suspended cable tension

[ngandy1000]

a coworker asked me if i knew how to select a steel cable that will be suspended at different elevations and calculate the tension caused by its own weight. i said that i didn't and felt really stupid even though my specialty was water resources. does anyone here know how to do this?

 

[NSEARCH]

If you know the weight (mass) of the material it would be equal to

W=m*g

g = gravity :cig:

 

[ngandy1000]

that was my first thought at well, but i think that's only true if the cable was just being hung from one end. i'm looking to select a cable thickness based on a certain distance and anchored at two elevations.

 

[petermcc]

:brick:

This is a catenary problem. Here is a spreadsheet to calculate the tension in the cable. Chapter 41 in CERM has a little discussion on cables.

:MIG:

 

[petermcc]

:suicide: the file.....CATENARY.XLS

 

[EdinNO]

How did you attach the Excel file?

Was it similar to attaching a pic?

Ed

 

[petermcc]

:thumbsup:

I used the file attachment box ....

 

[ngandy1000]

i think that was what i was looking for. did you make that spreadsheet yourself or is there a resource to get others like it? really appreciate it!

 

[petermcc]

I got it off the internet.

:beerchug