Forward iterative algorithm for fabrication geometry of steel girders in cable-stayed bridges

Abstract

This paper proposes a forward iterative algorithm designed for determining the fabrication geometry of the steel girder in cable-stayed bridges during the segment installation process. The expression of fabrication geometry control parameters and geometric dimensions for steel girder fabrication is deduced based on the installation geometry. Based on the equivalent plane algorithm for spatial stay cables, this paper establishes a forward iterative algorithm to simulate the construction process of cable-stayed bridges, employing the unstressed cable length as the control calculation parameter. The algorithm is programmed into a finite element method software, enabling a precise and well-converged simulation of the cable-stayed bridge construction process. This method has been successfully applied in a kilometer-scale cable-stayed bridge, facilitating the determination of internal forces and girder geometry throughout the construction process. This also streamlines the acquisition of fabrication parameters for individual girder segments. The application results demonstrate that the research presented in this paper provides an efficient and accurate calculation method for determining the fabrication parameters of steel girders in cable-stayed bridges.

Keywords:

• Cable-stayed bridges
• fabrication geometry
• fabrication parameters
• forward iterative algorithm
• segment installation
• steel girders
• unstressed cable length

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work reported here was conducted with the financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52278143, 51878073, 52278141 and 52278139). The support is gratefully acknowledged.