Numerical Simulation Analysis of Welded Joints in Arch Ribs of Large Span Steel Pipe Arch Bridges

In order to study the residual stress distribution law of welded joints of arch ribs of large-span steel pipe concrete arch bridges,numerical simulation of temperature,stress and strain fields based on ABAQUS for welded joints of arch-ribbed steel tubes using 7-,8-and 9-layer welds is carried out and its accuracy is demonstrated.The steel pipe welding temperature changes,residual stress distribution,different processes residual stress changes in the law,the prediction of post-weld residual stress distribution and deformation are studied in this paper.The results show that the temperature field values and test results are more consistent with the accuracy of numerical simulation of welding,the welding process is mainly in the form of heat transfer;Residual high stresses are predominantly distributed in the Fusion zone(FZ)and Heat-affected zone(HAZ),with residual stress levels tending to decrease from the center of the weld along the axial path,the maximum stress appears in the FZ and HAZ junction;The number of welding layers has an effect on the residual stress distribution,the number of welding layers increases,the residual stress tends to decrease,while the FZ and HAZ high stress area range shrinks;Increasing the number of plies will increase the amount of residual distortion.

Structural Damage Identification System Suitable for Old Arch Bridge in Rural Regions: Random Forest Approach

A huge number of old arch bridges located in rural regions are at the peak of maintenance.The health monitoring technology of the long-span bridge is hardly applicable to the small-span bridge,owing to the absence of technical resources and sufficient funds in rural regions.There is an urgent need for an economical,fast,and accurate damage identification solution.The authors proposed a damage identification system of an old arch bridge implemented with amachine learning algorithm,which took the vehicle-induced response as the excitation.A damage index was defined based on wavelet packet theory,and a machine learning sample database collecting the denoised response was constructed.Through comparing three machine learning algorithms:Back-Propagation Neural Network(BPNN),Support Vector Machine(SVM),and Random Forest(R.F.),the R.F.damage identification model were found to have a better recognition ability.Finally,the Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)algorithm was used to optimize the number of subtrees and split features of the R.F.model.The PSO optimized R.F.model was capable of the identification of different damage levels of old arch bridges with sensitive damage index.The proposed framework is practical and promising for the old bridge’s structural damage identification in rural regions.

Analysis of Key Technologies in the Design of Small and Medium Span Basket Type Steel Box Tied Arch Bridge

In order to ensure the construction quality and safety of small and medium span basket type steel box tied arch bridge,this paper takes a practical project as an example to analyze the key technologies in its design process.It is hoped that this analysis can provide corresponding reference for the design and construction of this kind of arch bridge.

Traveling wave effect on the seismic response of a steel arch bridge subjected to near fault ground motions

In the 1990s, several major earthquakes occurred throughout the world, with a common observation that near fault ground motion （NFGM） characteristics had a distinct impact on causing damage to civil engineering structures that could not be predicted by using far field ground motions. Since then, seismic responses of structures under NFGMs have been extensively examined, with most of the studies focusing on structures with relatively short fundamental periods, where the traveling wave effect does not need to be considered. However, for long span bridges, especially arch bridges, the traveling wave （only time delay considered） effect may be very distinct and is therefore important. In this paper, the results from a case study on the seismic response of a steel arch bridge under selected NFGMs is presented by considering the traveling wave effect with variable apparent velocities. The effects of fling step and long period pulses of NFGMs on the seismic responses of the arch bridge are also discussed.

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.

An investigation of the seismic behavior of a deck-type reinforced concrete arch bridge

This paper attempts to explore potential benefits of form in a deck-type reinforced concrete（RC） arch bridge in connection with its overall seismic behavior and performance. Through a detailed three-dimensional finite element modeling and analysis of an actual existing deck-type RC arch bridge, some useful quantitative information have been derived that may serve for a better understanding of the seismic behavior of such arch bridges. A series of the nonlinear dynamic analyses has been carried out under the action of seven different time histories of ground motion scaled to the AASHTO 2012 response spectrum. The concept of demand to capacity ratios has been employed to provide an initial estimation of the seismic performance of the bridge members. As a consequence of the structural form, a particular type of irregularity is introduced due to variable heights of columns transferring the deck loads to the main arch. Hence, a particular attention has been paid to the internal force/moment distributions within the short, medium, and long columns as well as along the main arch. A study of the effects of the vertical component of ground motion has demonstrated the need for the inclusion of these effects in the analysis of such bridges.

Reinforcement Effect Evaluation on Dynamic Characteristics of an Arch Bridge Based on Vehicle-Bridge Coupled Vibration Analysis

To numerically evaluate the reinforcement effect on dynamic characteristics of a concrete-filled steel tube arch bridge with vibration problems,a 12-degree-of-freedom sprung-mass dynamic vehicle model and a 3D finite element bridge model were established.Then,the coupled equations of vehicle-bridge interaction were derived and a computer program was developed using the FORTRAN language.This program can accurately simulate vehicle-bridge coupled vibration considering the bumping effect and road surface irregularity during motion of the vehicle.The simulated results were compared with those of relevant literatures to verify the correctness of the self-developed program.Then,three reinforcement schemes for the bridge(Addition of longitudinal beams,Reinforcement of bridge decks,and Replacement of suspenders)were proposed and numerically simulated,and the vibration reduction effects of the three schemes were evaluated based on the numerical results to find effective ones.It is confirmed that the reinforcement scheme of Addition of longitudinal beams shows the most significant vibration reduction effect.It is recommended in the engineering practice that the combination of the reinforcement schemes of Addition of longitudinal beams and Replacement of bridge deck can be used to solve the excessive vibration problem.

Seismic response of the long-span steel truss arch bridge with the thrust under multidimensional excitation

Purpose–Under different ground motion excitation modes,the spatial coupling effect of seismic response for the arch bridge with thrust,seismic weak parts and the internal force components of the control section of main arch ribs are analyzed.Design/methodology/approach–Taking a 490 m deck type railway steel truss arch bridge as the background,the dynamic calculation model of the whole bridge was established by SAP2000 software.The seismic response analyses under one-,two-and three-dimension(1D,2D and 3D)uniform ground motion excitations were carried out.Findings–For the steel truss arch bridge composed of multiple arch ribs,any single direction ground motion excitation will cause large axial force in the chord of arch rib.The axial force caused by transverse and vertical ground motion excitation in the chord of arch crown area is 1.4–3.6 times of the corresponding axial force under longitudinal seismic excitation.The in-plane bending moment caused by the lower chord at the vault is 4.2–5.5 times of the corresponding bending moment under the longitudinal seismic excitation.For the bottom chord of arch rib,the arch foot is the weak part of earthquake resistance,but for the upper chord of arch rib,the arch foot,arch crown and the intersection of column and upper chord can all be the potential earthquake-resistant weak parts.The normal stress of the bottom chord of the arch rib under multidimensional excitation is mainly caused by the axial force,but the normal stress of the upper chord of the arch rib is caused by the axial force,in-plane and out of plane bending moment.Originality/value–The research provides specific suggestions for ground motion excitation mode and also provides reference information for the earthquake-resistant weak part and seismic design of long-span deck type railway steel truss arch bridges.

Analysis on Construction Technology of Reinforced Concrete Tied Arch Bridge

Bridge construction has received a lot of attention as transportation continues to improve.Reinforced concrete linked arch bridges are a common bridge style in today’s bridge construction.This type of bridge not only has a basic and generous shape,but it is also incredibly easy to construct,resulting in significant material and construction cost savings.This article analyzes the construction technology of a reinforced concrete linked arch bridge in order to achieve good construction and application.It is hoped that this analysis can provide a scientific reference for the guarantee of the construction quality and subsequent application effect of this kind of bridge.

Performance-based seismic assessment of a historical masonry arch bridge:Effect of pulse-like excitations

Seismic analysis of historical masonry bridges is important for authorities in all countries hosting such cultural heritage assets.The masonry arch bridge investigated in this study was built during the Roman period and is on the island of Rhodes,in Greece.Fifteen seismic records were considered and categorized as far-field,pulse-like nearfield,and non-pulse-like near-field.The earthquake excitations were scaled to a target spectrum,and nonlinear timehistory analyses were performed in the transverse direction.The performance levels were introduced based on the pushover curve,and the post-earthquake damage state of the bridge was examined.According to the results,pulse-like near-field events are more damaging than non-pulse-like near-field ground motions.Additionally the bridge is more vulnerable to far-field excitations than near-field events.Furthermore,the structure will suffer extensive post-earthquake damage and must be retrofitted.

Typical diseases of a long-span concrete-filled steel tubular arch bridge and their effects on vehicle-induced dynamic response

A long-span concrete-filled steel tubular(CFST)arch bridge suffers severe vehicle-induced dynamic responses during its service life.However,few quantitative studies have been reported on the typical diseases suffered by such bridges and their effects on vehicle-induced dynamic response.Thus,a series of field tests and theoretical analyses were conducted to study the effects of typical diseases on the vehicle-induced dynamic response of a typical CFST arch bridge.The results show that a support void results in a height difference between both sides of the expansion joint,thus increasing the effect of vehicle impact on the main girder and suspenders.The impact factor of the displacement response of the main girder exceeds the design value.The variation of the suspender force is significant,and the diseases are found to have a greater effect on a shorter suspender.The theoretical analysis results also show that the support void causes an obvious longitudinal displacement of the main girder that is almost as large as the vertical displacement.The support void can also cause significant changes in the vehicle-induced acceleration response,particularly when the supports and steel box girder continue to collide with each other under the vehicle load.

Control mode selection for modal control of long-span arch bridge

For seismic control of arch bridge,a model reduction of long-span arch bridge was implemented based on modal analysis.As for the critical mode selection,an approach based on the maximum modal displacement was presented.This approach takes into consideration the effect of external seismic excitation and is more reasonable than only considering dynamic bridge characteristics based on a modal contribution ratio.The time domain and frequency domain analysis method were used to verify the simplified model of the Nimu arch bridge in Tibet as an example.The numerical results show that the method of maximal modal displacement better analyze long-span arch bridge when multisupport seismic excitation must be considered.The reduced-order system also is more in line with the performance of the original model.

Design, Calculation and Model Test of Zhongshan Bridge

Zhongshan Bridge is a kind of steel arch bridge with a particular space-combined structure. The rationality of design, accuracy of theoretical calculation and reliability of transportation were studied. Its design, FEM calculation of stresses and strains, and model test were introduced in detail. The theoretical analysis and model test verified that the design was reliable and safe. The simulated stresses, rigidity and stability, which are based on the selected loading system and cross-section geometry, satisfy the related design standards. Some of the issues that need to be considered in the real bridge construction were also discussed.

A method for examining the seismic performance of steel arch deck bridges

To examine the seismic resistance performance of a steel arch bridge during a strong earthquake,an approach is proposed in this paper to determine the ultimate strain of an arch rib using the static elasto-plastic large deformation theory.A steel fixed-end deck arch bridge with a span length of 200 m was used as an example in this study.The ultimate strain of the arch rib was calculated using the elasto-plastic finite element model.The seismic responses of the arch bridge exposed to strong earthquakes in two and three directions were also simulated.Moreover,the effect of earthquake motion in the lateral direction on the elasto-plastic earthquake response was discussed,and the seismic resistance of the structure was analyzed.The results show that steel arch bridges have preferable seismic resistance under strong earthquake conditions.While lateral earthquake motion has some influence on the damage to an arch bridge,it has little effect on the displacement,axial force,and bending moment responses of the arch rib.It is feasible to examine the seismic performance of the arch bridge by ascertaining the out-of-plane and in-plane earthquake responses of the bridge.

A full moon in another land:The Moon Bridge in the Japanese garden of the Huntington Library

In 1913,a so-called Moon Bridge was built in the Japanese garden of the Huntington Library in San Marino,California,USA as a fruit of the Japonism in the Western world at that time.The master carpenter was Toichiro Kawai,a Japanese immigrant from Yokohama who was originally a ship carpenter.The bridge is made of wood and shaped in the exaggerated arch form,which classifies the bridge as a"drum bridge"(Taiko-bashi)in Japanese culture.However,the unique structural form of this bridge,the"woven arch",is rare in building history.This paper aims to explore why and how such a bridge appeared in such a place and time.For this purpose,we go from the historical background to its construction history,from the concept of the designer to the detailed design methods.Data come partly from the author’s first-hand investigation and the limited local archive.The most interesting discoveries were made during the detailed on-site investigation,including the fact that the bridge is designed to express the metaphor of"perfection"(full moon)through its geometrical features,and the design is based according to traditional Japanese methods.