Seismic Response of Double Thin–Wall Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge Considering Traveling Wave Effect

Abstract

A double thin-wall continuous rigid frame bridge with a span of (68 + 116 + 68)m is selected as the engineering background in this study. A full-bridge finite element model is established with the assistance of MIDAS software to analyze the seismic performance of double thin–wall continuous rigid frame bridge. The multi-support seismic excitation is applied to consider the traveling wave effect. The results show that the self-vibration period of the double-thin continuous rigid frame bridge decreases with the increase of the double-limb spacing. The seismic responses obtained by considering travelling effect tend to those obtained without considering travelling effect when the apparent velocity increases. The seismic responses of the substructure are reduced by considering the traveling wave effect, while the traveling wave effect has significant effect on the superstructure. The axial force of the girder with considering the traveling wave effect is 3 times greater than that with uniform excitation. Therefore, the preliminary design or seismic analysis of the double thin-walled structure should focus on the influence of the traveling wave effect on the superstructure.