Fatigue Safety Assessment of Concrete Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge Based on Rain Flow Counting Method and Health Monitoring Data

The fatigue of concrete structures will gradually appear after being subjected to alternating loads for a long time,and the accidents caused by fatigue failure of bridge structures also appear from time to time.Aiming at the problem of degradation of long-span continuous rigid frame bridges due to fatigue and environmental effects,this paper suggests a method to analyze the fatigue degradation mechanism of this type of bridge,which combines long-term in-site monitoring data collected by the health monitoring system(HMS)and fatigue theory.In the paper,the authors mainly carry out the research work in the following aspects:First of all,a long-span continuous rigid frame bridge installed with HMS is used as an example,and a large amount of health monitoring data have been acquired,which can provide efficient information for fatigue in terms of equivalent stress range and cumulative number of stress cycles;next,for calculating the cumulative fatigue damage of the bridge structure,fatigue stress spectrum got by rain flow counting method,S-N curves and damage criteria are used for fatigue damage analysis.Moreover,it was considered a linear accumulation damage through the Palmgren-Miner rule for the counting of stress cycles.The health monitoring data are adopted to obtain fatigue stress data and the rain flow counting method is used to count the amplitude varying fatigue stress.The proposed fatigue reliability approach in the paper can estimate the fatigue damage degree and its evolution law of bridge structures well,and also can help bridge engineers do the assessment of future service duration.

Load Test Analysis and Research on Long-Span Concrete Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge

Based on the as-built load test of a large bridge,this paper introduces the procedure of the prestressed concrete continuous rigid frame bridge load test.Numerical analysis of the bridge was carried out by simulating and establishing a finite element model,and comparative analysis was carried out with the measured values.The results show that the calculated values were basically consistent with the measured values,which showed that the establishment method of the model was reasonable,and the mechanical performance of the bridge met the service requirements of the designed live load.

Seismic response analysis of continuous rigid frame bridge considering canyon topography effects under incident SV waves

To evaluate the importance of the canyon topography effects on large structures, based on a rigid frame bridge across a 137-m-deep and 600-m-wide canyon, the seismic response of the canyon site is analyzed using a two-dimensional finite element model under different seismic SV waves with the assumptions of vertical incidence and oblique incidence to obtain the ground motions, which are used as the excitation input on the pier foundations of the bridge with improved large mass method. The results indicate that canyon topography has significant influences on the ground motions in terms of inci- dent angle. The peak ground acceleration values vary greatly from the bottom of the canyon to the upper comers. Under ver- tical incident SV waves, at the upper comers of canyon the peak ground accelerations greatly increase; whereas the peak ground accelerations diminish at the bottom comers of canyon. Under oblique incident SV waves, the shaking of the canyon slope perpendicular to the incidence direction is much more severe than that of the opposite side of canyon. And the ground surface has been characterized by larger deformations in the case of oblique incident waves. It is also concluded that the low piers and frame of the continuous rigid frame bridge ape more sensitive to the multi-support seismic excitations than the flexible high piers. The canyon topography as well as the oblique incidence of the waves brings the continuous rigid frame bridge severe responses, which should be taken into account in bridge design.

Nonlinear Stability Analysis of Long Span Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge with Thin Wall High Piers

By utilizing the current finite element program ANSYS, two types of finite element models (FEM), the beam model (BM) and shell model (SM), are established for the nonlinear stability analysis of a practical rigid frame bridge—Longtanhe Great Bridge. In these analyses, geometrical and material nonlinearities are simultaneously taken into account. For geometrical nonlinearity, updated Lagrangian formulations are adopted to derive the tangent stiffness matrix. In order to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the plastic hinge of the piers, the multi lines spring element COMBIN39 is used in the SM while the bilinear rotational spring element COMBIN40 is employed in the BM. Numerical calculations show that satisfying results can be obtained in the stability analysis of the bridge when the double coupling nonlinearity effects are considered. In addition, the conclusion is significant for practical engineering.

Stability Analysis of Long-Span Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge with Thin-Wall Pier

During cantilever cast in construction of high-pier and large-span continuous rigid frame bridges, structural stability in the longest cantilevered stage is very important. Based on a practical design case of a large-span continuous rigid frame bridge in Wuhan, the longest span stability coefficient is calculated with linear-buckling and nonlinear-buckling methods, respectively. The influences of both geometrical nonlinearity and the dual nonlinearity of material and geometry are considered. Numerical results indicate that the nonlinear solution is necessary to stability analysis because linear buckling loads are much higher than those of nonlinear buckling. Thus, the edge fiber yield criterion is more convenient and faster than ultimate loading criterion when estimating nonlinear stability of structure, and can be used easily in the initial engineering design.

Time-varying Reliability Analysis of Long-span Continuous Rigid Frame bridge under Cantilever Construction Stage based on the Monitored Strain Data

In general,the material properties,loads,resistance of the prestressed concrete continuous rigid frame bridge in different construction stages are time-varying.So,it is essential to monitor the internal force state when the bridge is in construction.Among them,how to assess the safety is one of the challenges.As the continuous monitoring over a long-term period can increase the reliability of the assessment,so,based on a large number of monitored strain data collected from the structural health monitoring system(SHMS)during construction,a calculation method of the punctiform time-varying reliability is proposed in this paper to evaluate the stress state of this type bridge in cantilever construction stage by using the basic reliability theory.At the same time,the optimal stress distribution function in the bridge mid-span base plate is determined when the bridge is closed.This method can provide basis and direction for the internal force control of this type bridge in construction process.So,it can reduce the bridge safety and quality accidents in construction stages.

Maintenance Management Research of a Large-span Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge Based on Reliability Assessment by Using Strain Monitored Data

When the bridge components needing maintenance are the world problem at present,and the health monitoring system is considered to be a very help­ful tool for solving this problem.In this paper,a large number of strain data acquired from the structural health monitoring system(SHMS)installed on a continuous rigid frame bridge are adopted to do reliability assessment.Firstly,a calculation method of punctiform time-dependent reliability is proposed based on the basic reliability theory,and introduced how to cal­culate reliability of the bridge by using the stress data transformed from the strain data.Secondly,combined with“Three Sigma”principle and the basic pressure safety reserve requirement,the critical load effects distribu­tion function of the bridge is defined,and then the maintenance reliability threshold for controlling the unfavorable load state which appears in the early operation stage of this type bridge is suggested,and then the combi­nation of bridge maintenance management and health monitoring system is realized.Finally,the transformed stress distribution certifies that the load effects of concrete bridges practically have a normal distribution;as for the concrete continuous rigid frame bridge with C50 strength grade concrete,the retrofit reliability threshold should be valued at 6.13.The methodology suggested in this article can help bridge engineers do effective maintenance of bridges,which can effectively extend the service life of the bridge and bring better economic and social benefits.

Analytical Research on Deformation Monitoring of Large Span Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge during Operation

Based on a large span continuous rigid frame bridge in Chongqing of China, the main pier vertical displacement and deviation, the bridge deck alignment and the expansion joint deformation are analytically researched during operation. Firstly, the monitoring content and method of the large span continuous rigid frame bridge are clearly stated. Secondly, by finite element software Midas Civil, the relevant deformation values of the bridge are calculated. Thirdly, in practice, the relevant deformation values of the bridge are measured. Finally, the measured values in practice are compared with the calculated ones by the finite element software Midas Civil, finding that the former is less than the latter, and it can be concluded that the bridge is basically in the normal working condition. In this paper, the analytical research on the deformation monitoring can provide the basis for similar bridges, which has good practical significance.

Seismic analysis of long-span continuous rigid frame bridges in cold regions:a case study of Bridge 1 in north of international tourism resort in Changbai Mountain

It is helpful to improve the seismic design theory of long-span continuous bridges for studying the seismic performance of each cantilever construction state.Taking the Bridge 1 in the north of Changbai-Mountain international tourism resort as an example,the authors studied it in shutdown phase and the cantilever construction process,established the simulation model by using Midas / civil,and analyzed time-history of each construction stage for the bridge.The study shows that long-span bridge cantilever construction in northeastern China can be divided into two-year tasks for construction(suspending in winter).It is needed to think about seismic stability of the cantilever position in shut-down phase of winter.The effect of longitudinal vibration is the most disadvantageous influence to bridge,and its calculation results can provide reference for seismic design of similar bridges in the future.

Field Load Test Based SHM System Safety Standard Determination for Rigid Frame Bridge

The deteriorated continuous rigid frame bridge is strengthened by external prestressing. Static loading tests wereconducted before and after the bridge rehabilitation to verify the effectiveness of the rehabilitation process. Thestiffness of the repaired bridge is improved, and the maximum deflection of the load test is reduced from 37.9 to27.6 mm. A bridge health monitoring system is installed after the bridge is reinforced. To achieve an easy assessmentof the bridge’s safety status by directly using transferred data, a real-time safety warning system is createdbased on a five-level safety standard. The threshold for each safety level will be determined by theoretical calculationsand the outcomes of static loading tests. The highest risk threshold will be set at the ultimate limit statevalue. The remaining levels, namely middle risk, low risk, and very low risk, will be determined usingreduction coefficients of 0.95, 0.9, and 0.8, respectively.

Behavior of composite rigid frame bridge under bi-directional seismic excitations

Pushover analysis and time history analysis are conducted to explore the bi-directional seismic behavior of composite steel-concrete rigid frame bridge, which is composed of RC piers and steel-concrete composite girders. Both longitudinal and transverse directions excitations are investigated using OpenSees. Firstly, the applicability of pushover analysis based on the funda- mental mode is discussed. Secondly, an improved pushover analysis method considering the contribution of higher modes is proposed, and the applicability on composite rigid frame bridges under bi-directional earthquake is verified. Based on this method, an approach to predict the displacement responses of composite rigid frame bridge under random hi-directional seismic excitations by revising the elasto-plastic demand curve is also proposed. It is observed that the developed method yield a good estimate on the responses of composite rigid frame bridges under bi-directional seismic excitations.

Prediction and mitigation analysis of ground vibration caused by running high-speed trains on rigid-frame viaducts

In this study a 3D numerical analysis approach is developed to predict the ground vibration around rigid-frame viaducts induced by running high-speed trains. The train-bridge-ground interaction system is divided into two subsystems： the train-bridge interaction and the soil-structure interaction. First, the analytical program to simulate bridge vibration with consideration of train-bridge interaction is developed to obtain the vibration reaction forces at the pier bottoms. The high- speed train is described by a multi-DOFs vibration system and the rigid-frame viaduct is modeled with 3D beam elements. Second, applying these vibration reaction forces as input external excitations, the ground vibration is simulated by using a general-purpose program that includes soil-structure interaction effects. The validity of the analytical procedure is confirmed by comparing analytical and experimental results. The characteristics of high-speed train-induced vibrations, including the location of predominant vibration, are clarified. Based on this information a proposed vibration countermeasure using steel strut and new barrier is found effective in reducing train-induced vibrations and it satisfies environmental vibration requirements. The vibration screening efficiency is evaluated by reduction VAL based on 1/3 octave band spectral analysis.

Research on controlling long-term performance by tensioning post tendon of long-span continuous rigid-frame bridges

The problems like cracking of the girder in the mid-span and the ever-increasing vertical deflection appear during the long term usage of the long-span continuous rigid-frame bridge.Post-tension tendon with reserved duct can increase the pre-stress of the main beam effectively,and decrease the long term span deflection in order to improve the performance of the girder.At the same time,the proper tension position is very crucial to optimise the stress distribution of the bridge and control the deflection increase.Combining with practical engineering,the authors analyze the influence of different positions of post-tension tendon(including top-,weband bottom plate tendons)on the stress and deflection of the main beam,and find out the optimal position of post tendon.

Effect of concrete creep on pre-camber of continuous rigid-frame bridge

The effect of concrete creep on the pre-camber of a long-span pre-stressed concrete continuous rigid-frame bridge constructed by cantilever casting method was investigated.The difference of creep coefficients calculated with two Chinese codes was discussed.Based on the calculations,the pre-camber of a pre-stressed concrete continuous rigid-frame box bridge was computed for construction control purpose.The results show that the short-term creep coefficient and long-term creep coefficient calculated with the CC-1985 are larger than those calculated with the CC-2004,while the medium-term creep coefficient calculated with the CC-1985 is smaller than that calculated with the CC-2004.The difference of creep deformation calculated with these two codes is small,and the influences of concrete creep on the pre-camber for most of the segments are negligible.The deflections and stresses of the box girder measured during the construction stages agree very well with the predictions.

Topographic effects on seismic response of long-span rigid-frame bridge under SV seismic wave

Seismic ground motions of two neighboring mountains and the free surface between them are calculated under the SV seismic waves with three different incident angles. The results are then taken as the inputs of multi-point seismic excitations for the foundation of a long-span bridge built over the valley in the analysis considering the integrated influence of traveling wave and topography. On the basis of a dynamic analytical method, a finite element model is created for the seismic responses of a four-span rigid-frame bridge of 440 m. The pier-top displacement and the pier-bottom internal force of the bridge are calculated. Then the results are compared with those considering traveling-wave effect only. The conclusions can serve as a seismic design reference for the structures located on the complex mountain topography.

Seismic Analysis for Rigid-Framed Prestressed Reinforced Concrete Bridge in Tianjin Light Railway

The seismic analysis of a rigid-framed prestressed concrete bridge in Tianjin Light Railway is performed. A 3-D dynamic finite element model of the bridge is established considering the weakening effect caused by the soft soil foundation. After the dynamic characteristics are calculated in terms of natural frequencies and modes, the seismic analysis is carried out using the modal response spectrum method and the time-history method, respectively. Based on the calculated results, the reasonable design values are finally suggested as the basis of the seismic design of the bridge, and meanwhile the problems encountered were also analyzed. Finally, some conclusions are drawn as: 1) Despite the superiority of rigid-framed prestressed concrete bridge, the upper and lower ends of the piers of the bridge are proved to be the crucial parts of the bridge, which are easily destroyed under designed earthquake excitations and should be carefully analyzed and designed; 2) The soft soil foundation can possibly result in rather weakening of the lateral rigidity of the rigid-framed bridge, and should be paid considerable attention; 3) The modal response spectrum method, combined with time-history method, is suggested for the seismic analysis in engineering design of the rigid-framed prestressed concrete bridge.

Effects of interface slip and semi-rigid joint on elastic seismic response of steel-concrete composite frames

The stiffness matrix of semi-rigidly connected composite beams considering interface slip was established and the calculation method for elastic seismic response of composite frame was derived.The corresponding calculation programs were developed.Introducing the dimensionless quantities that were related to the connector shearing stiffness and the joint rotation stiffness,the influences of interface slip and semi-rigid joint on composite frame were transferred to quantitative parameter analysis,taking account of cross sectional properties,materials and linear stiffness of composite beam synthetically.Based on the calculation programs,free vibration frequencies and seismic responses of semi-rigid joint steel-concrete composite frame considering interface slip were calculated.The influences of interface slip and semi rigid joint on dynamic characteristics and seismic response were analyzed and the seismic design advices were presented.The results show that the interface slip decreases the free vibration frequencies and increase the seismic responses of composite frame.The semi-rigid joint reduces the free vibration frequencies and increases seismic responses of composite frame compared with rigid joint.With the increase of joint rotational stiffness,the elastic seismic responses of composite frame increase firstly and then decrease.The effects are related to the ratio of joint rotation stiffness to linear stiffness of composite beam.

Progressive Collapse Analysis of Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Frames with Semi-rigid Connections

A 9-story concrete-filled steel tubular frame model is used to analyze the response of joints due to sudden column loss. Three different models are developed and compared to study the efficiency and feasibility of simulation, which include substructure model, beam element model and solid element model. The comparison results show that the substructure model has a satisfying capability, calculation efficiency and accuracy to predict the concerned joints as well as the overall framework. Based on the substructure model and a kind of semi-rigid connection for concretefilled square hollow section steel column proposed in this paper, the nonlinear dynamic analyses are conducted by the alternate path method. It is found that the removal of the ground inner column brings high-level joint moments and comparatively low-level axial tension forces. The initial stiffness and transmitted ultimate moment of the semi-rigid connection are the main factors that influence the frame behavior, and their lower limit should be guaranteed to resist collapse. Reduced ultimate moment results in drastic displacement and axial force development, which may bring progressive collapse. The higher initial stiffness ensures that the structure has a stronger capacity to resist progressive collapse.

重庆官栈河大桥主桥主墩基础锁口钢管桩围堰加固

重庆官栈河大桥主桥为(62+110+62)m三跨连续刚构桥,主墩基础采用锁口钢管桩围堰施工。围堰施工正常水位+325.300 m,施工期控制水位+330.500 m。在该桥主墩围堰完成四周锁口钢管桩插打及前4道内支撑安装后,因极端天气原因,长寿湖水位上涨到+332.200 m,危及围堰安全。为解决钢管桩围堰的安全问题,提出采用水下施工内支撑的加固方案。待围堰内部水头与外部保持一致后,将已经插打的锁口钢管桩加高至标高+334.000 m,拆除已安装好的4道内支撑,重新安装6道内支撑。采用MIDAS Civil软件分别建立加固前、后钢管桩围堰结构有限元模型,分析钢管桩及内支撑的受力安全与稳定性。结果表明:施工控制水位+330.500 m下,围堰结构最大正应力由加固前的162.6 MPa下降到加固后的82.3 MPa,下降了49.3%;承载水位可从施工控制水位+330.500 m增加到目标控制水位+333.500 m,且强度和刚度等均留有一定储备。水下施工内支撑的加固方案可提升围堰的承载能力。该桥围堰加固后整体受力效果良好,已顺利完成承台浇筑施工。

基于特性的牵引车-半挂车刚柔组合车架动力学模型研究

商用车较大的车架柔性会影响到整车的操纵稳定性和乘坐舒适性,尤其是在共振时车架柔性会放大对车辆运动品质的影响。为实时模拟牵引车-半挂车的车架运动,采用基于总成特性的建模技术路线,根据运动响应频域将车架运动解耦为低频刚体运动和高频柔体运动,并将车架模型模块化划分为基于多体动力学的刚体车架模块、基于模态综合法的柔体车架模块,然后将两模块求解结果叠加形成刚柔组合车架模型。最后,将车架模型嵌入牵引车89DOF-半挂车73DOF整车模型中,针对某款商用车进行仿真,通过对比实车场地试验结果,验证了模型的有效性。