• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.297-315
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• 2010

This paper is concerned with free vibration characteristics and natural frequency of horizontally curved composite plate girder bridges. Three-dimensional finite element models are developed for the girders using the software package LUSAS and analyses carried out on the models. The validity of the finite element models is first established through comparison with the corresponding results published by other researchers. Studies are then carried out to investigate the effects of total number of girders, number of cross-frames and curvature on the free vibration response of horizontally curved composite plate girder bridges. The results confirm the fact that bending modes are always coupled with torsional modes for horizontally curved bridge girder systems. The results show that the first bending mode is influenced by composite action between the concrete deck and steel beam at low subtended angle but, on the girders with larger subtended angle at the centre of curvature such influence is non-existence. The increase in the number of girders results in higher natural frequency but at a decreasing rate. The in-plane modes viz. longitudinal and arching modes are significantly influenced by composite action and number of girders. If no composite action is taken into account the number of girders has no significant effect for the in-plane modes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.793-802
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• 2002

This study presented a finite element formulation for the dynamic analysis of horizontally curved I-girder bridges. The stiffness and mass matrices of the curved and the straight beam elements are formulated. Each node of both elements has seven degrees of freedom, including the warping degree of freedom. The curved beam element is derived from Kang and Yoo's theory of thin-walled curved beams. The computer program EQCVB has been developed to perform dynamic analyses of various horizontally curved I-girder bridges. The Gupta method is used to solve the eigenvalue problem efficiently, while the Wilson-${\theta}$ method is used for the seismic analysis. The efficiency of EQCVB is demonstrated by comparing solution time with ABAQUS. Using EQCVB, the study is applied to investigate the dynamic behavior of horizontally curved I-girder bridges under seismic loading.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.367-392
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• 2020

The specific characteristics of near-field earthquake records can lead to different dynamic responses of bridges compared to far-field records. However, the effect of near-field strong ground motion has often been neglected in the seismic performance assessment of the bridges. Furthermore, damage to horizontally curved multi-frame RC box-girder bridges in the past earthquakes has intensified the potential of seismic vulnerability of these structures due to their distinctive dynamic behavior. Based on the nonlinear time history analyses in OpenSEES, this article, assesses the effects of near-field versus far-field earthquakes on the seismic performance of horizontally curved multi-frame RC box-girder bridges by accounting the vertical component of the earthquake records. Analytical seismic fragility curves have been derived thru considering uncertainties in the earthquake records, material and geometric properties of bridges. The findings indicate that near-field effects reasonably increase the seismic vulnerability in this bridge sub-class. The results pave the way for future regional risk assessments regarding the importance of either including or excluding near-field effects on the seismic performance of horizontally curved bridges.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1996.10a
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• pp.55-61
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• 1996

In the present study, a numerical formulation procedure fer free vibration analysis of thin-walled horizontally curved multi-girder bridges is presented. The presented finite element procedure consists of curved and straight beam elements including warping degree of freedom. The homogeneous solutions of curved beam equations were used for shape functions in numerical formulation to achieve good convergence. In the straight beam element, the third order hermite polynomials were used fer shape functions. The Gupta method was used to solve the eigenvalue problem efficiently. The developed numerical procedure was applied to investigate the characteristics of free vibration of horizontally curved multi-girder bridges with varing subtended angle.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.10 no.1 s.34
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• pp.47-61
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• 1998

The behavior of horizontally curved I-girder bridges is complex because the flexural and torsional behavior of curved girders are coupled due to their initial curvature. Also, the behavior is affected by cross beams. To investigate the behavior of horizontally curved I-girder bridges, it is necessary to consider curved girders with cross beams. In order to perform free vibration analyses of horizontally curved I-girder bridges, a finite element formulation is presented here and a finite element analysis program is developed. The formulation that is presented here consists of curved and straight beam elements, including the warping degree of freedom. Based on the theory of thin-walled curved beams, the shape functions of the curved beam elements are derived from homogeneous solutions of the static equilibrium equations. Third-order hermits polynomials are used to form the shape functions of the straight beam elements. In the finite element analysis program, global stiffness and mass matrix are composed, based on the Cartesian coordinate system. The Gupta method is used to efficiently solve the eigenvalue problem. Comparing the results of several examples here with those of previous studies, the formulation presented is verified. The validity of the program developed is shown by comparing results with those analyzed by the shell element.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.21-38
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• 2011

This study examines the influence of curved, steel, I-girder bridge configuration on girder end reactions and cross frame member forces during seismic events. Simply-supported bridge finite element models were created and examined under seismic events mimicking what could be experienced in AASHTO Seismic Zone 2. Bridges were analyzed using practical ranges of: radius of curvature; girder and cross frame spacings; and lateral bracing configuration. Results from the study indicated that: (1) radius of curvature had the greatest influence on seismic response; (2) interior (lowest radius) girder reactions were heavily influenced by parameter variations and, in certain instances, uplift at their bearings could be a concern; (3) vertical excitation more heavily influenced bearing and cross frame seismic response; and (4) lateral bracing helped reduce seismic effects but using bracing along the entire span did not provide additional benefit over placing bracing only in bays adjacent to the supports.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.5 no.3 s.18
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• pp.11-21
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• 2005

This study is performed to understand complex behavior and to investigate the rational analysis methods for seismic design of the curved bridges. To analyze the curved bridges for the seismic loadings, it is used that the finite element analysis program has the 7-dof curved beam and straight beam element. The free vibration characteristics of the curved bridges are compared with the straight bridges that have span length same as the average arc length of inside and outside girder of those. For the same case, the dynamic behavior is compared under seismic loadings. It is found that regular bridges classified by AASHTO are analyzed as if those were straight. To investigate the dynamic behavior of general curved bridges under seismic loading, the seismic loading directions and the subtended angle of curved bridges are varied.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2004

The horizontally curved bridges have been used to connect bridges and roads. Until 1960s, they had been constructed with straight girders, called 'kinked girder bridges', which requires much cost and time-consuming construction of substructure. In case of using curved girders, practiced later, they would have many advantages such as reduction in the total construction cost and time, and ability to make aesthetic bridges. In designing plate girder bridges, it is necessary to determine the spacings between vertical stiffeners and the allowable shear stresses based on shear buckling capacity because it plays a key role in preventing the premature local shear buckling. Compared with the straight web, the critical shear buckling stresses of curved web panels vary with both aspect ratio and curvature coefficient. For designing curved web panels, a simplified formula and shear buckling coefficients were proposed by parametric models with F.E.M in this study.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.387-410
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• 2008

The fatigue damage accumulation rates of horizontally curved thin walled box-girder bridge have been estimated from vehicle-induced dynamic stress history using rain flow cycle counting method in the time domain approach. The curved box-girder bridge has been numerically modeled using computationally efficient thin walled box-beam finite elements, which take into account the important structural actions like torsional warping, distortion and distortional warping in addition to the conventional displacement and rotational degrees of freedom. Vehicle model includes heave-pitch-roll degrees of freedom with longitudinal and transverse input to the wheels. The bridge deck unevenness, which is taken as inputs to the vehicle wheels, has been assumed to be a realization of homogeneous random process specified by a power spectral density (PSD) function. The linear damage accumulation theory has been applied to calculate fatigue life. The fatigue life estimated by cycle counting method in time domain has been compared with those found by estimating the PSD of response in frequency domain. The frequency domain method uses an analytical expression involving spectral moment characteristics of stress process. The effects of some of the important parameters on fatigue life of the curved box bridge have been studied.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.4A
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• pp.727-734
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• 2006

Although a limited number of experimental investigations and finite element analyses revealed that a curved web panel in practical design has a considerable reserve strength after the elastic buckling as a straight girder web panel, the current Guide Specifications for Horizontally Curved Steel Girder Highway Bridges (AASHTO, 2003) do not consider the postbuckling strength in the ultimate shear strength due to lack of a comprehensive study. In this study, the ultimate shear strength behavior of horizontally curved steel web panels was investigated through nonlinear finite element analysis and experimental test. It was found that curved web panels used in practical designs are able to develop the postbuckling strength that is equivalent to that of straight girder web panels having the same dimensional and material properties.