Aerodynamic stability of cable-supported bridges using CFRP cables

To gain understanding of the applicability of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) cable in cable-supported bridges, based on the Runyang Bridge and Jinsha Bridge, a suspension bridge using CFRP cables and a cable-stayed bridge using CFRP stay cables are designed, in which the cable’s cross-sectional area is determined by the principle of equivalent axial stiffness. Numerical investigations on the aerodynamic stability of the two bridges are conducted by 3D nonlinear aerodynamic stability analysis. The results showed that as CFRP cables are used in cable-supported bridges, for suspension bridge, its aerodynamic stability is superior to that of the case using steel cables due to the great increase of the torsional frequency; for cable-stayed bridge, its aerodynamic stability is basically the same as that of the case using steel stay cables. Therefore as far as the wind stability is considered, the use of CFRP cables in cable-supported bridges is feasible, and the cable’s cross-sectional area should be deter-mined by the principle of equivalent axial stiffness.

Nonlinear response spectrums for cable-supported glass curtain walls

Aiming at the seismic-resistant performance of cable-supported glass curtain walls,the methods for formulating nonlinear single degree of freedom system and calculating the nonlinear response spectrums are proposed. Taking pretension effect in cables and geometrical nonlinearity into account,the nonlinear acceleration spectrums are calculated under given conditions,such as site and different seismic fortification intensities. The seismic design response spectrums are developed. During vibrating,varying period due to the influence of pretension effect in cables and geometrical nonlinearity drives the maximum period of plateau in nonlinear response spectrums to move towards the long period zone,and the maximum of seismic effect coefficient is larger than that of current seismic code. The theoretical analysis and the example demonstrate that using the nonlinear response spectrums is safe and economical.

Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation on behaviour properties of large span cable-supported structures under fire conditions

Large span cable-supported structures have been developed rapidly in China, and they always adopt high-strength steel cables as structural members. However, the modulus of elasticity and yield strength of steel material will decrease seriously under fire conditions while fire protection is unlikely to be provided for steel cable. Several typical large span cable-supported structures such as cable truss, beam string structure and prestressed cable net are studied on their structural behaviour in this paper. Theoretical formulae are derived in terms of geometrical and material nonlinearity with high temperature effect. Finite element models are also established to simulate the structural performance under fire conditions. The calculation formulae for fire-resisting design are suggested for these three types of structures, while displacement and prestressed force variation rules are also given.

Modal identification of long-span Runyang Bridge using ambient responses recorded by SHMS

Runyang Bridge is a newly built cable-supported bridge that crosses the Yangtze River in China.The bridge is composed of one suspension bridge and one cable-stayed bridge.During the construction of the bridge,a structural health monitoring system(SHMS)was installed,which was designed by the Southeast University.Since the bridge was open to traffic,quantities of structural ambient responses have been recorded by the SHMS.And,it’s really important to extract structrural information from these records for health monitoring.This paper presents the study on modal identification of the bridge.The dynamic properites including modal frequencies,mode shapes and damping ratios are extracted from the ambient responses.Two identification methods are employed including the enhanced frequency domain decomposition and the stochastic subspace identification.The identified modal parameters from the two methods are compared.Results show that modal frequencies and mode shapes from the two methods are almost the same while the damping ratios are different.

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.