Suspension bridges under blast loads: a preliminary linearized approach

Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of an explosive (blast) load on the behavior of a suspension bridge, after studying the explosion characteristics (force, distance and height of explosion) and their effect on the bridge. More specifically, the influence of these characteristics on the three basic deformations of the bridge, namely the vertical, the lateral and the torsional ones, is sought. In doing this, the bridge model used is simple, and does not include secondary factors, that do not decisively affect the response of the bridge. The theoretical formulation is based on a continuum approach that has been used in the literature to analyze such suspension bridges. The analysis is carried out using the modal superposition method, and the resulting differential systems are solved using the Laplace transformation and the Duhamel’s integral. The present work is preliminary and will be followed by a more accurate and thorough one under preparation. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.