• Wind and Structures
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.55-70
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• 2004

Aerostatic instability of a suspension bridge may suddenly appears when the deformed shape of the structure produces an increase in the value of the three components of displacement-dependent wind loads distributed in the structure. This paper investigates the aerostatic stability of suspension bridges using an advanced nonlinear method based on the concept of limit point instability. Particular attention is devoted to aerostatic stability analysis of symmetrical suspension bridges. A long-span symmetrical suspension bridge (Hu Men Bridge) with a main span of 888 m is chosen for analysis. It is found that the initial configuration (symmetry or asymmetry) may affect the instability configuration of structure. A finite element software for the nonlinear aerostatic stability analysis of cable-supported bridges (NASAB) is presented and discussed. The aerostatic failure mechanism of suspension bridges is also explained by tracing aerostatic instability path.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.2 no.1 s.3
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• pp.93-102
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• 2002

Pressure loads caused by gas, water and wind are the most important load cases in structural analysis. Often the pressure loads are approximated by constant directional loads since it is difficult to evaluate the exact value. However, the pressure load is defined as a displacement dependent one and it is necessary to consider the follower effects of the load in analysis procedure. In this study, the large deformation analysis considering geometrical nonlinearity for shell structures under pressure loads is presented. Finite element by using a three-node flat triangular shell element is formulated and the follower effects of the pressure load are included in the formulation. Some of results are presented for cantilevered beam under uniform external pressure and thin circular ring under non-uniform external pressure. The present results are in good agreement with the results available in existing literature and commercial software ABAQUS.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.4
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• pp.503-518
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• 2023

In tall constructions, the outriggers are regarded as a structural part capable of effectively resisting lateral loads. This study analyses the efficacy of hybrid outrigger system in high rise RCC building for various structural parameters identified. For variations in α, which is defined as the ratio of the relative flexural stiffness of the core to the axial rigidity of the column, static and dynamic analyses of hybrid outrigger system having a virtual and a conventional outrigger at two distinct levels were conducted in the present study. An investigation on the optimal outrigger position was performed by taking the results from absolute maximum inter storey drift ratio (ISD_max), roof acceleration (acc_roof), roof displacement (disp_roof), and base bending moment under both wind and seismic loads on analytical models having 40, 60 and 80 storeys. An ideal performance index parameter was introduced and was utilized to obtain the optimal position of the hybrid outrigger system considering the combined response of ISD_max, acc_roof, disp_roof and, criteria required for the structure under wind and seismic loads. According to the behavioural study, increasing the column area and outrigger arm length will maximise the performance of the hybrid outrigger system. The analysis results are summarized in a flowchart which provides the optimal positions obtained for each dependent parameter and based on ideal performance index which can be used to make initial suggestions for installing a hybrid outrigger system.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.367-382
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• 2007

A nonlinear numerical method was developed to assess the stability of suspension bridge catwalks under a wind load. A section model wind tunnel test was used to obtain a catwalk's aerostatic coefficients, from which the displacement-dependent wind loads were subsequently derived. The stability of a suspension bridge catwalk was analyzed on the basis of the geometric nonlinear behavior of the structure. In addition, a full model test was conducted on the catwalk, which spanned 960 m. A comparison of the displacement values between the test and the numerical simulation shows that a numerical method based on a section model test can be used to effectively and accurately evaluate the stability of a catwalk. A case study features the stability of the catwalk of the Runyang Yangtze suspension bridge, the main span of which is 1490 m. Wind can generally attack the structure from any direction. Whenever the wind comes at a yaw angle, there are six wind load components that act on the catwalk. If the yaw angle is equal to zero, the wind is normal to the catwalk (called normal wind) and the six load components are reduced to three components. Three aerostatic coefficients of the catwalk can be obtained through a section model test with traditional test equipment. However, six aerostatic coefficients of the catwalk must be acquired with the aid of special section model test equipment. A nonlinear numerical method was used study the stability of a catwalk under a yaw wind, while taking into account the six components of the displacement-dependent wind load and the geometric nonlinearity of the catwalk. The results show that when wind attacks with a slight yaw angle, the critical velocity that induces static instability of the catwalk may be lower than the critical velocity of normal wind. However, as the yaw angle of the wind becomes larger, the critical velocity increases. In the atmospheric boundary layer, the wind is turbulent and the velocity history is a random time history. The effects of turbulent wind on the stability of a catwalk are also assessed. The wind velocity fields are regarded as stationary Gaussian stochastic processes, which can be simulated by a spectral representation method. A nonlinear finite-element model set forepart and the Newmark integration method was used to calculate the wind-induced buffeting responses. The results confirm that the turbulent character of wind has little influence on the stability of the catwalk.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.121-132
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• 2009

A systematic reliability evaluation approach for torsional divergence analysis of long span suspension bridges is proposed, consisting of the first order reliability method and a simplified torsional divergence analysis method. The proposed method was implemented in the deterministic torsional divergence analysis program SIMTDB through a new strategy involving interfacing the proposed method with SIMTDB via a freely available MATLAB software tool (FERUM). A numerical example involving a detailed computational model of a long span suspension bridge with a main span of 888 m is presented to demonstrate the applicability and merits of the proposed method and the associated software strategy. Finally, the most influential random variables on the reliability of long span suspension bridges against torsional divergence failure are identified by a sensitivity analysis.