Behaviour and design of three-tower, self-anchored suspension bridge with a concrete girder

Abstract

This research presents the general design of a three-tower, self-anchored suspension bridge with a concrete stiffening girder based on practical engineering. The finite-element method is adopted to explore the structural behaviour of a bridge affected by shrinkage and creep of the concrete stiffening girder. The results show that shrinkage and creep of the concrete stiffening girder have a major effect on the mechanical behaviour of the side towers and stiffening girder. A new main cable system consisting of a prefabricated parallel wire strand (PPWS) cable with a polyethylene jacket and cold-cast anchorage is proposed to allow the main cables to be tensioned and the bridge cable force to be adjusted at any time. The experimental results of the PPWS cable show that the design and manufacture of the largest cable in China are safe and reliable. Moreover, the numerical simulation results for a new cable clamp connecting two main cables to a single hanger indicate that its design is reasonable. Furthermore, the anti-corrosive properties of the special cable system are investigated. The behaviour results as well as some key design technologies of this bridge style in the study provide valuable knowledge for its future application.