Seismic Vulnerability and Mitigation during Construction of Cable-Stayed Bridges

Abstract

The implications of earthquake loading during balanced cantilever construction of a cable-stayed bridge are examined. Finite-element models of a cable-stayed bridge were developed and multiple ground motion time history records were used to study the seismic response at the base of the towers for six stages of balanced cantilever construction. Probabilistic seismic hazard relationships were used to relate ground motions to bridge responses. The results show that there can be a high probability of having seismic responses (forces/moments) in a partially completed bridge that exceed, often by a substantial margin, the