Abstract Cable-driven parallel manipulators (CDPMs) offer large workspaces and adaptable architectures, making them attractive for a variety of tasks ranging from industrial automation to marine applications. However, cable failures—such as breakage, jamming, sensor faults, or actuator malfunctions—may critically compromise system reliability. In this article, we present a quasi-static failure analysis under a simplified cable model to quantify how a ruptured cable affects both end-effector pose and tension redistribution. While hydrodynamic forces and cable elasticity are excluded, our results indicate that repositioning surface anchors (such as ships) can effectively reduce excessive tensions and prevent slack-cable events. We compare six-, eight-, and ten-cables configurations to illustrate how redundancy influences post-failure stability and control. Numerical findings indicate that judicious anchor placement lowers peak tension fluctuations and improves overall failure tolerance. This analysis supports early-stage design and deployment of CDPMs in marine or other large-scale environments, and provides a foundation for future models incorporating hydrodynamics, cable elasticity, and transient rupture effects.
Ghaffar et al. (Wed,) studied this question.