This paper presents the results of shake table tests of a scaled long span cable-stayed bridge (CSB). The design principles of the scaled CSB are first introduced. The first six in-plane modes are then identified by the stochastic subspace identification (SSI) method. Furthermore, shake table tests of the CSB subjected to the non-pulse near-field (NNF) and velocity-pulse near-fault (PNF) ground motions are carried out. The tests indicated that: (1) the responses under longitudinal uniform excitation are mainly contributed by antisymmetric modes; (2) the maximum displacement of the tower occurs on the tower top node, the maximum acceleration response of the tower occurs on the middle cross beam, and the maximum bending moment of the tower occurs on the bottom section; (3) the deformation of the tower and girder subjected to uniform excitation is not always larger than that subjected to non-uniform excitation, and therefore the non-uniform case should be considered in the seismic design of CSBs.

The lightweight and flexible membrane structure of roofs are susceptible to wind loads with the risk of damage and failure. Compared with uniform and low-level turbulence flow cases (i.e., normal winds) that have been well investigated, the wind-induced vibration problem of membrane structures in high-level turbulence flows such as typhoons has been paid little attention. To address the gap, this paper aimed at investigating the aerodynamic behavior of hyperbolic paraboloid membrane structures in normal and typhoon winds by a series of wind tunnel tests. Some distinct wind characteristics of upcoming normal and typhoon flows in terms of vertical profiles of wind velocity, turbulence intensity, and power spectrum density of fluctuating winds were well simulated in an automatically controlled wind tunnel. The aeroelastic behavior of a scaled model was analyzed and discussed in terms of displacement time-history responses, probability distribution characteristics, and dynamic characteristics including the natural frequency, mode shape, and damping ratio. Results show that the increasing suction in a typhoon leads to significant growth in maximum deformations and more risks to suffer from aeroelastic instability. Non-Gaussian characteristics appear more remarkable with skewness and kurtosis increasing almost two-fold in typhoons. Structural modal parameters are influenced by both turbulence intensity and wind velocity. This study provides basic insights into the deficiency of dynamic response of membrane structures in typhoons, and promotes the applications of membrane structures in green buildings.

The cable‐stayed bridge with diamond‐shaped pylons is one of the most popular bridges because of its obvious advantages such as aesthetical appearance and smaller foundation. However, the diamond‐shaped pylons have both inward and outward inclinations, which may result in complicated seismic behavior when subjected to lateral earthquake excitations. To end this, the finite element model of a cable‐stayed bridge with diamond concrete pylon is developed firstly. Four limit states and corresponding damage index are defined for each critical section. Finally, the lateral seismic fragility of the components and system of CSB was carried out. Based on the result of probabilistic estimation of lateral seismic responses, the order of the damage probability in all four damage states for each component of bridge is given. The fragility curves of bridge system on the lower bound and upper bound are studied. Moreover, the system fragility of the entire bridge is compared with that of each component.

To investigate the nonlinear impact effect of multispan simply supported beam bridges under strong earthquakes, firstly, the dynamic motion equation, the algorithm of its solution, and some pounding modelling methods are presented and the finite element model of a considered multispan simply supported railway beam bridge is established in the nonlinear finite element software of SAP2000 in which the primary nonlinear characteristics of the bearing and the impact element are considered herein. Secondly, the natural vibration characteristic of the considered railway bridge is analyzed to prepare for the subsequent parameter analysis. Finally, the influence of three nonlinear parameters, i.e., stiffness of impact element, separation gap width of expansion joint, and bearing stiffness, on impact responses of bridge structures is studied. The results show that the first several modes of multispan simply supported beam bridges are mainly longitudinal and vertical vibrations. Under longitudinal seismic excitations, the large longitudinal displacement response is induced possibly and results in the collision or even unseating of superstructures at the expansion joints and abutments. The influence of separation gap width between adjacent decks on the pounding effect of bridges is greater than that of collision stiffness originated from the pounding modelling element. The impact force and pounding number run up to the maximum conditional on the collision stiffness of 9.9 × 10⁹ (N/m) and the separation gap width of 0.14 (m). The bearing stiffness affects significantly the displacement of the pier top and the cross‐sectional internal force at the bottom of piers but has little effect on the collision force and number.