Cable Solver

Cable Solver is an engineering tool developed by TMT Laboratories for the design, analysis, and performance optimization of ropes and cables. It can be used to model a wide variety of metal or synthetic strengthened cables that may include electrical and optical components. It is effective and easy to use and remains a favorite among cable manufacturers and consumers alike. Cable Solver is currently used by various governmental agencies and commercial companies in the communication, petroleum, aerospace, scientific, and defense industries. Cable Solver runs in the Windows environment.

Cable Solver allows the user to select among several analysis strategies, which vary in complexity and allow convenient sensitivity studies of the input assumptions. The strategies range from a simple linear model to a thorough non-linear model that accommodates material compressibility, void filling, cusp filling, fiber compaction, and non-linear stress-versus-strain behavior of individual cable components. The program achieves this versatility without sacrificing ease of use or accuracy, and it allows an analysis to be easily adapted to meet a variety of design requirements.

The program accepts as input:

The actual or assumed geometry and material properties of the various cable components.
An analysis strategy which includes applied tension, strain, rotation, temperature, pressure, end constraint (fixed or free), and various models and parameters for accurate modeling of cable diameter reduction.

The program provides as output:

The initial and deformed geometry of the various cable components including pitch diameter, helix angle, lay length, exact coverage, radius of curvature, and mass per unit length.
The stress, strain, and tension experienced by each cable component, and the torque, radial force, and radial pressure contributed by each cable component.
The strain, tension, torque, rotation, ideal breaking strength, and mass per unit length of the entire cable.

To run the demo, please run the USB-key driver software first (USB Key Driver – SPI x.x.x.exe) followed by the Cable Solver software (Cable Solver vx.xx.xx.exe), both found in the Cable Solver folder on the demo disk. If desired, the Cable Solver folder and contents can be copied to your hard drive for quicker and more convenient operation.

FEATURES

During the development of Cable Solver, the primary goal was to make the program easy to use while, at the same time, sufficiently thorough. This goal prompted the features listed below:

User-friendly mouse-driven graphical interface.
Virtually unlimited modeling of as many layers of insulation materials, jackets, conductors, and strength members as required.
Analysis strategies that ensure flexible modeling and an intuitive understanding of the program’s unique and powerful capabilities.
Thoroughly proven computation and optimization routines which converge on analysis solutions quickly, reliably, and accurately.
Accurate results verified by extensive laboratory testing and data analysis.
Tabular data presentation, cross-section display, and real-time graphs for quick interpretation and comparison of results and cable designs.
Easy design modification allows quick sensitivity studies for immediate comparison of cable designs and analyses.
Quickly save and retrieve cable designs.
Editable material data base
US customary and SI units.
Text and graphic file export for import into spreadsheets and word processors.
Live real-time technical support.