ROBUSTNESS ASSESSMENT OF A LONG SPAN SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN PRESENCE OF DIFFERENT CONTINGENCY SCENARIOS

Abstract eng:
The robustness of a structure, intended as its ability not to suffer disproportionate damages as a result of a limited initial failure, is an intrinsic requirement, inherent to the structural system organization, and represents an essential attribute of the dependability of the system. Complex structural systems like the long suspended bridge considered in this paper, may be inclined to damage propagation, in case failure occurs in the suspension system, due to the high continuity of the long central span. The presence of the railway track ads to the complexity of the problem both in terms of safety and serviceability, and the corresponding railway loads, can influence the structural behaviour, and thus, the structural robustness. In this paper several investigations aimed to the robustness assessment are carried out: following a bottom-up approach the critical event modelling is neglected and an initial failure is directly assumed (essentially the abrupt rupture of a number of hanger ropes), in order to evaluate the response of the structural system to different damage levels and locations. With particular reference to the attribute of structural robustness, a set of nonlinear static analyses are performed on different damaging scenarios affecting the bridge suspension system and the outcomes in term of strength decrement associated to each damage condition are presented and discussed.

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