Computer-Aided Design of Cables, Wire Rope and Flexible Pipe Available to Purchase

Cables, as well as wire rope and flexible pipe, are long, thin structures primarily used to carry tensile loads over straight and curved paths. The internal helical geometry of these structures helps to keep stresses due to bending low, but torsional effects can be significant. Additional loads including thermal, internal pressure, external pressure, clamping and lateral crushing loads, such as cables that are routed through traction winches, complicate predicting structural performance. Cables are used as strength members, for electrical, fluid and optical signal and power transmission and combinations of these. Cable applications in the maritime, construction, automotive, medical, aerospace and defense industries require unique performance specifications that challenge the cable designer. In this paper, examples of several cable types demonstrate the effectiveness of a cable modeling software package to assess structural performance requirements. Software predictions are compared with physical tests or independent analysis results.