..V .................. .... ..... 0.996741 ....... 0.998335 the bare cable. For 0.5 inch ice, the ice
5 ..KN . 0.0423884 ....... 0.0352701
weight becomes 1.000 pounds per foot,
6. .sinh (2Z) .............. 1.......1.013118 ................... 1.006680 using d, equal to 2.108 inches and di equal
2Z
Z
7..cosh2 D+sinh2 D. ... 1 .0 03 5 94 . 1 .0 0 2 4 8 8 to 1.108 inches. The wind load is com-
8
sinh (2Z)
h ( cosh2 D+sinh2 D ...... 2.016759 ................... 2.009185 puted from another formula, namely
2Z
9......4Z .......... .........0.6 ........ ...........0.40 wind force = d2/12 X F
10.. B. ........ 3.601555 ................... 5.022963

11 WLB 0.001214 ................... 0.000812 where F is the wind pressure. For F

12
AE
CL ..... 1.002288
I.........................
equal to 8 pounds per square foot, the
wind force is 1.4053 pounds per foot.
..

13 C. ........1 .004171 ...... 1.003453

14 C-CL.... ... 0 0 0 11 6 5 The total unit vertical load is therefore
15 .z ..0 .1 2 2 2
2.098 pounds and the total unit horizontal
force is 1.4053 pounds. The resultant
unit force acting on the cable is 2.525
Hence, for anv temperature it is possi- Conductor, 795,000 circular mils, 26/7 pounds.
ble to arrive at the Z of the appropriate
-
strands
catenary curve by merely kinowing-n nthe the Span L, 1,047.3 feet CALCULATING Z FOR MAXIMUM LOAD
Vertical height b, 37.0 feet
unstressed length factor. T able IV is Maximum allowable tension Tm5,x 9,600 bw 37X2.525
filled out in sequential order for several pounds b1 = =
v 2.098
-44.453 feet
values of Z. These values ar e so chosen Wind load F, 8 pounds per foot2
that the resultant Z which is being com- Ice load, 0.5 inch
Cable unit weight w, 1.095 pounds per foot Ll= C2-(bl)2 = V( 1048.0)2 -(44.453)2
puted wvill fall within the ra .ngengeooff the
the Area A, 0.7261 inch2 =1047.1 feet
chosen values of Z. C- CL, row 14, is Diameter of wire, 1.108 inches
plotted against Z on the C cutrves, Fig. 1. Modulus of elasticity, final Ef, 10.8X106 c

The intersection of this auxili-arv C curve pounds per inch2

Modulus of elasticity, initial Ei, 9.8X 106
[(2Tmax)1W] -b
with the appropriate standalrd C curve pounds per inch2 1048.0
= 0.14(1
0 4
will give the desired Z. Temperature coefficient of expansion, 2(9600) 1~ - 44.453
Once Z is obtained, the sa,gs and ten- 10.8X10 6 inch per inch per degree L 2.525 j
sions are readily computed. The sagZ:5 is Fahrenheit
given by the following equatic Permanent setting, 0.000316 inch per inch For plotting purposes, the tension T is
obtained for Z=0.135, Z=0.140, and
M=1 (3L2-2b2)Z3 (25) The heavy load condition will be for Z=0.145 (see Table III). By plotting
4 144C 0 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind load of 8 TT/Tmax versus Z,Z for maximum load is
The second term in equation 25 may be
left out for short and moderately long
spans. The tensions are attainable bv
using equations 21 and 22.

Illustrative Example
In the following, a typical sag and ten-
sion problem has been worked out to
illustrate the technique presented. The
pertinent data follow.
a
R-7E
Fig. 4 (left). Inclined
catenary

Fig. 5 (right). Tension

curve

AUGUST 1 953 Harley-A Direct Method for Sag-Tension Calculations 60 7

attainable at the point on the curve
where TI/Tmax is unity (see Figure 5).
The Z in this case is 0.14.
UNSTRESSED LENGTH FACTOR
Once Z for the loaded condition is
known, finding the unstressed length fac-
tor is an easy matter. The calculations
are straightforward and are tabulated in
Table IV. It should be noted that this
unstressed length factor is based on the L
for the loaded condition. It is necessary
to refer all unstressed length factors to the
unloaded condition. To accomplish this,
the unstressed length factor calculated in
The Zero-Flux Current Transrormer
A. HOBSON
NONMEMBER AIEE
Synopsis: A method is described of re-
ducing the core flux of a current transformer
by supplying the necessary voltage to the
secondary circuit. For one load current,
the flux may be eliminated, giving zero
errors, and at other loads the ratio and
phase angle are so small as to be difficult to
detect in many cases. Applied to reason-
ably good transformers, extremely high
accuracies are obtained, with small weight
and bulk. The scope of low ratio bushing-
type transformers is also increased, but the
addition of triple-frequency auxiliary flux
still further extends the use of the method,
and test results are given for ratios down to
20/5 amperes.
N A PERFECT current transformer,
the primary and secondary ampere-
turns would be exactly equal in magni-
tude and precisely opposite in phase
position for all conditions of service.
In practice, the ideal is never attained
because a voltage must be induced in the
secondary winding to overcome the im-
pedance of the circuit. This gives rise to
a corresponding magnetic flux in the core,
and it is the ampere-turns needed to
maintain the flux which constitute the
error of the transformer. They subtract
7ectorially from the input ampere-turns,
and the result is that the secondary cur-
rent is a little less than it ought to be and
not quite in its proper phase position.
When considering how to make a trans-
former without errors, the obvious line of
attack seems to try and make up for the
magnetising losses by supplying correc-
tive ampere-turns to the transformer.
608 608THobson-The Zero-Flux Current Transformer
Table IV is multiplied by a factor which is
L/L'. The permanent set, 0.000316, is
subtracted from this unstressed length
factor to get the initial unstressed length
factor for 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
The unstressed length factors for the
other temperatures are calculated from
the equation lt = Zl [1 +-0(t-t) 1. From
the resultant unstressed length factors,
the auxiliary C curves for the specified
range of temperatures are plotted, see
Figure 1. The intersection of these
auxiliary curves with the basic C curve
will give the values of Z for temperatures
ranging from 0 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
No Discussion
This is a most difficult task. A current
transformer has to work over a fairly
wide range of current. The magnetising
and iron-loss ampere-turns vary in a most
complicated manner as the primary cur-
rent changes, and while it mav be feasible
to correct for one particular condition, it
is too much to hope that a complex curve
can be followed with accuracy.
Nevertheless, a number of attempts
have been made in the past, but the suc-
cess attained has been limited because of
the extreme difficulties involved. In
most of these and other methods, efforts
have been made to secure a flat character-
istic by balancing the upper and lower
halves of the magnetising curve against
each other, using saturated cores for the
purpose. In thisway, someinventorshave
improved the ratio error, some the phase
angle, and some both, but in all cases the
benefit has been achieved by making
critical adjustments on the individual
transformers. It has not been possible
to predetermine the results by ordinary
design methods.
A more reasonable approach to the
problem is to consider supplying the
necessary voltage to the secondary cir-
cuit. If this is done properlv there is no
Paper 53-194, recommended by the AIEE Trans-
formers Committee and approved by the AIEE
Committee on Technical Operations for presenta-
tion at the AIEE Southern District NMeeting,
Louisville, Ky., April 22-24, 1953. -Manuscript
submitted October 24, 1932; made available for
printing March 16, 19.3.
A. HoBsoN is with Smith Hobson Limited, Kings-
ton, Surry, England.
The results are shown in Figure 1.
The tensions have been calculated
for 0 degrees and 60 degrees and are,
respectively, 4763.6 and 4303.7 pounds
for the upper support and 4722.9 and
4263.1 pounds for the lower supports.
The sags for the different temperatures
are recorded in Figure 1.
References
1. TRANSMISSION LINE CATENARY CALCULATIONS,
D. 0. Ehrenberg. AIEE Transacltonzs (Electrical
Engineerinzg), vol. 34, July 1935 pp. 719-28.
2. ELECTRIC POWER TRANSMISSION, L. F. Wood-
ruff. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New- York, N. Y.,
2nd ed., fourth lprinting., Feb. 1946, pp. 201-05.
need for anv voltage to be induced in the
secondary winding consequently the
core flux is zero and the transformer oper-
ates with neither ratio nor phase-angle
error. In other words, the current trans-
former is no longer obliged to supply
energy and is able to concentrate fully on
its proper task of measuring the current.
Moreover, a current transformer gen-
erally works into a fixed impedance so
that the secondary voltage is not onl-
proportional to the current, but also
keeps the same phase position with re-
spect to it, offering a much simpler prob-
lem than the provision of a whole mag-
netising curve.
Principle of Operation
In the method to be described here, the
voltage source is a second current trans-
former, which mav be called a compensa-
tor, worked by the same primary current
as the first one. The diagram in Fig. 1
shows one suitable arrangement for a
500/5 ampere-ring-tvpe current trans-
former. The explanation will be simpli-
CURRENT - IVvvYTVWVV
TRANSFORMER COMPENSATOR
Fig. 1. 500/5 compensated transformer
AI7GUIST 1953