dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaModeling of Cables with High and Low Tension Zones using a Hybrid Rod-Catenary Formulation
| Authors | Sachin Goyal, Noel C. Perkins |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0702224 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0702224 |
Abstract
Cables under very low tension may become highly contorted and form loops, tangles, knots and kinks. These nonlinear deformations, which are dominated by flexure and torsion, pose serious concerns for cable deployment. Simulation of the three-dimensional nonlinear dynamics of loop and tangle formation requires a 12th order rod model and the computational effort increases rapidly with increasing cable length and integration time. However, marine cable applications which result in local zones of low-tension very frequently involve large zones of high-tension where the effects of flexure and torsion are insignificant. Simulation of the three-dimensional dynamics of high-tension cables requires only a 6th order catenary model which significantly reduces computational effort relative to a rod model. We propose herein a hybrid computational cable model that employs computationally efficient catenary elements in high-tension zones and rod elements in localized low-tension zones to capture flexure and torsion precisely where needed.
{
"annotation_id": "a28da5fc-9128-4d0b-a350-481686bb5d6f",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:18.536000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:18.536000Z",
"file_hash": "1531354d8320c74f11e89024bea4e883ecb4a211aab01c1f087bc7278a16d1c3",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "Cables under very low tension may become highly contorted and form loops,\ntangles, knots and kinks. These nonlinear deformations, which are dominated by\nflexure and torsion, pose serious concerns for cable deployment. Simulation of\nthe three-dimensional nonlinear dynamics of loop and tangle formation requires\na 12th order rod model and the computational effort increases rapidly with\nincreasing cable length and integration time. However, marine cable\napplications which result in local zones of low-tension very frequently involve\nlarge zones of high-tension where the effects of flexure and torsion are\ninsignificant. Simulation of the three-dimensional dynamics of high-tension\ncables requires only a 6th order catenary model which significantly reduces\ncomputational effort relative to a rod model. We propose herein a hybrid\ncomputational cable model that employs computationally efficient catenary\nelements in high-tension zones and rod elements in localized low-tension zones\nto capture flexure and torsion precisely where needed.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0702224",
"authors": [
"Sachin Goyal",
"Noel C. Perkins"
],
"categories": [
"physics.comp-ph"
],
"title": "Modeling of Cables with High and Low Tension Zones using a Hybrid Rod-Catenary Formulation",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0702224"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "39faf450-ede3-4df9-8ad7-ddc8ee5c856f",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}