Effects of inclination angle on buckling of continuous composite bridges with inclined parabolic arch ribs

摘要

The effects of the inclination angle on the buckling of continuous composite bridges (CCBs) with parabolic arch ribs remain to be elucidated. Static tests were conducted on an on-site prototype of a CCB with parallel arch ribs to verify the validity of proposed numerical finite element method models of CCBs with inward and outward arch ribs. We found that the expressions for the equivalent slenderness ratios and buckling coefficients should consider the interactions between the in-plane and out-of-plane buckling, given the inclination of the arch ribs. With respect to the buckling modes, the arch ribs of all the models buckled in the first lateral mode. In addition, two types of interactions were observed between the buckling modes, namely, that between in-plane and out-of-plane buckling and that between global and local buckling; these were affected by the inclination angle, especially in the case of the CCB with the outward arch ribs.