Vision-based experimental study of force estimation in the cable-stayed bridge’s cable model

In this paper, a vision-based measurement is proposed, so as to realize quick and convenient tests on the cable force of single-cable plane cable-stayed bridge. Firstly, laser is used to lay out the reference points, and pictures are taken by mobile phone or camera, gaining cable sag by serial image processing. The next step is to calculate the cable force by its relation with sag. According to laboratory test of cable force, the measuring error of cable force is within 3%, which meets the engineering precision requirements. This simple, efficient and low-risk method is easy to operate, and can solve the difficulty of marker installation during visual measurement.