Interface performance of horizontally placed cable-saddle in looping cable-anchored suspension bridge

For a looping cable-anchored suspension bridge, in which a main cable system is horizontally looped around deflection saddles, adequate cable-saddle slip resistance is required to ensure structural safety. However, the force-transfer mechanism within these anchorages is complicated, which makes the cable-saddle interfaces performance challenging. This study investigated the interfacial frictional resistance by analysing the cable-saddle interface of such a structure. An analytical method for evaluating anti-slip behaviour considering the lateral force of the main cable, including the effect of the self-weight of the cable strand, was derived in accordance with the structural characteristics. A numerical contact-friction model of the main cable–saddle interaction is established to validate the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the model realistically evaluates anti-slip capacity and accurately captures contact forces and stress distributions within the saddle groove. Quantitative analyses reveal that the vertical partitions inside the saddle significantly enhance the cable’s anti-slip capacity, and incorporating the self-weight of the main cable strand yields a refined 0.04% further increase in the calculated anti-slip safety factor. Accurately accounting for self-weight enables a precise determination of the anti-slip safety factor, facilitating refined safety assessments. This method provides a theoretical basis for the anti-slip design and safety assessment of looping-cable suspension bridges.