What does Cable Stays Mean?
Definition of Cable Stays in Construction
What are “Cable Stays”? A technique utilizing cables, constructed of steel, hemp, plastic, or other materials, to support a structure. In most normal occurrences, the cables are mounted above the structure to be supported, and are normally at a 45’angle to the surface of the supported structure. The reasoning for the 45′ angle, is to even out the stresses both horizontally and vertically in the cable stay. The cable stay will allow cantilevers of greater length and support load values much higher than cantilevers without cable stays. The limiting factor in the use of cable stays, is the area above the supported structure which must be clear of obstructions, to allow the cable to extend unimpeded. If the cable is limited by obstacles, resultant supportive qualities of the cable stay become substantially compromised. In addition to the need for an open space above the supported surface, the architectural and aesthetic appearance of the gables must be approved. If the appearance of the gables is a negative, they can be covered with structure, however, this structure or enclosure will add to the weight being supported and at some point becomes a negative factor. The other factor of properly installing the cable stays at an angle and distance above the supported surface, is the vertical wall dimension above the surface of the supported component. There must be a wall to secure the cables located at a 90′ angle to the structure to allow the cable end to be embedded within. In addition to this wall requirement, the ability to embed the end of the cable stay to ensure a strong enough connection is vital. There will be a substantial tensile force attempting to pull the end of the cable from the wall or support above the canopy.