Time-dependent analysis of cable nets using a modified nonlinear force-density method and creep theory

•A modified force density method for a time-dependent analysis of cable nets.•Creep constitutive equations of steel cables are introduced.•A proposed computational approach is implemented in developed software.•Numerical simulations of time-dependent behaviour of cable nets are presented.•The performance and potential of the approach are illustrated and discussed.

The stiffness of cable nets is conditioned by their states of prestress. The decrease of prestress due to creep of cables determines the serviceability and load bearing capacity of the cable net. In this paper, a modified force density method for a time-dependent non-linear static analysis of pre-stressed cable nets based on the application of creep theory is presented. Creep constitutive equations are directly used for the adjustment of cable lengths. The accuracy and efficiency of the formulation are assessed by comparison with available results obtained by other authors using different numerical approaches. The applicability of this method is demonstrated.