Lessons Learned from the Damaged Chi-Lu Cable-Stayed Bridge
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 9, Issue 4
Abstract
A disastrous earthquake struck central Taiwan at 01:47 a.m. September 21, 1999 (Taiwan local time). The Seismology Center of the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) determined the magnitude of this earthquake to be 7.3 (CWB) and 7.7 (Harvard CMT). The earthquake caused heavy casualties and structural damage to bridges and buildings. In the damaged areas, the only cable-stayed bridge, the Chi-Lu, was in the final stages of completion at the time of the earthquake. This bridge connected Chi-Chi to the small town of Lu-Ku across the Juoshuei River. Viaducts ran from both banks of the river to the ends of the cable-stayed bridge. The bridge, designed by T. Y. Lin International, was supported on a single pylon, which was connected to the center of the roadway by two rows of cables. In this paper, the damage suffered by the Chi-Lu bridge is reported. Severe damage occurred in the deck on the southern side of the bridge. Additional damage occurred in the pylon. Below the roadway, the pylon showed evidence of only minor cracking. However, above the roadway there was severe spalling of the cover and a crack extended upward nearly to the level of the lowest cables. The seismic performance of the bridge was evaluated by computer modeling. The damage predicted by the computational results was compared to that sustained by the bridge. The lessons learned from this study are described.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 9 • Issue 4 • July 2004
Pages: 343 - 352
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 25, 2002
Accepted: Dec 4, 2002
Published online: Jun 15, 2004
Published in print: Jul 2004
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