Comparative Analysis of the Dynamic Behaviors of Steel Pedestrian Bridges with Circular Tubular Girders

Abstract

The dynamic behavior of two circular tubular steel pedestrian bridges, namely an end cut-off girder bridge and a concrete-filled girder bridge, were examined in this study. The former is proposed in this study as a solution to the construction problems associated with the latter. The numerical models of the two bridges, which were developed and analyzed using the ABAQUS program, were subjected to pedestrian-induced vibrations and seismic excitations to evaluate the acceleration and stress response of the bridge and bridge girders, respectively. The results demonstrate that the two bridge types exhibit similar serviceability performance under a given dynamic load. Specifically, the acceleration response under pedestrian loading differed marginally between the two by approximately 5%. In contrast, the maximum stress in the end cut-off bridge under the seismic excitations was 45% higher than that in the concrete-filled bridge. However, the stress levels observed in both bridge types were within the seismic performance limit. © 2023, Korean Society of Civil Engineers.