Second-order inelastic analysis of steel suspension bridges

The second-order inelastic analysis based on the refined plastic hinge model is proposed to predict the ultimate strength and behavior of steel suspension bridges. The cable members are modeled using the catenary cable element, while the girder and tower members are modeled using the beam-column element. The nonlinear equilibrium equations are solved using an incremental-iterative scheme based on the generalized displacement control method. This algorithm can accurately trace the equilibrium path of nonlinear problems with multiple limit points. Several numerical examples are presented. The obtained results are compared well with the existing results and those generated using the commercial finite element packages of SAP2000 and ABAQUS. It can be concluded that the proposed method is suitable for adoption in practice. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.