A form-finding approach of slack cable net based on elastic catenary element

This paper proposes a form-finding approach of slack cable structure based on finite element method with elastic catenary element. Elastic catenary element is briefly introduced first. Then, the difference of form-finding problems between the prestressed and slack cable net is discussed, then the problem of slack one is transferred to an optimization problem. The optimization mathematical model is constructed and the solving strategy is presented. Finally, the simulation of a slack cable structure given in literature is operated. The comparison between the method in this paper and the one in literature verifies the validity and effectiveness.