Nonlinear Dynamic Phenomena in Long-Span Bridges

Since the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows, bridge engineers are greatly concerned by the dynamic behavior of bridges under wind actions especially when designing long-span bridges, i.e., suspension or cable-stayed bridges. Considering that very long spans are planned such as the Messina Strait Bridge, a suspension bridge in Italy with a main span of 3.3 km, unexpected nonlinear dynamic phenomena that might cause large motion of the bridge structure might be problematic as it has been demonstrated theoretically by mathematicians for simplified structures. However, long-span bridges are complex structural systems, and these phenomena would be more realistically simulated using a structural analysis software, an engineering tool. Therefore, the objectives of the research are to develop numerical models of existing bridge designs and to assess their susceptibility to nonlinear dynamic phenomena using either a simplified static analysis technique or nonlinear dynamic analysis. The most important expected outcome will be to demonstrate whether nonlinear dynamic phenomena can be critical for the design of long-span bridges and under what circumstances.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ashraf El Damatty;J. Peter C. King

Student:

Partner:

Università Roma Tre

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction; Transportation (excluding aerospace)

University:

Western University

Program: