Entire-Process Simulation of Earthquake-Induced Collapse of a Mockup Cable-Stayed Bridge by Vector Form Intrinsic Finite Element (VFIFE) Method

Abstract

It is important to simulate the entire-process collapse of earthquake excited cable-stayed bridge in order to assure the damage extent under strong earthquakes and to optimize the anti-collapse seismic measures. The newly developed vector form intrinsic finite element (VFIFE) method is capable of computing large deformation, large displacement, collision, and fractures that would happen in the structural collapse. Therefore, it has the potential to simulate the entire-process collapse of earthquake excited structures. For the cable-stayed bridges, the axial forces change significantly during the earthquake excitation. The interaction between the axial forces and bending moments should be taken into account. In order to address this issue, this paper first presents the formulation for integration of VFIFE method and fiber beam-column element model. A bilinear elastic-plastic constitutive damage model is proposed for the mechanical behavior of the fiber and element. The collapse analysis of a 2D mockup bridge scaled from an actual cable-stayed bridge is then conducted. The entire process of the structural damage and collapse are successfully simulated by the proposed method VFIFE-Fiber. This study provides a foundation for seismic damage prediction and anti-collapse seismic design for cable-stayed bridges.