Monotonic tensile tests and finite element analysis of the connection between photovoltaic modules and cables in cable trusses-supported photovoltaic system

Cable trusses-supported photovoltaic system have been widely applied in engineering practice. Photovoltaic modules are connected to cables via connectors, and such connections are prone to failure under excessive wind loads, which may cause the modules to detach. In this study, the failure modes, deformation characteristics and load-bearing capacity of the connection joints were investigated. Special test fixtures were designed, and static tensile tests combined with numerical analyses were carried out on two types of commonly used joint specimens with bolted clamp fixation. The test results show that the joints experience two typical failure modes under vertical tensile loads, namely the pull-off of the module frame and the fracture of the cable clamp, with the corresponding load-bearing capacities being 17.90 kN and 17.28 kN, respectively. The joint exhibits a stronger plastic deformation capacity under the second failure mode, and the vertical displacement of the joint at the ultimate load-bearing capacity is 18.8% higher than that under the first failure mode. A finite element model was established based on the test results, and parametric analyses were further conducted. The results indicate that increasing the thickness of the cable clamp can improve the load-bearing capacity but significantly reduce the deformation capacity of the joint; increasing the web thickness of the clamp can enhance both the load-bearing capacity and deformation capacity of the joint. The conclusions obtained in this study can provide a reference for the design and application of the connections between components of cable trusses-supported photovoltaic system and cables.