Automated Determination of Concordant Profiles


C. J. Burgoyne
Dept of Civil Engineering, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, UK

The paper presents a method by which a designer can automatically determine a concordant cable profile that fits within eccentricity bounds governed by the applied moment envelopes. The method works by determining loadings which cause peak bending moments at a particular point; these moment diagrams are scaled concordant profiles. By using an iterative method, these loadings can be combined to give a composite notional loading; the corresponding bending moment, when scaled by an arbitrary factor, is the final concordant cable profile. The method also allows the shape of the concordant profile to be varied over internal supports, so that a smoothly curved cable can be fitted through an allowable zone which has sharp angular changes in the limits. The engineer is thus freed from the necessity of estimating secondary moments at the beginning of the design process. Instead, a concordant line of thrust can be determined and linear transformations applied to obtain the actual cable profile.  

The design of continuous prestressed concrete beams is complex and, if not approached in a logical sequence, can lead to the designer carrying out abortive calculations which waste time and effort.

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