Analysis of the overall collapse mechanism of cable-stayed bridges with different cable layouts

The bifurcation point instability approach based on the nonlinear inelastic buckling model, and the limit point instability approach based on the softening plastic-hinge model, are proposed for analyzing the in-plane overall collapse mechanisms of steel cable-stayed bridges under static loads. The example bridges considered are supported by different cable layouts such as fan-type, semi harp-type and harp-type. This paper discusses the problem of the analysis of the in-plane overall collapse mechanisms, and the evaluation of the ultimate load-carrying capacities of example bridges with various cable layouts using the bifurcation point instability approach. The limit point instability approach, which considers both geometric and material nonlinearities, is deemed appropriate for evaluating the ultimate load-carrying capacity of the example bridges.