Designing a Two-Level Steel Cable-stayed Bridge against Fires

Abstract

This paper discloses an early performed study on the fire-resistance design framework for cable-stayed bridges, including (1) the identification of potential fire scenarios and the calculation of fire return periods, (2) computational fluid dynamics simulation of the fire environment and analytical models of flame dimensions, (3) coupling thermomechanical finite element simulation to capture the bridge response, and (4) the determination of fire prevention and protection measures. The framework was then utilized on a two-level steel cable-stayed bridge. The return periods of vehicle fires on the upper, lower, and two-level decks were 1.13, 1.88, and 0.71 years, respectively. Numerical results showed that the bridge could resist car, bus, and truck fires but not tanker fires. Regulative fire prevention measures were undertaken to suppress the fire risk on the bridge, and drainages were designed to exclude the accumulation of fuel leaks. Although the work was finished in 2007, the proposed framework can still be a prototype for designing cable-stayed bridges against fires nowadays. From the current view, the framework can be improved by incorporating traffic data to calculate the fire return periods, using more precise fire models developed for bridges, and quantifying the cost-benefit of employing fire prevention and protection measures.

Keywords:

• Fire
• cable-stayed bridge
• fire-resistance design
• two-level girder
• return period
• fire protection

Disclosure Statement

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

Data Availability Statement

All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the submitted article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Key Project of the Ministry of Emergency Management of People's Republic of China [grant number 2019XFGG10].