You can apply a tensile-only axial load to simulate the pretension
condition of a cable connector. You can
enter the preload force in the Cable Connector
PropertyManager.
When you specify a preload,
the
software applies an initial tensile force along the axial direction
of the cable. The application of a preload simulates a stretched cable before the
application of any other external loads. Cable pretension might not be maintained
throughout the analysis. If the cable goes slack because of structural deformation, the
cable loses the pretension.
When defining a cable, let us assume the original length of the cable before
preload is L, and Lo is the length of the stretched cable after applying a preload
force. The tensile strain introduced by the preload is given by:
Where,
- P = Preload force
- E = Young’s modulus of the cable's material
- A = Cross-section area of the cable