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STATE-OF-THE-ART
IN CABLE-STAYED BRIDGES
INTRODUCTION
CLASSIFICATION
Walter Podolny, Jr. is with the Bridge Division, Ofice of Engineering of the Federal
Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. Washington,
D.C. 20590.
71
0077-8923/80/0352-0071 $01.75/1 @ 1980, NYAS
72 Annals New York Academy of Sciences
At this point the cable-stayed bridge has been defined or classified. The
obvious next question is why should a cable-stayed bridge be considered?
WHY CABLE-STAY?
To answer this question, the Luling Bridge in Louisiana crossing the Missis-
sippi River will be used as an example. Why was a cable-stayed system selected
for this crossing? Certainly there are other structural systems suitable for the
given span range that are more familiar to builders of bridges across the
Mississippi River. Foremost in this respect is the venerable cantilever truss, so
very common on the Mississippi below St. Louis. However, the cantilever truss
and its variations are heavy on steel usage for spans over 1,000 f t (300 m ) in
length. Moreover, maintenance and inspection costs of long-span truss bridges
are high because of their numerous structural components, many of which are
not easily accessible.
In contrast, a cable-stayed system employing deck girders for stiffening of
the bridge floor offers immediate advantages in terms of weight alone. The
reason for this being so is clearly evident in FIGURE1.2 It shows a comparison
of bending moments in a five-span unstayed design and a cable-stayed structure
selected for the Luling Bridge. The ratio of these moments is close to 1 :10 in
favor of the stayed system. Moreover, these moments can be controlled to make
them more evenly distributed along the structure. In the process, material
utilization is more efficient, even with a very low depth-to-span ratio of 1:90
M I
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Podolny: Cable-stayed Bridges 73
SINGLE SINGLE DOUBLE DOUBLE
PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE
as is the case of the Luling Bridge. This factor and the anticipated low cost of
maintenance, as compared with trusses, had a significant effect on the selection
of a cable-stayed system.
SPANPROPORTIONS
GEOMETRIC
CONFIGURATION
OF STAYS
Q
*
B
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Podolny : Cable-stayed Bridges 75
4. Geometry matrix-stay
FIGURE configuration in elevation.
first two types. The fourth and last basic type is the star configuration, where
the stays are spaced along the pylon and converge to a common point on the
girder.
The fan configuration represents a compromise between the extremes of
the radiating and harp systems. It generally evolves from a radiating system
when the accommodation of the forces at the top of the pylon becomes too
complex. The star system is perhaps defensible from an aesthetic point of view;
however, the convergence of the stays at the deck level is in direct opposition
to the view that the stays should be distributed as much as possible at the girder.
A tabular summary of the various stay arrangements is presented in FIG-
URE 4.3 The tabulation is a matrix of the four basic stay types and the number
of stays emanating from one side of the pylon. It can be seen that many other
variations and combinations are possible. Therefore, the cable-stayed bridge
is not simply one bridge type, but many different individual types evolving
from an extremely versatile concept of bridge design. It is important not to
restrict a type selection study to only one cable-stayed type.
76 Annals New York Academy of Sciences
PYLONS
There are numerous possible pylon arrangements. They may be single,
twin, portal frame or A-frame? They may also be vertical or inclined. Pylons
may be hinged or fixed at the base. Although larger bending moments are
produced in the pylon when fixity is provided, most of the cable-stayed bridges
have been built with fixed-base pylons. The advantage of increased rigidity of
the structure obtained with fixed bases, especially during erection, offsets the
disadvantage of higher bending moments.
The behavior of the pylon will depend upon the details of its connection to
the stays, deck and substructure. In addition to its own weight, the pylon
carries a substantial portion of the total weight of the structure transmitted by
the stays. Pylons should be designed as members subjected to axial compression
and combined bending moment from both directions. The stability of plate
elements should be investigated. In addition, overall pylon buckling in the
longitudinal and transverse direction should also be evaluated. Overall buckling
in the longitudinal direction is a function of the stiffness of the stays, primarily
the back stay. The effective overall buckling length may be determined by a
stability analysis of the entire system. The stiffness of any bracing that may be
present should be considered in determining the effective buckling length in
the transverse direction:
The height of the pylon in relation to the span will obviously have an influ-
ence on the cable forces and thus the amount of cable steel required (FIG-
URE 5 ) . 5 The ratio of pylon height above the bridge deck to center span length
for a three-span structure should preferably be in the range of 0.16 to 0.2. For
a two-span asymmetric structure, the longer span may be considered as one-half
the span of a three-span symmetric structure.
DECKSTRUCTURE
The deck structure may be constructed of steel or reinforced concrete. The
choice of materials is primarily a function of availability and economics preva-
lent at a particular time and specific location o€ the bridge site. Basically there
are two types of girders, the stiffening truss type for steel construction and the
solid web type used for both steel and concrete. In both steel and concrete
construction, girders or box girders or a combination of the two may be used.
In addition. concrete can also be cast-in-place or precast, and segmental con-
struction may also be considered. With the exception of conventional catenary-
type suspension bridges, the stiffening girder is seldom used today. Trusses, as
compared to solid web girders, require more fabrication and are relatively
harder to maintain, corrosion protection is difficult, and trusses are aesthetically
unfavorable.
A survey of 20 cable-stayed bridges indicates a depth-to-span ratio of the
girder varying from 1/40 to 1/80. In a multistay system, such as the Pasco-
Kennewick Bridge, the depth to span ratio is 1/ 140.
For the bridge deck of the superstructure it is important to design the floor
system in such a manner that the whole deck plate can participate in carrying
the large longitudinal normal force in composite action with the main girders.
Illustrated at the top of FIGURE 6 is the old type of superstructure where the
deck, stringers, cross beams, lateral bracing, and main girders act independently.
At the bottom of FIGURE 6 is the new type of deck in which the orthotropic
Podolny : Cable-stayed Bridges 77
W E Vul.32-1. 1972
3.0
2.0
g
-
r
2
c
r
<
3 1.0
0.0
0 0. I 0.2
FIGURE 5. Stay cable steel quantity as a ratio of pylon height above deck to span
length. (Courtesy of F. Leonhardt)
plate is simultaneously the bridge deck, lateral wind girder, upper flange of the
stringers if they are present, the upper flange of the cross beams, and upper
flange of the main girders.'
The normal forces or axial force in the bridge deck is produced by the
horizontal component of the cable force at its anchorage with the girder. In
steel structures the orthotropic deck plate with longitudinal stiffeners is a good
solution. In concrete superstructures the floor slab should be spanned longi-
tudinally between cross girders so that the main reinforcement will be longi-
tudinal and thus assist in resisting the normal forces and to reduce creep
deformations.*
Leonhardt,' in a competitive design for the Rheinbriicke-Flehe near Diissel-
dorf, an asymmetric cable-stayed bridge with a major span of 1,214 ft (370 m)
and multistays, designed an economical and easy to erect superstructure, indi-
cated at the top of FIGURE 7. It is a steel orthotropic deck with single web edge
beams for the cable anchorages and two centrally located longitudinal girders
for the erection derricks and for load distribution. The depth of the longitudinal
girders is only 5.6 ft (1.7 m) at the edge and 7.9 ft (2.4 m) at the center. It is
shallow because of the stiffness provided by the many cable stays. The width of
the structure is 135 ft (41 m). Almost the same cross section can be accom-
plished with a concrete deck, shown at the bottom of FIGURE 7. The concrete
deck, between concrete edge beams, spans longitudinally between and is com-
posite with the steel cross girders. The depth of the composite concrete section
at the center is 11.5 ft (3.5 m). According to Leonhardt, this type of deck can
be economical for three-span cable-stayed bridges with a center span of 2,300 ft
(700 m ) .
STAY-CABLE A N D ANCHORAGES
SPACING
The choice of the geometrical configuration and number of stays in the
system is subject to a wide variety of considerations. Few cable stays result in
COMPOSITE BRIDGE
large stay forces which, in turn, require massive and complicated anchorage
systems and consequently, reinforcing of the bridge girders to transfer shear,
moment and axial loads. A relatively deep girder is required to span the large
distance between stays. Depending upon the location of longitudinal main
girders with respect to the cable-stay planes, large transverse cross girders may
be required to transfer the stay forces to the main girders. A large number of
cable stays, approaching a continuous supporting elastic media, simplifies the
anchorage and distribution of forces to the girder and permits the use of a
shallower depth
Cable-stayed bridges in Germany started with 3 to 5 stays at each side of
the pylon, but have gradually evolved to more stays at shorter spacing to
simplify the anchorage detail and erection. The construction of the deck can be
simple and economical if the spacing of the stays is such that the deck can be
erected road-way width by free cantilever methods from stay to stay without
auxiliary methods. The depth of the roadway girder can be kept at a minimum,
the deck becomes more or less the bottom chord of a large cantilevering truss
and needs almost no bending stiffness because the inclined stays do not allow
any large deflections under concentrated 10ads.~
With the helical strand type of cable, the wires at the end of the strand are
carefully placed in the basket of the socket, which is then filled with molten
zinc. The Japanese have reported7 that the pouring temperature of the zinc
alloy when filling the socket affects the fatigue strength of the wires at the
socket (FIGURE 8 ) . A casting temperature of 450" C results in decreased
fatigue strength and fractures in, or in the vicinity of, the cable anchorage.
There have been some advancements in the technology of cable fittings.
80 Annals New York Academy of Sciences
The BBR type of terminal hardware as used in prestressed, post-tensioned
concrete construction has been utilized with button-headed parallel wire cables
in some cable-stayed bridge applications.
A new anchorage system (FIGURE 9 ) developed by Dyckerhoff and Wid-
mann has been utilized for the first time, in conjunction with parallel Dywidag
bar stays, on the Main River Bridge near Hoechst, a suburb of Frankfurt,
constructed in 1971. This anchorage consists of 25 threaded % in. (16 mm)
diameter bars encased in a steel tube or conduit. The cross sectional orienta-
tion of the individual bars are maintained by a polyethylene spacer. In the
intermediate or dynamic anchorage zone, an end-piece connected to the conduit
has rivets on its surface to improve bond when it is embedded in the construc-
tion concrete. This end-piece is closed with a guide cap from which the indi-
vidual bars in individual conduits lead to end anchorages. The Dywidag
parallel bar stay offers, among other advantages, favorable behavior with
respect to wind-excited vibrations.
A new type socket has been developed by BBR Ltd of Zurich, Switzerland
(FIGURE 10). It is named HiAm for High Amplitude socket and is marketed
in the United States by INRYCO, a licensee of BBR. A similar socket is also
available from the Prescon Corp. The HiAm socket has shown improved
results in tensile, fatigue, and creep tests. It utilizes a casting material com-
posed of steel balls, zinc dust, and an epoxy resin mixture. This assembly con-
sists of parallel wires of '/4 in. (7 mm) diameter with button heads bearing on
a steel anchorage plate, which closes the end of the conical cavity in the steel
socket, the void being filled by the special mixture of steel balls, zinc dust, and
epoxy resin, which ensures a gradual transfer of the cable force. This socket
has been successfully fatigue tested for 2 million cycles with a stress range of
35 to 45 percent of ultimate strength of the wire.
ECONOMICEVALUATIONS
25 DYWIDAG threaded
bars 16 mm ( 5 in.) dia.
..
FIGURE
9. Anchorage for Main River Bridge. (Courtesy of Dyckerhoff & Widmann)
82 Annals New York Academy of Sciences
in. @ x 1 in.
Hex Head
cap screw 1.00 in.
1 C
___Wires
__ __not shown
- -- ---
standard
ninal dia.
and 5 in.
Thread
jacking
I - 1
Live end
FIGURE10. HiAm socket.
TABLE
1
SITKAHARBOR
BRIDGE-COST
STUDY
Cost Ratio
Type Description (Cable-stayed Girder= 1.00)
I Plate girder with fenders 1.15
I1 Plate girder continuous 1.13
I11 Orthotropic box girder 1.04
IV Through-tied arch 1.04
V Half through-tied arch 1.06
VI Cable-stayed box girder 1.oo
Podolny : Cable-stayed Bridges 83
150-
,/girder /’
Obviously, consideration of these items must take into account the particu-
lar site conditions, local environmental conditions relative to natural hazards
along with the local and national economic environment at the time the estimate
is made, as well as any short- and long-term economic conditions that may
affect the final cost.
Let us now look at long-span structures. The economic survey by Taylor,s
shown in FIGURE11, has a reference point for a cable-stayed bridge which is
higher than one might expect for that magnitude of center span. It appears
that this singular point is apparently based on the data taken from the Knie-
brucke at Dusseldorf, which is an asymmetric bridge with one pylon. The
data presented by Taylor are for a center span of 1,050 ft (320 m) with a
corresponding weight of deck structural steel of 115 psf (561kg/m2).
If these data were considered to be one-half of a symmetric two-pylon
arrangement with a center span of approximately 2,000 f t , (610 m) and re-
plotted against the previous data, as shown in FIGURE12, a different conclusion
may be drawn. The cable-stayed bridge is then seen to compete favorably with
the suspension bridge of comparable span. From this limited study it appears
TABLE2
PASCO-KENNEWICK
BRIDGE-ECONOMIC
COMPARISON
1504
/
FIGURE12. Weight of
me- -
structural steel in Ib/sq ft.
girder bridges of deck for orthotropic steel
& suspension bridge bridges.
REMARKS
CLOSING
REFERENCES