Self-supporting cable is a cable with a steel support strand capable of supporting the cable's weight across spans.
Self-supporting cable is cable that incorporates a steel support strand strong enough to carry the cable's own weight across a suspended span. By including its own strength member, the cable can be hung overhead between supports without requiring a separate messenger wire alongside it. The steel strand bears the mechanical load, while the conductors handle the signal or power they are designed to carry.
This self-supporting construction simplifies overhead installation and handling, since the cable and its support form a single unit. The strength strand is sized to support the cable along with the wind and ice loads it may encounter on a span.
In commercial and industrial communication and power, self-supporting cable carries signals and power overhead between structures. Recognizing the construction helps in understanding how cable can be suspended without separate support.
Because the strength strand bears the mechanical load while the conductors handle the signal or power, self-supporting cable can be suspended overhead between supports without a separate messenger, with the strand sized to support the cable along with the wind and ice loads of a span.
Recognizing how an integral support strand carries a span helps illustrate the engineering behind aerial cable that can be suspended overhead without a separate messenger.
At Windy City Wire, an understanding of cable constructions, including self-supporting designs, reflects a focus on matching cable to its application. Recognizing how an integral support strand carries a span helps illustrate the engineering behind aerial cable.