Dynamic Behavior of Box-Girder Jetties

Economy in the design of maritime jetties has led to the investigation of structural forms using frames of steel box girders. However, due to their greater flexibility and lower structural damping capacity they are prone to vibration hazards. A general analytical procedure for studying this phenomenon is given and has been checked by a series of experiments on a model. The sources of disturbance that a jetty will be subjected to are either transient or steady. The first covers cases of impact due to cargo handling or suddenly applied bollard forces, while the second category is concerned with periodic forces, e.g. rotating machinery, vortex shedding, or wave forces. For the first category methods of determining peak stresses and displacements are given while for the second category it is shown that under certain conditions resonant states can occur that could render the jetty unserviceable.