The Performance of Cable Clamp Systems in Suspension Bridges Considering Bolt Fracture Under Vehicle Fire
摘要
Cable clamp systems play an essential role in force transferring and stability of suspension bridges by linking various key elements such as main cables and vertical hangers. Cable clamps consist of multiple high-strength bolts, steel clamps, main cable, hanger rope, and a bolted pin connection linking the clamps and hanger. Failure in one of these may cause the stability of suspension bridges to deteriorate, especially in fire accidents. This study numerically investigates the performance of cable clamp systems adopted from a real suspension bridge under vehicle fire. The structural and heat transfer analysis is performed in Abaqus considering ductile fracture of the bolts at elevated temperatures. The effects of fire intensity and tension load in the cables on the fire performance are investigated by adopting different fire locations in the longitudinal direction of the suspension bridge. The findings are discussed from the points of local performance of the connection and the overall behavior of the suspension bridge.