Frictional Resistance between Main Cable and Saddle for Suspension Bridges. I: Friction Characteristic of Single Strand

The frictional resistance between main cable and saddle of a long-span, multispan suspension bridge is significant for the safety of the bridge. Typically, the main cable of a long-span, multispan suspension bridge has hundreds of strands. It is essential to understand the frictional resistance between the main cable and saddle for the design and evaluation of the bridge. In order to understand the fundamental mechanism of formation of frictional resistance, this paper studies the frictional resistance between single strand and saddle through finite element analysis. A simple yet effective and efficient model is delivered as a tool for analyzing the frictional resistance between single strand and saddle. The model is validated against model test results, and then used to investigate the distribution of strand force, nominal coefficient of friction, and the friction components at the saddle's side and bottom surfaces. The strand tension distributions are nonuniform along the strand and in the radial direction of the saddle. The friction components at the saddle's side and bottom surfaces follow opposite trends as the relative slip between the strand and saddle increases.