Analytical investigation of bidirectional ductile diaphragms in multi-span bridges

In the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Seismic Bridge Design Provisions,ductile diaphragms are identified as Permissible Earthquake-Resisting Elements（EREs）,designed to help resist seismic loads applied in the transverse direction of bridges.When adding longitudinal ductile diaphragms,a bidirectional ductile diaphragm system is created that can address seismic excitations acting along both the bridge’s longitudinal and transverse axes.This paper investigates bidirectional ductile diaphragms with Buckling Restrained Braces（BRBs）in straight multi-span bridge with simply supported floating spans.The flexibility of the substructures in the transverse and longitudinal direction of the bridge is considered.Design procedures for the bidirectional ductile diaphragms are first proposed.An analytical model of the example bridge with bidirectional ductile diaphragms,designed based on the proposed methodology,is then built in SAP2000.Pushover and nonlinear time history analyses are performed on the bridge model,and corresponding results are presented.The effect of changing the longitudinal stiffness of the bidirectional ductile diaphragms in the end spans connecting to the abutment is also investigated,in order to better understand the impact on the bridge’s dynamic performance.

Application of modern timber structure in short and medium span bridges in China

A series of problems about Chinese bridges with short and medium span recent years were analyzed in this paper. The necessity and feasibility of modern timber structure applied in short and medium span bridges in China were also put forward. The results showed that the short and medium span bridges had many problems, such as monotonous structural forms, seri- ous environmental pollution, multiple bridge defects and difficulty in maintenance. With the development of connection and maintenance technology of modern timber structure and its ad- vantages of light self-weight, environmental coordination, high carrying capacity, excellent durability and abundant structural forms, it was necessary and feasible to apply modern timber structure in short and medium span bridges in China. More emphasis on the construction of modern timber structure should be conducted to expand its application scopes and improve the construction proportion of short and medium span timber bridges.

Acomparative study between China and U.S.on seismic design philosophy and practice of a long span arch bridge

This paper presents the first of a series of case studies on the seismic design of long span bridges （cable-stayed bridges, suspension bridges and arch bridges） under a cooperative research project on seismic behavior and design of highway bridges between the State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Tongji University and the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, University at Buffalo. The objective of this series of case studies is to examine the differences and similarities on the seismic design practice of long span bridges in China and the U.S., to identify research needs and to develop design guidelines beneficial to bridge engineers in both countries. Unlike short to medium span bridges, long span bridges are not included in most seismic design specifications, mainly because they are location dependent and structurally unique. In this paper, an available model of a steel tied half through arch bridge with a main span of 550m in China is discussed. Analysis is focused on comparisons of the seismic responses due to different ground motions. Seismic design criteria and seismic performance requirements for long span bridges in both countries were first introduced and compared, and then three near field earthquake records with large vertical components were selected as the excitations to examine the seismic behavior and seismic vulnerability of the bridge. Results show that （1） the selected near field ground motions cause larger responses to key components （critical sections） of the bridge （such as arch rib ends） with a maximum increase of more than twice those caused by the site specific ground motions; （2） piers, longitudinal girders and arch crowns are more vulnerable to vertical motions, especially their axial forces; and （3） large vertical components of near field ground motions may not significantly affect the bridge＇s internal forces provided that their peak acceleration spectra ordinates only appear at periods of less than 0.2s. However, they may have more influence on the longitudinal displacements of sliding bearings due to their large displacement spectra ordinates at the fundamental period of the bridge.

Three-dimensional nonlinear flutter analysis of long-span suspension bridges during erection

In this work, the aerodynamic stability of the Yichang Suspension Bridge over Yangtze River during erection was determined by three dimensional nonlinear flutter analysis, in which the nonlinearities of structural dynamic characteristics and aeroelastic forces caused by large deformation are fully considered. An interesting result obtained was that the bridge was more stable when the stiffening girders were erected in a non symmetrical manner as opposed to the traditional symmetrical erection schedule. It was also found that the severe decrease in the aerodynamic stability was due to the nonlinear effects. Therefore, the nonlinear factors should be considered accurately in aerodynamic stability analysis of long span suspension bridges during erection.

Seismic performance evaluation for super-long span cable-stayed bridges

Based on the capacity/demand(C/D)analysis of bridge components,and life cycle and performance based seismic design principles,a practical approach is developed for the seismic performance evaluation of super-long span cable-stayed bridges.According to the approach,the seismic performance evaluation of the Sutong Bridge,which is a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 1 088 m,is completed,and the practicality of the approach is validated.The earthquake resistance level for super-long span cable-stayed bridges is discussed,including the earthquake level,its corresponding structural performance and check indices.And a set of formula for capacity/demand ratio calculation of bridge components is proposed.

Non-stationary Buffeting Response Analysis of Long Span Suspension Bridge Under Strong Wind Loading

The non-stationary buffeting response of long span suspension bridge in time domain under strong wind loading is computed. Modeling method for generating non-stationary fluctuating winds with probabilistic model for non-stationary strong wind fields is first presented. Non-stationary wind forces induced by strong winds on bridge deck and tower are then given a brief introduction. Finally,Non-stationary buffeting response of Pulite Bridge in China,a long span suspension bridge,is computed by using ANSYS software under four working conditions with different combination of time-varying mean wind and time-varying variance. The case study further confirms that it is necessity of considering non-stationary buffeting response for long span suspension bridge under strong wind loading,rather than only stationary buffeting response.

Seismic analysis of a long-span continuous steel truss-arch bridge across the Yangtze River

In this paper, an FEM （Finite Element Method） model is established for the main span of the bridge, with the main box arch and suspender members modeled by beam elements, truss members by truss elements, and the orthotropic steel deck by plate elements. The natural frequencies and mode shapes are acquired by the eigen-parameter analysis. By input of a typical earthquake excitation to the bridge system, the dynamic responses of the bridge, including the displacement and accelerations of the main joints of the structure, and the seismic forces and stresses of the key members, are calculated by the structural analysis program, based on which the main laws of the seismic responses of the bridge are summarized, and the safety of the structure is evaluated.

Wind-induced vibration control of bridges using liquid column damper

The potential application of tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) for suppressing wind-induced vibration of long span bridges is explored in this paper.By installing the TLCD in the bridge deck,a mathematical model for the bridge-TLCD system is established.The governing equations of the system are developed by considering all three displacement components of the deck in vertical,lateral,and torsional vibrations,in which the interactions between the bridge deck,the TLCD,the aeroelastic forces,and the aerodynamic forces are fully reflected.Both buffeting and flutter analyses are carried out.The buffeting analysis is performed through random vibration approach,and a critical flutter condition is identified from flutter analysis.A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the control effectiveness of the damper and it is shown that the TLCD can be an effective device for suppressing wind-induced vibration of long span bridges,either for reducing the buffeting response or increasing the critical flutter wind velocity of the bridge.

Effect of Suppressed DOF on a Rigid RC Bridge Response under Strong Earthquake Motion

NLTHA （nonlinear time history analysis） is impractical for widespread used by the professional engineer because it requires long and inefficient computational time involving complexities when six DOF （degree of freedom） per node is applied. The NLTHA nowadays is predicted by MPA （modal pushover analysis）. In this method, effects of higher modes on the dynamic response are considered to estimate seismic demands for structures. In this study, the effect of the reduction of number of DOF is analyzed using 3D NLTHA together with MPA of a rigid connection RC bridge under large earthquake motion. The results are compared with the 6 DOF NLTHA in terms of response of the structure and CPU time to obtain the most efficient computational effort. Result of NLTHA showed that the computational time of the structure both for 4 DOF （without two lateral torsional effects） and 3 DOF （without two lateral torsional and vertical displacements） was reduced significantly compared to the structure using 6 DOF. The reduction of computational time was close to fifty percent both for 4 and 3 DOF＇s. When the maximum responses between NLTHA and MPA are compared, it is found that the differences are insignificant.

Bridge Continuous Deformation Measurement Technology Based on Fiber Optic Gyro

Bridge is an important part of modem transportation systems and deformation is a key index for bridge＇s safety evaluation. To achieve the long span bridge curve measurement rapidly and timely and accurately locate the bridge maximum deformation, the continuous deformation measurement system （CDMS） based on inertial platform is presented and validated in this paper. Firstly, based on various bridge deformation measurement methods, the method of deformation measurement based on the fiber optic gyro （FOG） is introduced. Secondly, the basic measurement principle based on FOG is presented and the continuous curve trajectory is derived by the formula. Then the measurement accuracy is analyzed in theory and the relevant factors are presented to ensure the measurement accuracy. Finally, the deformation measurement experiments are conducted on a bridge across the Yangtze River. Experimental results show that the presented deformation measurement method is feasible, practical, and reliable; the system can accurately and quickly locate the maximum deformation and has extensive and broad application prospects.

Design concept of the Twin River Bridges in Chongqing,China

The Dongshuimen Bridge over the Yangtze River and the Qiansimen Bridge over the Jialing River in Chongqing,China are located at the tip of the Yuzhong Peninsula.Together,they are called the Twin River Bridges.Both are double deck structures carrying four lanes of traffic on their upper decks and two transit tracks on their lower decks.The girders are steel truss structures with orthotropic plates and the towers are made of concrete.Aesthetics were carefully considered for the design of these bridges because of their visibility in the city and their neighboring landmarks.