Abstract
The Bohai Sea is the sea area with the worst ice condition in China, and the ice loads significantly threaten the safety of structures in the sea. The intense vibrations of the pile-supported bridge under stochastic ice loads will increase the fatigue damage of a bridge structure and reduce the fatigue life of a bridge structure. In the present study, a comprehensive analysis model is presented to study fatigue damage for pile-supported bridges under ice loads in Bohai Sea. On the basis of measured statistical data of ice parameters and stochastic ice loads spectrum of Bohai Sea, the time histories of the stochastic ice loads of Bohai Sea are simulated. Fatigue damage analysis is carried out in time domain utilizing the finite element method considering soil and bridge structure interaction. The effect of soil conditions and water depth on the cumulative fatigue damage of the pile-supported bridges is studied. Numerical results indicate that in comparison with stiff soil conditions, pile-supported bridges in soft oil conditions can increase the cumulative fatigue damage substantially; pile-supported bridges in deep water also can increase the cumulative fatigue damage obviously. The study presented the first danger position of cumulative damage of the pile cross section under stochastic ice loads. The findings of this study can be used to fatigue damage evaluation and bridge construction in the ice-covered sea area.
Highlights
Sea ice has seriously threatened the safety of offshore structures [1,2,3]. e Bohai Sea is the sea area with the worst ice condition in China. ere is a lot of drifting sea ice on the surface of the Bohai Sea in every winter
Various soil conditions are investigated to evaluate the effect of soil strength on the fatigue damage of bridges subjected to the ice loads. e soil strengths of su 25 kPa, su 50 kPa, and su 100 kPa represent the typical soft, moderate, and stiff soils
The fatigue damage of the pile-supported bridge was analyzed based on the bending stress induced by the bridge vibrations under ice loads. e effects of soil conditions and water depths on the fatigue damage of the pile-supported bridge were investigated by utilizing the rain-flow counting method
Summary
Sea ice has seriously threatened the safety of offshore structures [1,2,3]. e Bohai Sea is the sea area with the worst ice condition in China. ere is a lot of drifting sea ice on the surface of the Bohai Sea in every winter. E stress cycles caused by ice-induced vibration can directly lead to the fatigue damage of a bridge structure. Wu and Qiu [13] simulated the stochastic ice loads process based on ice force spectrum of Bohai Sea and verified the simulation performance The stochastic ice loads spectrum of Bohai Sea will be used to generate the stochastic ice loads process of the pile-supported bridge. E authors considered soil-structure interaction and utilized S-N curves of DNV to access the fatigue life of offshore wind turbines. E finite element model to investigate the effects of soil conditions and water depths on the fatigue damage under stochastic ice loads is utilized. On the basis of measured statistical data of ice parameters and stochastic ice loads spectrum of Bohai Sea, the time histories of the stochastic ice loads of Bohai Sea are simulated. e finite element model to investigate the effects of soil conditions and water depths on the fatigue damage under stochastic ice loads is utilized. e findings of this study can be used to fatigue damage evaluation and bridge construction in the ice-covered sea area
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