Historical Development of Cable-Stayed Bridges

The development of cable-stayed bridges is traced from 1784 to the present. The first modern cable-stayed bridge, the Stromsund Bridge, was completed in 1955 in Sweden. Economic comparisons indicate that cable-stayed bridges fill the void between continuous girder bridges and suspension bridges. In a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bridge, there are two basic cable arrangements; either a single or double plane. In elevation, there are four basic cable configurations: radiating, harp, fan and the star. Cable-stayed bridge towers are of various types to suit site conditions, design conditions and cable geometry. Various types of bridge decks have been employed; a few have been of prestressed concrete, but for the most part they have been steel bridge decks. Three types of strand configuration are employed in the cables: the helically wound, parallel wire and the locked coil strand.