Behavior of cable-stayed bridges under dynamic subsidence of pylons

Abstract

Cable-stayed bridges are often used in modern bridge engineering for connecting two geographical points of long distance. A special load case to cable-stayed bridges is earthquake, which can produce horizontal as well as vertical movements on the pylons of the bridge. These movements may be transient in nature, i.e., only resulting in the transient vibration of the bridge, but causing no damage consequences. In some extreme cases, they may cause permanent subsidence on one or more pylons of the bridge. In this paper, the effect of pylons' subsidence on the dynamic deformations of the bridge and on the cables' strength is thoroughly studied. Conclusions useful to the design of cable-stayed bridges will be drawn from the numerical study.