SpaceElevator: Why is Cable Thicker at the Center?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the structural design of a space elevator cable, specifically addressing why the cable is proposed to be thicker at the center compared to the tips. Participants explore the forces acting on the cable at different points and the implications for its design.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the necessity of a thicker cable at the center, referencing a Wikipedia article.
  • Another participant suggests that the cable must be thicker in the middle to withstand forces from the platform at the bottom and the station at the top.
  • A different participant asserts that there are no forces at the ends of the cable.
  • One participant emphasizes that there must be some stress on the cable, particularly at the center, due to the weight of the cable hanging down from that point.
  • Another participant invites consideration of a simplified model of a single cable hanging from a ceiling to illustrate where the largest load would be experienced.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the forces acting on the cable, particularly regarding the presence of forces at the ends and the implications for cable thickness. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing viewpoints.

Contextual Notes

Participants do not fully explore the assumptions regarding the forces acting on the cable or the implications of a stationary versus a dynamic cable system. The discussion lacks a detailed analysis of the mathematical modeling involved.

doublemint
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Hi all, I am doing a paper on the space elevator. On the wikipedia site it states that a climber would be far better off on a stationary cable rather than having a cable pulling the climber since "the cable to be significantly wider at the center than the tips". Why does the center have to be thicker then at the tips??

Thanks

DoubleMint
 
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What are the forces on the cable at the bottom/middle and top?
Hint - do you need to attach the top to anything?
 
Well at the bottom of the cable, there is the platform and on top is the station. So there are forces pulling from those two points. Therefore the cable must be thicker in the middle to withstand the forces??
 
There are no forces at the ends
 
Well there must be some sort of stress on the cable...
 
doublemint said:
Well there must be some sort of stress on the cable...
Yes. At the centre. The rest of the cable is hanging down in both directions from the centre.

Ignore one half of the cable for the moment and think of just one cable hanging down from a very tall ceiling. What part of that cable experiences the biggest load?
 
Thanks for both of your help!
 

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