Design of Steel Structures, 2e, 2nd Edition

3

Tension Members

3.1 INTRODUCTION

A member carrying a tension is known as a tension member. It is also known as a tie (Figure 3.1). In practice, the axial force may not be acting through the centroid of the cross section. There may be a small eccentricity of the load which causes a non-uniform stress distribution in the member. But, this is usually neglected if the eccentricity is small. Tension members are used in a variety of applications, shown in Figures 1.1 to 1.5, as members of a truss (in roofs, bridges and towers), as bracing members in buildings, as suspenders in suspension bridges, as cables in cable stayed bridges.

Wires/cables, rods/bars, single/double structural sections and built-up sections may be used as tension members. A cable ...