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.

Mechanism and practice of rock control in deep large span cut holes

Deep large span cut holes are difficult to stabilize. The 7801 cut hole in the Lu'an Wuyang Mine was used as this project's background. The main factors affecting large span cut hole stability are analyzed. Pre- stressed bolting theory was used to design a roof control method for a large span roadway. By reducing the span and applying equal strength coordinated supports the rock could be stabilized. The control prin- ciples and methods are given herein along with the analysis. A double micro arch cross section roadway is defined and its use in solving the current problem is described. Beam arch theory was used to build a model of the double micro arch cross section roadway. A support reverse force model for the arch foot intersection was also derived. A support method based upon reducing the width of the large span in the cut hole is presented. These results show that the reduced span of the roadway roof plus the use of cable anchors and single supports gives an effective way to control the large span cut hole. On site monitoring showed that the reduced span support from the double micro arch cross section roadway design had a significant effect. The roadway surface displacement was small and harmful deformation of the cut hole was effectively controlled. This will ensure its long term stability.