A comparison between continuous and discrete modelling of cables with bending stiffness

The static configuration in space of an inflexible two-dimensional cable anchored at its endpoints is obtained by the numerical solution of both continuous and discrete models. The results are compared and validated by experiment. It is shown that although the continuous model yields more accurate results than the discrete model, as expected, the effort and cost of numerically integrating the continuous model do not compare favourably with the relative ease and efficiency of solving the discrete model, which yields perhaps surprisingly accurate results. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.