PSI - Issue 84

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 84 (2026) 1095–1102

III Fabre Conference: Existing Bridges, Viaducts, and Tunnels: Research, Innovation, and Applications

Hanging from wires, past and future Fabio Brancaleoni a, *, Massimo Averardi Ripari a a E.D.IN., Società di Ingegneria,Via Casilina 3/t, 00182 Rome, Italy

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Abstract The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it offers a retrospective overview of the development of wires for suspension bridge cables during the nineteenth century, driven by the momentum of the Industrial Revolution, with references to the key milestones and pioneering figures in this scientific and technological progress. Second, it addresses the present and future perspectives of the field, focusing on the characteristics of wires and the aspects to be evaluated, along with a discussion of their behaviour in the most critical areas—specifically, the saddles. 1. Introduction Regardless of the material they were made of, the construction of the main cables for suspension bridges has always been one of the most complex phases in their erection, due to the need to span long elements over large spaces to cross rivers, straits or valleys. Ancient bridges supported by vegetal ropes are lost in time (Jakkula, 1941), whereas this work begins from the period following the Industrial Revolution when, after an initial period characterized by the use of chain bridges that shall not be treated herein (Brancaleoni, 2024), came the advent of those supported by wires. The role and interaction between European and American engineering and industry are highlighted, with the first examples and the construction technologies that became the foundation for the 'great American century' from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s (Kemp, 1993; Petroski, 1996), as well as of the worldwide progress. The evolution of wire properties Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference Keywords: Suspension Bridge Cables; Steel Wires; Tower Saddles; Splay Saddles.

* Corresponding author. E-mail address: f.brancaleoni@ediningegneria.com

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.06.140