Towing cable tension
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Posted by: jamesparker_1 ® 02/22/2007, 07:53:35 Author Profile eMail author Edit

Hi All I hope this isnt too vague but I really have no idea where to start! I have been asked to model the tension in a cable with a weight on the end being dragged through the air by an aircraft attached at the other end. Now i'm completely lost as to where to start. Firstly, how do i model the shape of the cable and surely i need to take accound of all sorts of things like the air resistance and drag on the cable and weight as well as the weight of the cable and of the target. Any suggestions on equations etc would be hugely appreciated. Best Regards,   James Parker

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Re: Towing cable tension
Re: Towing cable tension -- jamesparker_1	Post Reply	Top of thread	Forum

Posted by: zekeman ® 02/22/2007, 09:00:44 Author Profile eMail author Edit

Sounds like an academic problem, so I would say, do the simpler problem of a weightless massless 0 thickness cable and then take the string (cable) with tension T on one end ( aircraft end) first, moving at constant velocity ( the simplest form ) at velocity v, yielding two forces on the mass, one gravity and the other the drag opposite the velocity vector. Next do the problem with velocity v and accelerate the aircraft in a random direction which should be fun.(will the tension be lost momentarily? and what is the test?and is it important?) Finally put mass and dimension on the cable and write the differential equations associated with the motion on cable incorporated with the weight motion, a difficult problem indeed.

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