Research on Broken Wire Based on a Fine Finite Element Model of Steel Strands

In order to study the mechanical properties of seven-wire steel strands after wire breakage failure, this study is based on the established finite-element beam-element model of seven-wire steel strands and analyzes two failure forms of symmetric wire breakage and asymmetric wire breakage. The stress redistribution pattern, recovery length, and parameter influences (temperature: 0-40 °C; friction coefficient: 0.15-0.30; torsion angle: 4-7°) are analyzed. The results show that broken wire damage will cause the stress of the intact steel wire to increase rapidly, increasing the risk of fracture of the intact steel wire. The recovery length will shorten with the increase in the friction coefficient, torsion angle, and the number of broken wires but will extend with the increase in temperature. The stress changes in the steel strand are as follows: when the number of broken wires increases, the maximum stress increases significantly and the average stress decreases slightly; when the temperature rises, the maximum stress and average stress in both cases of wire breakage show a significant linear decrease. These research results provide important references for the safety assessment and life prediction of cables in bridge engineering.