Concept and Preliminary Static Analysis of Hybrid Anchored Suspension Bridge

Abstract

Inspired by the structural system and the construction technique of self-anchored suspension bridges and earth-anchored suspension bridges, a new type of suspension bridge, named hybrid anchored suspension bridge, was investigated in this paper. Additional anchorages, connected with the main girder by anchor cables, could provide a feasible solution for optimizing structural efficiency and constructability. To comprehend the static behavior of this innovative structural system, both the static equilibrium differential equations and compatibility equations were established on the basis of deflection theory. Meanwhile, a simple approximate solution method and a general procedure used for the preliminary static analysis were expounded. Finally, the results of a numerical example were used to verify the accuracy of the proposed method by comparing it with the nonlinear finite-element method. Collectively, it has been shown that the hybrid anchored suspension bridge, as a hybrid structural system of earth-anchored and self-anchored suspension bridge, can be regarded as an improvement to the industry of modern suspension bridge.