Wind Analysis of a Suspension Bridge: Identification and Finite-Element Model Simulation
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 1
Abstract
A framework for numerically predicting the wind-excited response of suspension bridges with a certain level of confidence is established by means of output only system identification, model updating, wind-response simulation, and input-output comparison. A real case study represented by the identification and analysis of a newly built suspension bridge is considered. In system identification, the estimates of the modal parameters of the structure are provided with uncertainty bounds that take into account variations in identified modal features arising from different selections of the main parameters in the implementation of the identification technique. Based on the identified modal parameters, a finite-element model of the bridge is updated via an optimization technique. The updated model is then employed for numerically predicting the wind-excited structural response. Comparison with recorded data allows to check the accuracy of the model’s predictions as well as to indicate possible strategies for refining the monitoring system and the model itself.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to acknowledge the support from the California Department of Conservation, Strong Motion Instrumentation Program, Contract No. UNSPECIFIED1006-903. The writers also wish to thank Prof. Andrew W. Smyth (Columbia University) and Prof. Hilmi Lus of Bogazici University (Turkey), for providing valuable comments through this study, and Mr. Dyab A. Khazem (Parsons Transportation Group) for his help in developing the initial FE model. Comments and suggestions on the wind engineering formulations by Prof. A. Luigi Materazzi (University of Perugia) as well as the support from Prof. Fabio Casciati and Prof. Lucia Faravelli, through the Ph.D. School in Civil Engineering at University of Pavia, Italy, are gratefully acknowledged by the writers.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 1 • January 2011
Pages: 133 - 142
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 11, 2009
Accepted: Jul 2, 2010
Published online: Jul 15, 2010
Published in print: Jan 2011
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