Reliability Analysis of Continuous Steel Truss Bridge Stiffened with Rigid Cables Based on Stochastic Finite Element Method

Abstract

To analysis the reliability of Dongjiang Bridge, a steel truss bridge stiffened with rigid cables, a new analysis method that combined with each advantage of some common reliability computing method was put forward, which could get the probability distribution and numeric attributes of complex bridge structure's response expediently, and then get the reliability index and failure probability. A stochastic finite element model was established to analyze this bridge, in which some parameters such as material, geometric dimensioning, loads, and so on, were simulated as stochastic variables. The analysis result show that the lowest reliability index of main member bar's stress is 5.10, more than the allowable value 4.7, and the corresponding failure probability is 1.71×10-7. The reliability index of mid-span deflection in serviceability limit states reach up to 6.99 and its failure probability is 1.53×10-7. All results indicate that the strength and stiffness of Dongjiang Bridge has higher reliability.