TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE FACULTY OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT

BTBE1022
STRUCTURAL STUDIES

SUSPENSION BRIDGE
(Experiment No. 2)
 TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SUSPENSION BRIDGE
(2-Hinged Stiffened Girder)

Objective:
To determine the maximum tension in the cable of a suspension bridge.

Theory

L1 = 1000
20

Tmax Tmax

Height of central tie = h

Max tension in the cable occurs at the support

Tmax = W * L *(√(16d2 + L2)) / (8 *d)
Where:
W is the magnitude of the uniformly distributed load in N/m
L is the span in meter
d is the dip in meter

Suspension Bridge Experiment 2

Apparatus
1. Support frame
2. Suspension bridge assembly.
3. A set of weights.

Procedure:
1. Check the profile for the bridge to be tested and where necessary set the
cable position as detailed in the Appendix.
2. Remove the two supports pier so that it is not in contact with the bridge deck.
3. Switch on the digital display unit.
4. Check the cable stopper to make sure that there is no gap between the stopper
and the horizontal member. Tightened the screw on the stopper to prevent it
from sliding during loading.
5. Connect the load cells to the digital display, each load cell occupying 1
channel of the display.
6. Record the initial reading of each load cell.
7. Place a uniformly distributed load on the bridge deck and wait until the
digital display reading remain almost constant.
8. Record the magnitude of the uniformly distributed load and the reading of each
load cell
9. Increase the magnitude of the uniformly distributed load and repeat step 7 to 9.
10. Preferably repeat the above experiment to obtain the average readings of
the measured values.

Results:
Span of bridge, L = 1000 mm.
Dip, d = 186.5 mm
Table
Cable Tension At Support (N)
UDL, w
Left Pulley Right Pulley
(N/m)
Result Result

10.6
11.0

11.6

1. Using the data in Table, plot the graph of cable tension at the support
against load for the result.
2. Draw the best-fit curve to pass through the plotted points.

DISCUSSION:
1. From the results above state the relationship between the cable tension at
the support and the applied load.
2. State the probable source of error for this experiment.