Specific Analysis of the Basic Theory and Calculation Method of the Alignment of Suspension Bridge Cable 

Qian Kun LI, Chen LI 

School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chongqing Jiao tong University, Chongqing, 400074,CHINA 

Abstract: About the theoretical analysis and calculation method for the alignment of main cable of suspension bridge, many domestic and foreign researchers have conducted related researches. However, no specific derivation and interpretation of these researches has been provided in common textbooks of bridge engineering, and some researchers only know the result without understanding the process. In accordance with the differential equation of main cable, the parabolic equation of suspension cable under the uniformly distributed ｌｏａｄ along the span length and the suspension cable equation under the uniformly distributed ｌｏａｄ along the cable length can be derived. In addition, we also compare which equation has more accurate actual alignment through specific examples. 

Keywords: Suspension bridges; Main cable; Parabola equation; Catenary equation; Numerical calculation analysis