Static and Dynamic Structural Performances of a Special-Shaped Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Arch Bridge in Extreme Events Using a Validated Computational Model

Recently, Yingzhou Bridge with a main span of 120 m has been built in Luoyang, China. Although the bridge’s unique concrete-filled steel tubular arch-rib system satisfies the aesthetic demand of the public, the innovative structure’s mechanics behaviors in extreme events are unknown yet, including both static and dynamic structural performances. To this end, numerical analyses have been undertaken based on ANSYS finite-element (FE) platform (version 9.0). A simplified computational FE model is established and effectively updated using reference information obtained from a detailed FE model. Using the validated simplified FE model, the bridge’s stability, ultimate load-carrying capacity and seismic performance are studied considering the original design and several modified designs. It is found that the bridge’s performances basically meet the design requirements; however, the structure’s lateral stability and stiffness are relatively weak for the original design. Adding K-shaped struts and reducing subarches’ angle of inclination can effectively solve this problem.