Prediction of Behaviour of Prestressed Suspension Bridge with Timber Deck Panels

Abstract

Cable truss usage allows developing bridges with reduced requirements for girder stiffness, where overall bridge rigidity is ensured by prestressing of the stabilization cable. The advantages of prestressed suspension trusses to provide required stiffness without massive stiffness girders and the ability of cross-laminated timber to behave in both directions are combined in the analysed structure. Prestressed cable truss with coincident (unclear meaning, difficult to translate) in the centre point of the span main and stabilization cables and vertical suspenders only was considered as the main load carrying system in the considered structure of suspension bridge. Two numerical models evaluated influence of cross-laminated timber deck on the behaviour of prestressed cable truss. Two physical models of the structure with the span equal to 2 m were developed for verification of the numerical models. The first physical model was developed for the case, when panels of the deck are placed without clearances and behaving in the longitudinal direction in compression so as in the transversal direction in bending. The second physical model was developed for the case when panels of the deck are placed with clearances and are behaving in the transverse direction in bending only. The dependences of maximum vertical displacements and horizontal support reaction of the cable truss on the intensity of vertical load in cases of symmetric and unsymmetrical loading were obtained for both physical models. Possibility to decrease the cable truss materials consumption by 17% by taking into account combined work of prestressed cable trusses and cross-laminated timber panels was stated.