Piecewise Linearization Analysis of Cable Configuration for Flexible Photovoltaic Support Structures.
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| Title: | Piecewise Linearization Analysis of Cable Configuration for Flexible Photovoltaic Support Structures. |
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| Authors: | Sun, Yue1,2 (AUTHOR), Yu, DaLong2 (AUTHOR) yudalong@cbtgc.com, Shang, RenJie3 (AUTHOR), Cui, HaiYu2 (AUTHOR), Cheng, Fan2 (AUTHOR), Yan, WuTong4 (AUTHOR), Dal Lago, Bruno (AUTHOR) bruno.dallago@uninsubria.it |
| Source: | Advances in Civil Engineering. 5/15/2026, Vol. 2026, p1-11. 11p. |
| Subjects: | Cable structures, Piecewise linear approximation, Finite element method, Elastic deformation, Stability (Mechanics) |
| Abstract: | Suspension cable structures, characterized by superior mechanical performance and lightweight configuration, are increasingly used in small‐ to medium‐span flexible photovoltaic support systems. However, conventional spatial cable form‐finding methods, particularly segmented catenary‐based analytical approaches and finite element analysis, exhibit strong sensitivity to initial conditions and often fail to converge for small rise‐to‐span ratios and three‐dimensional cable systems. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a spatial suspension cable analysis method based on piecewise linearization along the cable axis. The cable is discretized into n equal‐length microsegments, taking the cable axis itself, rather than the global coordinate field, as the primary discretization domain. Given an approximate initial cable profile and end forces, a recursive segment‐end equilibrium formulation incorporating elastic elongation is established to propagate cable forces and spatial coordinates from one end to the other, from which explicit relationships between terminal coordinates and end force components are derived. A correction system with only three unknowns is then constructed to iteratively update the cable‐end forces, typically achieving convergence within 4–6 iterations. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed method effectively avoids the nonconvergence issues encountered in form‐finding of low rise‐to‐span and three‐dimensional cable structures, while maintaining comparable accuracy in cable geometry and internal force prediction, making it suitable for engineering applications in flexible photovoltaic support systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | Suspension cable structures, characterized by superior mechanical performance and lightweight configuration, are increasingly used in small‐ to medium‐span flexible photovoltaic support systems. However, conventional spatial cable form‐finding methods, particularly segmented catenary‐based analytical approaches and finite element analysis, exhibit strong sensitivity to initial conditions and often fail to converge for small rise‐to‐span ratios and three‐dimensional cable systems. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a spatial suspension cable analysis method based on piecewise linearization along the cable axis. The cable is discretized into n equal‐length microsegments, taking the cable axis itself, rather than the global coordinate field, as the primary discretization domain. Given an approximate initial cable profile and end forces, a recursive segment‐end equilibrium formulation incorporating elastic elongation is established to propagate cable forces and spatial coordinates from one end to the other, from which explicit relationships between terminal coordinates and end force components are derived. A correction system with only three unknowns is then constructed to iteratively update the cable‐end forces, typically achieving convergence within 4–6 iterations. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed method effectively avoids the nonconvergence issues encountered in form‐finding of low rise‐to‐span and three‐dimensional cable structures, while maintaining comparable accuracy in cable geometry and internal force prediction, making it suitable for engineering applications in flexible photovoltaic support systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 16878086 |
| DOI: | 10.1155/adce/2314484 |
