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Wind-resistant design of cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges

X.J. Zhang1 and David A. Stern2

1
Department of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology,
Hangzhou 310014, China; email: xjzhang@zjut.edu.cn
2
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California,
Los Angeles 159310, USA; email: davidstern9@gmail.com
Abstract
The cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge is a cooperative system of the
cable-stayed bridge and suspension bridge. It takes the advantages of each and
also makes up for some deficiencies of the two bridge structures, and therefore has
better spanning capacity. By analyzing a cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge
with main span of 1400 m, effects of design parameters including the cable sag to
span ratio, the suspension to span ratio, the side span length, the layout of stay
cable planes and the subsidiary piers in side spans etc on the wind stability are
investigated. Utilizing 3D nonlinear aerostatic and aerodynamic analysis, and
based on the wind stability, the optimal values of these design parameters are
determined.
1 Introduction
The cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge is a new cable-supported bridge
developed from the traditional cable-stayed bridge and suspension bridge. The design
benefits from the main advantages of each system, and also makes up for the
deficiencies in the structural behavior, construction, economy and the wind stability of
traditional suspension and cable-stayed bridges. Therefore this hybrid becomes an
attractive design alternative for long and particularly super long-span bridges.
The idea of using cables to support bridge spans was conceived by Roebling,
Dischinger, Steinmann and Gimsing etc. (Gimsing, 1997). This concept was
successfully employed in the rehabilitations of some existing suspension bridges, and
also frequently proposed in the design of many strait-crossing bridges(Gimsing, 1997).
In 1997, the first modern cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge in the world was built
in China with a main span of 288 meters (Meng, et al. 1999). In the 21st century, many
long and particularly super long-span bridges are planned for the sea-crossing
engineering projects. Many of them are projected to be built under natural conditions
unsuitable for cable-stayed or suspension bridges, such as soft soil foundation, violent
typhoons, and deep-water foundations. However, due to its advantages, the
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge becomes a competitive design alternative
favorable for these bridges. Just like other cable-supported bridges, the
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge is also a structural system of great flexibility,
but vulnerable to wind action. Therefore wind stability becomes a very important
factor to be considered in the bridge design.
This paper provides a guide for wind-resistant design for

444
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TDIBP 2008 445

cable-stayed-suspension bridges. It is based on an analysis of a bridge with main span

of 1400 m, and examines the effects of design parameters including the cable sag to
span ratio, the suspension to span ratio, the side span length, the layout of stay cable
planes and the subsidiary piers in side spans etc. on the wind stability, and based on
the wind stability, the optimal values of these design parameters are determined.
2 Description of the sample bridge
The example cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge, as shown in Fig.1, consists
of a main span of 1400 m and two side spans of 319 m. This design was proposed for
construction in the east channel of Lingding Strait in China (Xiao, 2000). The central
span consists of the cable-stayed portion of 788 m and the suspension portion of 612
m. The distance of the two main cables is 34 m, the cable sag to suspension portion
ratio is 1/10, and the spacing of hangers is 18 m. The stay cables are anchored to the
girder at 18 m intervals in the central span and 14 m in the side spans. The deck is a
steel streamlined box steel girder, 36.8 m wide and 3.85 m high. The tower is a
door-shaped frame with 3 transverse beams, and its height from the deck level is
about 194 m.

Fig.1 Elevation of the example cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge

3 Aerostatic stability analysis
Under the wind attack angle of 0, parametric analysis on the aerostatic stability
is conducted by three-dimensional nonlinear aerostatic analysis (Zhang, et al. 2002).
In the analysis, the drag, lift and twist moment components of the aerostatic load are
considered for the deck. Due to the similarity of the decks aerodynamic shapes in the
example bridge and the Runyang Bridge, the aerostatic coefficients obtained from the
wind tunnel test of the Runyang Bridge (Chen and Song, 2000) are used herein. For
cables, hangers and towers, only the drag component is considered, and the
corresponding drag coefficient is 0.7 for cables and hangers and 2.0 for the towers.
3.1 The cable sag to span ratio
It is to be noted that the cable sag to span ratio herein is defined with respect to the
suspension portion. As the cable sag increases, the lateral and torsional displacements
are both increased dramatically, whereas the vertical displacement is decreased.
Conversely, as the cable sag decreases, the lateral and torsional displacements are
both decreased, whereas the vertical displacement is increased. Therefore, the
disadvantages of a sag that is too big or too small is confirmed analytically for the
aerostatic stability of cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges, and adjusting the cable
sag to span ratio to approximately 1/10 reduces deck displacement and improves

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446 TDIBP 2008

aerostatic stability for cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges.

1.0
8 0.25
f/l=1/9 f/l=1/9
Vertical displacement(m)

0.8 f/l=1/9 0.20

f/l=1/10 f/l=1/10

Lateral displacement(m)
6 f/l=1/10 f/l=1/11
0.6 f/l=1/11 0.15

Torsion(Deg)
f/l=1/11 f/l=1/12
f/l=1/12
4
f/l=1/12 0.10
0.4
0.05
0.2 2 0.00
0.0 -0.05
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s)

Fig.2 Effect of the sag to span ratio on the decks displacements at midspan
3.2 The suspension to span ratio

1.4 8
0.6
Vertical displacement(m)

1.2 s/l=0.3 s/l=0.3 s/l=0.3

Lateral displacement(m)

1.0 s/l=0.437 6 s/l=0.437 s/l=0.437

0.4
s/l=0.5 s/l=0.5
s/l=0.5

Torsion(Deg)
0.8 s/l=0.6
s/l=0.6 4 s/l=0.6
0.6 0.2
0.4
2 0.0
0.2
0.0 0 -0.2
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s)

Fig.3 Effect of the suspension to span ratio on the decks displacements at midspan
In general, the suspension length has little influence on the lateral displacement,
but significant influence on both the vertical and torsional displacements. As the
suspension portion increases, the cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge behaves as a
suspension bridge, with decreased structural stiffness. The vertical and torsional
displacements are therefore increased greatly. Inversely, as the suspension portion
decreases, the lateral and torsional displacements are both increased. Therefore, a
suspension portion that is too short or too long is not favorable for
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges, and viewed from the aspect of aerostatic
stability, a suspension to span ration ranging from 0.4 to 0.5 is optimal.
3.3 Side span length
Fig.4 shows the evolution of the decks displacements at midspan with wind
speed under the side spans of 394m(equal to the cable-stayed portion in central span)
and 314m(shorter than the cable-stayed portion in central span) respectively.
0.8
Vertical displacement(m)

0.6 6 Ls=314m 0.20

Lateral displacement(m)

Ls=314m Ls=314m
Ls=394m Ls=394m
Ls=394m
0.15
0.4 4
Torsion(Deg)

0.10
0.2 2
0.05
0.0
0 0.00
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s)

Fig.4 Effect of side span length on the decks displacements at midspan

As the side span increases, the deck displacements are all increased, particularly

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TDIBP 2008 447

the torsional displacement. The fact can be attributed to the decrease of structural
stiffness in the case of long side spans. Therefore considering the aerostatic stability, a
short side span is favorable for cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges.
3.4 Layout of the stay cable planes
For the example bridge, the stay cable planes are inclined inward. To investigate
the effect of the layout of stay cable planes on the wind stability, two cases are
assumed: one where the stay cable planes are vertical, and another where the stay
cable planes are inclined outward.

0.8 7
6 0.3
Lateral displacement(m)
Vertical displacement(m)

0.6 5
Inward Inward Inward
0.2

Torsion(Deg)
Vertical 4 Vertical Vertical
0.4 Outward
Outward 3 Outward
0.2 0.1
2
1
0.0 0.0
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s)

Fig.5 Effect of layout of the stay cable planes on the decks displacements at midspan
As shown in Fig.5, the layout of stay cable planes has very little influence on the
vertical and lateral displacement, but has significant effect on the torsional
displacement. Structural displacements are basically identical for the cases of vertical
and inward-inclined stay cable planes, however in the case of outward-inclined stay
cable planes, the vertical and lateral displacements are both slightly increased, while
the torsional displacement is significantly increased. Therefore considering the
aerostatic stability, vertical and inward-inclined stay cable planes are favorable for
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges.
3.5 Subsidiary piers in side spans

7
0.7
6 0.14
Lateral displacement(m)

0.6
Vertical displacement(m)

5 Zero 0.12
0.5 Zero One Zero
4 0.10
One
Torsion(Deg)

0.4 Two One

Two 3 0.08
Two
0.3 0.06
2
0.2 0.04
0.1 1
0.02
0.0 0 0.00
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s) Wind speed(m/s)

Fig.6 Effect of the subsidiary piers in side spans on deck displacements at midspan
The vertical and lateral displacements are marginally influenced by the
subsidiary piers, though the torsional displacement is reduced in the case where the
subsidiary piers are installed. As a result, the improvement of aerostatic stability by
the subsidiary piers in side spans is very limited.
4 Aerodynamic stability analysis
Under the wind attack angle of 0, effects of design parameters on the
aerodynamic stability of the bridge are investigated by three-dimensional nonlinear

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448 TDIBP 2008

aerodynamic analysis (Zhang, et al. 2002). In the analysis, the aerodynamic

coefficients obtained from the wind tunnel test of the Runyang Bridge (Chen and
Song 2000) are used herein, and the structural damping ratio is taken as 0.5%.
4.1 The sag to span ratio
Table 1 Effect of the sag to span ratio on the critical wind speed
The sag to span ratio 1/12 1/11 1/10 1/9
Critical wind speed(m/s) 80.1 85.5 92.7 103.7
The critical wind speed is increased greatly as the cable sag increases. To effect an
increase of cable sag, the towers height and the inclination angles of the stay cables
are both increased. This improves the supporting efficiency of the stay cables and
provides further structural stiffness to the bridge, and leads to the increase of modal
frequencies particularly the torsional frequencies. Viewed from the aspect of
aerodynamic stability, the cable sag should not be too small for
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges.
4.2 The suspension to span ratio
Table 2 Effect of the suspension to span ratio on the critical wind speed
The suspension to span ratio 0.3 0.437 0.5 0.6
Critical wind speed(m/s) 99.8 92.7 88.0 79.8
As shown in Table 2, a short suspension portion is aerodynamically favorable for
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges. The fact can be attributed to the reduction of
structural stiffness and further the modal frequencies of the bridge in the case of long
suspension portion.
4.3 Side span length
Table 3 Effect of the side span length on the critical wind speed
Side span length(m) 394 314
Critical wind speed(m/s) 90.8 92.7
As shown in Table 3, short side spans are confirmed analytically to be
aerodynamically favorable for cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges. The fact can
be attributed to the decrease of modal frequencies in the case of short side spans.
4.4 Layout of the stay cable planes
Table 4 Effect of the layout of stay cable planes on the critical wind speed
Layout of the stay cable planes Inward Vertical Outward
Critical wind speed(m/s) 92.7 92.9 104.8

The outward-inclined stay cable planes are confirmed analytically to be most

aerodynamically stable. This phenomenon also occurs for cable-stayed bridges. The
fact can be attributed to the increase of modal frequencies in the case of
outward-inclined stay cable planes. However, it is contrary to the case of aerostatic
stability. Generally, aerodynamic stability of cable-supported bridges is more critical

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TDIBP 2008 449

than the aerostatic stability, and therefore considering the wind stability, the
outward-inclined stay cable planes are favorable for cable-stayed-suspension hybrid
bridges.
4.5 Subsidiary piers in side spans
Table 5 Effect of the subsidiary piers in side spans on the critical wind speed
Number of the subsidiary piers in side spans 0 1 2
Critical wind speed(m/s) 92.7 96.5 97.7
Table 5 shows that the subsidiary piers help to improve the aerodynamic stability of
the bridge. The fact can be attributed to the increase of structural frequencies and also
the modal shape getting more complicated in the case of the subsidiary piers installed
in side spans, which leads to a multimode-coupled aerodynamic response.
5 Conclusions
In this paper, by analyzing the cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge with main
span of 1400 m, effects of design parameters including the sag to span ratio, the
suspension to span ratio, the side span length, the layout of stay cable planes and the
subsidiary piers in side spans etc. on the wind stability are investigated by utilizing 3D
nonlinear aerostatic and aerodynamic analysis. The results show that the
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge has good wind stability as the sag to span ratio
is approximately 0.1, the suspension to span ratio is between 0.4 and 0.5, and for the
short side span, outward inclined stay cable planes and subsidiary piers are employed.
References
Chen, A.R., Song, J.Z., 2000. Wind-resistant Research on the Runyang Bridge.
Research Report, Tongji University.
Gimsing, N.J., 1997. Cable-supported bridges: Concept & Design. John Wiley &
Sons Ltd, England.
Meng, Y., Liu, D., Sun, S.H., 1999. Study on the design of long-span
cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridges. Journal of Chongqing Jiaotong Institute,
18(4), 8-12.
Xiao, R.C., 2000. Research on the design of cable-stayed-suspension hybrid
bridges. China Civil Engineering Journal, 33(5), 46-51.
Zhang, X.J., Sun, B.N., Xiang, H.F., 2002. Nonlinear Aerostatic and Aerodynamic
Analysis of Long-span Cable-stayed Bridges Considering Wind-structure
Interactions. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 90(9),
1065-1080.

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