CABLE AND TENSILE

CABLE
• Structural cable are made of a series
of small strands twisted or bound
together to form a much larger
cable. Steel cables are either spiral
strand, where circular rods are
twisted together and “glued” using
a polymer, or locked coil strand,
where individual interlocking steel
strands from the cable.
cable
A cable is a flexible structural component that offers no resistance when
compressed or bent in a curve shape. Technically we can say cable has zero (0) bending
rigidity.
A cable is the main component of cable supported bridge or suspended roof
structures that are classified as follows:
1. SUSPENSION TYPE CABLES
- The main forces in a suspension bridge of any type, are tension in the cables
and compression in the pillars. This is not adds strength but improves reliability.
2. STAYED TYPE CABLE
- The Towers are the primary load – bearing structures which transmit the bridge
loads to the ground.
• The first
suspended
roof
Prototype,
Banska,
Brystica,
Slovacia,
1826, Venrich,
Schnirch Arch
• Tower Bridge
London, 1894
• Horace Jones
Arch, John
Wolfe Barry
Struct. Eng.
Pavilion,
Chicago, 1933
Bennett &
Associates
• Shabolovska
Tower,
Moscow, 1922
Vladimir Shukhov
ADVANTAGES:
 Strength

 Can withstand high winds and seismic activity

 Lightweight

 Consume less material

 Cost-effective option

 Flexibility
DISADVANTAGES:
 Cable net structures require regular maintenance to ensure that the cables remain

taut and in good condition.

 Cable net structures require a significant amount of space to accommodate the

cables, which may not be suitable for all types of buildings or environments.
TENSILE
• A Tensile structure is a construction of
elements carrying only tension and no
compression or bending. The term Tensile
should not be confused with tensegrity,
which is a structural form with both tension
and compression elements. Tensile structures
are the most common type of thin – shell
structure. Most tensile structures are
supported by some form of compression or
bending elements, such as Masts,
Compression Rings or Beams.
tensile
• A Tensile
Membrane
structure is
most often
used as a
roof, as they
can
economically
and
attractively
span large
distance.
 Tensioned Fabric Structure
A Structure where the exterior shell is a fabric material spread over a
framework. The fabric is maintained in tension in all directions to provide
stability.

V.S

Tensile Structures
Tension roofs or Canopies are those in which every part of the structure is
loaded only in tension, with no requirement to resist compression or bending
forces.
Type of Tensile Structure
• A two-dimensional tension fabric membrane can take planar tensile forces,
but it cannot take significant forces perpendicular to this plane. Therefore,
in addition to being pre-stressed, tension fabric must take a certain three-
dimensional shape, in order to remain stable. These shapes were discovered
by Otto and Berger during their investigation of natural forms, such as soap
bubbles. There are two types of general shapes: Anticlastic and Synclastic
shapes.
 Anticlastic Shape
• Anticlastic shapes are created by having the
radii of the principal curvatures on opposite
sides of the tension fabric surface. As a
result, when loaded at a particular point,
tension will increase on one curve of the
membrane and leave the opposite curve.
Thereby, preserving equilibrium and
keeping the structure stable. In order to
anticlastic shapes, some kind of structural
frame or support is necessary in the form of
cables or steel beams. Some examples of
anticlastic shapes are saddle, cone and
wave forms.
 Synclastic Shapes
• Synclastic shapes are characterized
by having radii of the principal
curvatures on the same side of the
fabric. In order to counteract
external forces, pressure from the
within is necessary. This is why
Synclastic Shapes are associated
with air – inflated structures. The
difference of pressure created by air
pumped into building is able to
counteract the external forces, in the
form of wind and snow.
Types of Fabric Membranes
PVC
Less expensive
15 to 20 years life span
Easy to erect
• Silicon glass
Higher tensile strength
Brittle, subject to damage from
flexing
30+ years life span
• TEFLON/PTFE
• (Polytetrafluoroethylene)
Similar to Silicon glass
Less Brittle.
 Notable person and their works
• Engr. Vladimir
Shukhov

Russian Engineer Vladimir Shukhov was

one of the first to develop practice
calculations of stresses and deformations
of Tensile Structures, Shells, and
Membranes. Shukhov designed eight
Tensile Structures and Thin-shell
Structures exhibition pavilions for
NIZHNY NOVGOROD Fair of 1896
The world’s first Membrane roof and
Steel Tensile gridshell in the Shukhov
Rotunda, NIZHNY NOVGOROD 1895
Hyperboloid Adziogol Lighthouse
Kherson, Ukraine, 1911
Ar. Frei Otto
A German Architect and Structural Engineer was well known for his pioneering
innovations in lightweight and tensile structures. In many ways, Otto was far ahead
of his time sought new methods to use the least amount of material and energy to
create space, embracing principles of sustainability long before the term was coined
in architecture.

Munich Olympic Stadium

1972
Tensile Structures in the Philippines

Ayala Nuvali SM – South Mall Canopy

Skyranch, Tagaytay
why use Tensioned membrane structure?
• Flexible Design Aesthetics – Tensile Fabric structures provide unlimited designs of
distinctive elegance that can be realized because of the unique flexible characteristics of
membrane
• Outstanding translucency – In daylight, fabric membrane translucency offers soft diffused,
naturally lit spaces reducing the interior lighting cost while at night, artificial lighting creates
an ambient exterior luminescence.
• Excellent Durability – with several different membranes in the market place such as PTFE,
fiberglass, ETFE film, and ePTFE, the durability and longevity of tensile membrane structures
have been proven and built in climates ranging from the frigid artic to the scorching desert
heat.
• Lightweight Nature – the lightweight nature of membrane is a cost effective solution that
requires less structural steel to support the roof compared to conventional building materials
enabling long spans of column – free space.
• Shipment.
Thank you
For
listening