Winner of the Quiz

Hany Khalil

Arab Contractors company

Mola Quiz Challenge – Week 3

19 - 25 Jun 2025

Cable-Stayed Bridge Load Redistribution
Estimated Time: 2–3 min quiz | PDH/CPD: 0.75 hr (incl. review & study) | Difficulty: Advanced

Question:
In a cable-stayed bridge, what happens to the load distribution when one stay cable is damaged or removed?

  1. Load redistributes to adjacent cables causing increased tension and deck moments
  2. Adjacent cables carry the load with minimal deck effects
  3. The tower carries all additional load through bending
  4. The bridge becomes unstable and requires immediate closure
Explanation

Explanation:
Cable-stayed bridges exhibit significant load redistribution when cables are damaged. Adjacent cables pick up additional tension while the deck spans farther between support points, creating increased bending moments. This redundancy prevents collapse but requires careful analysis for inspection planning and damage assessment.

Learning Resources:
• "Cable-Supported Bridges" by Gimsing, Chapter 12 - System Redundancy
• Case Study: Stay cable failures and bridge response
Mola Visualization: Build a deck connected to tower using tension strings (cables). Remove a stay near midspan and observe deck sag and increased tension in adjacent cables.