Name: Darwin L.

Villamor
Course & Year.: BSCE -4
Topic: TENSION MEMBERS: THREADED RODS AND CABLES
INTRODUCTION
Tension members are structural elements that are subjected to axial tensile forces. They are used
in various types of structures and include truss members, bracing for buildings and bridges, cables in
suspended roof systems, and cables in suspension and cable-stayed bridges. Any cross-sectional
configuration can be used, because of any given material, the only determinant of the strength of a tension
member is the cross-sectional area.
When slenderness is not a consideration, rods with circular cross sections and cables are often
used as tension members. The distinction between the two is that rods are solid and cables are made from
individual strands wound together in ropelike fashion. Rods and cables are frequently used in suspended
roof systems and as hangers or suspension members in bridges. Rods are also used in bracing systems; in
some cases, they are pretension to prevent them from going slack when external loads are removed.
Figure 1 illustrates typical rod and cable connection methods.

Figure 1.

When the end of a rod is to be threaded, an upset end is sometimes used. This is an enlargement
of the end in which the threads are to be cut. Threads reduce the cross-sectional area, and upsetting the
end produces a larger gross area to start with. Standard upset ends with threads will actually have more
net area in the threaded portion than in the unthreaded part. Upset ends are relatively expensive, however,
and in most cases unnecessary.
The effective cross-sectional area in the threaded portion of a rod is called the stress area and is a
function of the unthreaded diameter and the number of threads per inch. The ratio of stress area to nominal
area varies but has a lower bound of approximately 0.75. The nominal tensile strength of the threaded rod
can therefore be written as
 Pn= A s F u=0.75 A b F u (1)
Where,
Pn=¿ nominal tensile strength of the threaded rod

A s=¿ stress area

F u=¿ ultimate tensile stress

Ab =¿ nominal (unthreaded) area

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) specification, in Chapter J, presents the nominal
strength in a somewhat different form:
Rn =F n A b (AISC Equation J3-1)

Where Rn is the nominal strength and F n is given in Table J3.2 as F nt =0.75 F u. This associates
the 0.75 factor with the ultimate tensile stress rather than the area, but the result is the same as that given
by equation 1.
For Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD), the resistance factor Ø is 0.75, so the strength
relationship is
Pu ≤ Ø t Pn or Pu ≤0.75 (0.75 A b F u )

Where, Pu is the factored load, Ø t is the resistance factor. And the required area is
Pu
Ab = (2)
0.75(0.75 Fu )

For Allowable Stress Design (ASD), the safety factor Ω is 2.00, leading to the requirement
Pn
Pa ≤ or Pa ≤ 0.5 Pn ; where, Pa is the applied load
2.00
Using Pn from equation 1, we get
Pa ≤ 0.5(0.75 A b Fu )

If we divide both sides by the area Ab , we obtain the allowable stress

F t=0.5 ( 0.75 F u )=0.375 F u (3)

If upset ends are used, the tensile capacity at the major thread diameter must be greater than yield stress
F y times the unthreaded body area (AISC Table J3.2, footnote d).

SAMPLE PROBLEM
 A thread rod is to be used as bracing member that must resist a service tensile load of 2 kips dead
load and 6 kips live load. What size rod is required if A36 steel is used?

LRFD Solution: The factored load is

Pu=1.2 D+1.6 L=1.2 ( 2 )+ 1.6 ( 6 )=12 kips

From equation 2,
Pu 12 2
Required Area = Ab = = =0.3678¿ .
0.75(0.75 Fu ) 0.75 (0.75)(58)

π d2
From Ab = ,
4

Required d=
√ 4 (0.3678)
π
=0.684∈.

Answer Use a ¾ -inch-diameter threaded rod ( Ab =0.442 ¿ .2).

ASD Solution: The required strength is

Pa= D+ L=2+6=8 kips

From equation 3, the allowable tensile stress is

F t=0.375 F u=0.375 ( 58 )=21.75 ksi

and the required area is

Pa 8 2
Ab = = =0.3678 ¿ .
F t 21.75

Answer Use a ¾ -inch-diameter threaded rod ( Ab =0.442 ¿ .2).

CONCLUSION
In determining the required size of threaded rod in the sample problem, there are two design
solutions used. First is by Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) solution, and second is the
Allowable Stress Design (ASD). In using these two solutions, the main goal is to determine the nominal
area Ab which will be used to determine the required size of the rod. LRFD used the equation 2 to come up
the nominal area and the diameter of the rod, while the ASD solution used the equation 3 to determine the
nominal area. The said solutions have different equations and procedures but still comes up with the same
answer. The threaded rod size (answer) in the problem used ¾ -inch-diameter which is also equivalent to
the nominal area of 0.442 sq.in., the reason is that the final answer is equivalent to the nominal area of
0.3678 sq.in. which falls under the commercial size of the rod ¾ -inch-diameter or nearer to the commercial
rod size mentioned. In tension member, the LRFD and ASD solutions are useful and simple in determining
the nominal area and size of rod or cable.

REFLECTION
To prevent damage during construction, rods should not be too slender. Although there is no
specification requirement, a common practice is to use a minimum diameter of 5/8 inch.

Figure 2.

Flexible cables, in the form of strands or wire rope, are used in applications where high strength is required
and rigidity is unimportant. In addition to their use in bridges and cable roof systems, they are also used in
hoists and derricks, as guy lines for towers, and as longitudinal bracing in metal building systems. The
difference between strand and wire rope is illustrated in Figure 2. A strand consists of individual wires
wound helically around a central core, and a wire rope is made of several strands laid helically around a
core.
Selection of the correct cable for a given loading is usually based on both strength and deformation
considerations. In addition to ordinary elastic elongation, an initial stretching is caused by seating or shifting
of the individual wires, which results in a permanent stretch. For this reason, cables are often pre-stretched.
Wire rope and strand are made from steels of much higher strength than structural steels and are not
covered by the AISC Specification. The breaking strengths of various cables, as well as details of available
fixtures for connections, can be obtained from manufacturers' literature.

REFERENCE
William T. Segui, The Unervisty of Memphis, “Steel Design - Fourth Edition”, 2007 Thomson Learning.