Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with different connection configurations

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with three different structural systems,including rigid system(RS),floating system(FS),and passive energy dissipation system(PEDS),is conducted to study the effects of connection configurations on seismic responses and fragilities.Finite element models of bridges are established using OpenSees.A new ground motion screening method based on the statistical characteristic of the predominant period is proposed to avoid irregular behavior in the selection process of ground motions,and incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)is performed to develop components and systems fragility curves.The effects of damper failure on calculated results for PEDS are examined in terms of seismic response and fragility analysis.The results show that the bridge tower is the most affected component by different structural systems.For RS,the fragility of the middle tower is significantly higher than other components,and the bridge failure starts from the middle tower,exhibiting a characteristic of local failure.For FS and PEDS,the fragility of the edge tower is higher than the middle tower.The system fragility of RS is higher than FS and PEDS.Taking the failure of dampers into account is necessary to obtain reliable seismic capacity of cable-stayed bridges.

Recent Construction Technology Innovations and Practices for Large-Span Arch Bridges in China

Arch bridges provide significant technical and economic benefits under suitable conditions.In particular,concrete-filled steel tubular(CFST)arch bridges and steel-reinforced concrete(SRC)arch bridges are two types of arch bridges that have gained great economic competitiveness and span growth potential due to advancements in construction technology,engineering materials,and construction equipment over the past 30 years.Under the leadership of the author,two record-breaking arch bridges—that is,the Pingnan Third Bridge(a CFST arch bridge),with a span of 560 m,and the Tian’e Longtan Bridge(an SRC arch bridge),with a span of 600 m—have been built in the past five years,embodying great technological breakthroughs in the construction of these two types of arch bridges.This paper takes these two arch bridges as examples to systematically summarize the latest technological innovations and practices in the construction of CFST arch bridges and SRC arch bridges in China.The technological innovations of CFST arch bridges include cable-stayed fastening-hanging cantilevered assembly methods,new in-tube concrete materials,in-tube concrete pouring techniques,a novel thrust abutment foundation for nonrocky terrain,and measures to reduce the quantity of temporary facilities.The technological innovations of SRC arch bridges involve arch skeleton stiffness selection,the development of encasing concrete materials,encasing concrete pouring,arch rib stress mitigation,and longitudinal reinforcement optimization.To conclude,future research focuses and development directions for these two types of arch bridges are proposed.

Probability evaluation method for cable safety of long-span cable-stayed bridges

A method of cable safety analysis is proposed for safety evaluation of long-span cable-stayed bridges. The Daniels＇ effect and the probability of broken wires in the cable are introduced to develop the cable strength model and the reliability assessment technique for long-span cable-stayed bridges based on the safety factors analysis of stay cables in service. As an application of the proposed model, the cable safety reliability of the cable No. 25 of Zhaobaoshan cable-stayed bridge in China is calculated. The effects of various parameters on the estimated cable safety reliability are investigated. The results indicate that the proposed method can be used to assess the safety level of stay cables in cable-stayed bridges effectively. The Daniels＇ effect should be taken into account for assessment, and the probability of broken wires can be used to simulate the deterioration of stay cables in service.

Application of uncertain type of AHP to condition assessment of cable-stayed bridges

In order to guarantee the safety service and life-span of long-span cable-stayed bridges, the uncertain type of analytic hierarchy process （AHP） method is adopted to access the bridge condition. The correlative theory and applied objects of uncertain type of AHP are introduced, and then the optimal transitive matrix method is chosen to calculate the interval number judgment matrix, which makes the weights of indices more reliable and accurate. Finally, with Harbin Songhua River Cable-Stayed Bridge as an example, an index system and an assessment model are proposed for the condition assessment of this bridge, and by using uncertain type of AHP, the weights of assessment indices are fixed and the final assessment results of the bridge are calculated, which proves the feasibility and practicability of this method. The application of this assessment method can provide the scientific basis for maintenance and management of long-span cable-stayed bridges.

Longitudinal forces of continuously welded track on high-speed railway cable-stayed bridge considering impact of adjacent bridges

A proven beam-track contact model was used to analyze the track-structure interaction of CWR (continuously welded track) on bridge. Considering the impact of adjacent bridges, the tower-cable-track-beam-pier-pile finite element model of the cable-stayed bridge was established. Taking a bridge group including 40-32m simply-supported beam and (32+80+112)m single-tower cable-stayed bridge and 17-32m simply-supported beam on the Kunming-Shanghai high-speed railway as an example, the characteristics of CWR longitudinal force on the cable-stayed bridge were studied. It is shown that adjacent bridges must be considered in the calculation of the track expansion force and bending force on cable-stayed bridge. When the span amount of adjacent bridges is too numerous, it can be simplified as six spans; the fixed bearing of adjacent simply-supported beams should be placed on the side near the cable-stayed bridge; the track expansion device should be set at the bridge tower to reduce the track force near the bridge abutment.

Ground motion spatial variability effects on seismic response control of cable-stayed bridges

The spatial variability of input ground motion at supporting foundations plays a key role in the structural response of cable-stayed bridges （CSBs）; therefore, spatial variation effects should be included in the analysis and design of effective vibration control systems. The control of CSBs represents a challenging and unique problem, with many complexities in modeling, control design and implementation, since the control system should be designed not only to mitigate the dynamic component of the structural response but also to counteract the effects of the pseudo-static component of the response. The spatial variability effects on the feasibility and efficiency of seismic control systems for the vibration control of CSBs are investigated in this paper. The assumption of uniform earthquake motion along the entire bridge may result in quantitative and qualitative differences in seismic response as compared with those produced by uniform motion at all supports. A systematic comparison of passive and active system performance in reducing the structural responses is performed, focusing on the effect of the spatially varying earthquake ground motion on the seismic response of a benchmark CSB model with different control strategies, and demonstrates the importance of accounting for the spatial variability of excitations.

Comparative Study on Structural Redundancy of Cable-Stayed and Extradosed Bridges Through Safety Assessment of Their Stay Cables

This study provides new insights into the comparison of cable-stayed and extradosed bridges based on the safety assessment of their stay cables.These bridges are often regarded as identical structures owing to the use of inclined cables;however,the international standards for bridge design stipulate different safety factors for stay cables of both types of bridges.To address this misconception,a comparative study was carried out on the safety factors of stay cables under fatigue and ultimate limit states by considering the effects of various untoward and damaging factors,such as overloading,cable loss,and corrosion.The primary goal of this study is to describe the structural disparities between both types of bridges and evaluate their structural redundancies by employing deterministic and nondeterministic methods.To achieve this goal,three-dimensional finite-element models of both bridges were developed based on the current design guidelines for stay cables in Japan.After the balanced states of the bridge models were achieved,static analyses were performed for different safety factors of stay cables in a parametric manner.Finally,the first-order reliability method and Monte Carlo method were applied to determine the reliability index of stay cables.The analysis results show that cable-stayed and extradosed bridges exhibit different structural redundancies for different safety factors under the same loading conditions.Moreover,a significant increase in structural redundancy occurs with an incremental increase in the safety factors of stay cables.

Optimization of Dead Load State in Earth-Anchored Cable-Stayed Bridges

In order to determine the reasonable completed dead load state in earth-anchored cable-stayed bridges,a practical method is proposed. The method is based on the rigidly supported continuous beam method and the feasible zone method,emphasizing on the mutual effect between the self-anchored structural parts and the earth-anchored ones. Three cable-stayed bridge models are designed with the main spans of 1 400 m,including a partially earth-anchored cable-stayed bridge,a cable-stayed-suspension bridge and a fully selfanchored cable-stayed bridge,in which the C50 concrete and Q345 steel are adopted. The partially earthanchored cable-stayed bridge and the cable-stayed-suspension bridge secure lower compressive force in the girder than the fully self-anchored cable-stayed bridge by 25 percent at least. The same is for the material consumption of the whole bridge. Furthermore,the anchor volume is more than 20% lower in the partially earthanchored cable-stayed bridge than that in the cable-stayed-suspension bridge. Consequently,the practical span of cable-stayed bridges can be accordingly extended.

A simplified design method for metallic dampers used in the transverse direction of cable-stayed bridges

The aseismic design of cable-stayed bridges in the transverse direction with newly proposed metallic dampers that can accommodate both longitudinal and transverse movement of the deck has recently been considered.This work focuses on developing a simplified method to design an appropriate metallic damper.The seismic performance of cablestayed bridges with different damper stiffness,main span lengths,tower shapes and types of deck in the transverse direction are investigated.The transverse displacement of the deck of a cable-stayed bridge increases significantly with the increment of the damper stiffness,which proves that the design of the damper stiffness is crucial.A simplified model considering the damper stiffness,cable system and tower in the transverse direction is developed to evaluate the period and lateral displacement of a complicated cable-stayed bridge.Based on the simplified model,a design method is proposed and assessed using two cable-stayed bridges as examples.The results show that metallic dampers can be designed with high efficiency,and the optimal ductility of the damper can be selected.

Study of the aerostatic and aerodynamic stability of super long-span cable-stayed bridges

With the increase of span length, the bridge tends to be more flexible, and the wind stability be- comes an important problem for the design and construction of super long-span cable-stayed bridges. By taking a super long-span cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 1 400 m as example, the aerostatic and aerodynamic stability of the bridge are investigated by three-dimensional nonlinear aerostatic and aerodynamic stability analy- sis, and the results are compared with those of a suspension bridge with a main span of 1 385 m, and from the aspect of wind stability, the feasibility of using cable-stayed bridge in super long-span bridge with a main span above l 000 m is discussed. In addition, the influences of design parameters including the depth and width of the girder, the tower structure, the tower height-to-span ratio, the side-to-main span ratio, the auxiliary piers in the side span and the anchorage system of stay cables, etc on the aerostatic and aerodynamic stability of su- per long-span cable-stayed bridges are investigated numerically; the key design parameters are pointed out, and also their reasonable values are proposed.

Aerodynamic problems of cable-stayed bridges spanning over one thousand meters

The elongating of cable-stayed bridge brings a series of aerodynamic problems. First of all,geometric nonlinear effect of extreme long cable is much more significant for cable-stayed bridge spanning over one thousand meters. Lateral static wind load will generate additional displacement of long cables,which causes the decrease of supporting rigidity of the whole bridge and the change of dynamic properties. Wind load,being the controlling load in the design of cable-stayed bridge,is a critical problem and needs to be solved. Meanwhile,research on suitable system between pylon and deck indicates fixed-fixed connection system is an effective way for improvement performance of cable-stayed bridges under longitudinal wind load. In order to obtain aerodynamic parameters of cable-stayed bridge spanning over one thousand meters,identification method for flutter derivatives of full bridge aero-elastic model is developed in this paper. Furthermore,vortex induced vibration and Reynolds number effect are detailed discussed.

Development of Optimal Structural System for Hybrid Cable-Stayed Bridges Using Ultra High Performance Concrete

This study developed an optimal structural system for the hybrid cable-stayed bridge expected to have a durable lifetime of 200 years and of which major structural members are made of ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) with 200 MPa-class compressive strength. This innovative cable-stayed bridge system makes it possible to reduce each of the construction and maintenance costs by 20% compared to the conventional concrete cable-stayed bridge by improving significantly the weight and durability of the bridge. Therefore, detail design is carried out considering a real 800 m cable-stayed bridge and the optimal structure of the hybrid cable-stayed bridge is proposed and verified.

Research review on steel–concrete composite joint of railway hybrid girder cable-stayed bridges

Purpose–This study aims to research the development trend,research status,research results and existing problems of the steel–concrete composite joint of railway long-span hybrid girder cable-stayed bridge.Design/methodology/approach–Based on the investigation and analysis of the development history,structure form,structural parameters,stress characteristics,shear connector stress state,force transmission mechanism,and fatigue performance,aiming at the steel–concrete composite joint of railway long-span hybrid girder cable-stayed bridge,the development trend,research status,research results and existing problems are expounded.Findings–The shear-compression composite joint has become the main form in practice,featuring shortened length and simplified structure.The length of composite joints between 1.5 and 3.0 m has no significant effect on the stress and force transmission laws of the main girder.The reasonable thickness of the bearing plate is 40–70 mm.The calculation theory and simplified calculation formula of the overall bearing capacity,the nonuniformity and distribution laws of the shear connector,the force transferring ratio of steel and concrete components,the fatigue failure mechanism and structural parameters effects are the focus of the research study.Originality/value–This study puts forward some suggestions and prospects for the structural design and theoretical research of the steel–concrete composite joint of railway long-span hybrid girder cable-stayed bridge.

Modeling of cable vibration effects of cable-stayed bridges

The analysis of dynamic responses of cable-stayed bridges subjected to wind and earthquake loads generally considers only the motions of the bridge deck and pylons.The influence of the stay cable vibration on the responses of the bridge is either ignored or considered by approximate procedures.The transverse vibration of the stay cables,which can be significant in some cases,are usually neglected in previous research.In the present study,a new three-node cable element has been developed to model the transverse motions of the cables.The interactions between the cable behavior and the other parts of the bridge superstructure are considered by the concept of dynamic stiffness.The nonlinear effect of the cable caused by its self-weight is included in the formulation.Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed model. The impact of cable vibration behavior on the dynamic characteristics of cable-stayed bridges is discussed.

Shake table experimental study of cable-stayed bridges with two different design strategies of H-shaped towers

As one of the main load-carrying components of cable-stayed bridges,bridge towers are typically required to remain elastic even when subjected to severe ground motions with a 2%-3%probability of exceedance in 50 years.To fulfill this special requirement imposed by current seismic design codes,reinforcement ratios in the bridge towers have to be kept significantly higher than if limited ductility behavior of the tower is allowed.In addition,since the foundation capacity is closely related to the moment and shear capacities of the bridge tower,a large increase in bridge construction cost for elastically designed cable-stayed bridge is inevitable.To further investigate the possibility of limited ductility bridge tower design strategies,a new 1/20-scale cable-stayed bridge model with H-shaped bridge towers designed according to strong strut-weak tower column design was tested.The shake table experimental results are compared with a previous strong tower column-weak strut designed full bridge model.A comparison of the results show that ductility design with plastic hinges located on tower columns,i.e.,strong strut-weak tower column design,is another effective seismic design strategy that results in only small residual displacement at the top of the tower column,even under very severe earthquake excitations.

Aerodynamic stability of cable-stayed bridges under erection

In this work, nonlinear multimode aerodynamic analysis of the Jingsha Bridge under erection over the Yangtze River is conducted, and the evolutions of structural dynamic characteristics and the aerodynamic stability with erection are numerically generated. Instead of the simplified method, nonlinear multimode aerodynamic analysis is suggested to predict the aerodynamic stability of cable-stayed bridges under erection. The analysis showed that the aerodynamic stability maximizes at the relatively early stages, and decreases as the erection proceeds. The removal of the temporary piers in side spans and linking of the main girder to the anchor piers have important influence on the dynamic characteristics and aerodynamic stability of cable-stayed bridges under erection.

Research development of digital maintenance and management system for long-span cable-stayed bridges

Digital cable-stayed bridge maintenance and management system （DCBMS） was developed for the need of maintenance and management of long-span cable-stayed bridges. In this paper, the major functions and theoretical application of eight modules were systematically stated with the background of Harbin Songhua River cable-stayed bridge, which include data management module, inspection and measurement module, assessment module, finite dement analysis module, disease diagnosis and prediction module, maintenance module, query module and help module. By analyzing and calculating the data from manual inspection database, basic database and health monitoring subsystem, DCBMS can accomplish the functions like life prediction, disease diagnosis, comprehensive assessment, maintenance and management of bridges. Therefore, the maintenance and management of long-span cable-stayed bridges can be made digital, professional and scientific. By running this system, a real-time and specific technical guidance can be provided for the maintainers and managers of long- span cable-stayed bridges.

Process Monitoring and Terminal Verification of Cable-Stayed Bridges with Corrugated Steel Webs under Contruction

In this paper,the construction process of a cable-stayed bridge with corrugated steel webs was monitored.Moreover,the end performance of the bridge was verified by load test.Owing to the consideration of the bridge structure safety,it is necessary to monitor the main girder deflection,stress,construction error and safety state during construction.Furthermore,to verify whether the bridge can meet the design requirements,the static and dynamic load tests are carried out after the completion of the bridge.The results of construction monitoring show that the stress state of the structure during construction is basically consistent with the theoretical calculation and design requirements,and both meet the design and specification requirements.The final measured stress state of the structure is within the allowable range of the cable-stayed bridge,and the stress state of the structure is normal and meets the specification requirements.The results of load tests show that the measured deflection values of the mid-span section of the main girder are less than the theoretical calculation values.The maximum deflection of the girder is−20.90 mm,which is less than−22.00 mm of the theoretical value,indicating that the girder has sufficient structural stiffness.The maximum impact coefficient under dynamic load test is 1.08,which is greater than 1.05 of theoretical value,indicating that the impact effect of heavy-duty truck on this type of bridge is larger.This study can provide important reference value for construction and maintenance of similar corrugated steel web cable-stayed bridges.

Analysis of Key Factors in Cable Force Calculation for Cable-Stayed Bridges

Three methods for calculating cable force （analytic method, fitting method and finite element method） are analyzed and compared. The effects of boundary condition, spectrum resolution, sampling time, and number of sampling points on the precision of cable force identification are discussed, and error analysis is conducted. The results of three methods applied to a practical project are significantly less than the design value. Comparatively, the result of finite element method is the closest to the design value. Moreover, their computational precision and error are compared and analyzed. The precision of frequency identification of cables, long cables in particular, is strongly affected by frequency resolution. If the frequency resolution is included in calculating the cable force, the identification error can be reduced greatly.

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.