On the best cross stay location for super long span suspension bridge

This paper deals with the best cross stay location for a super long span suspension bridge with a center span of 2,500m. Compound flutter performance is investigated by the direct flutter FEM analysis for 3-D frame model. Both measured aerodynamic forces on the deck and Theodorsen’s aerodynamic forces on the flat plate were used for the flutter analysis. It was found from the analytical results that the best cross stay location for the suspension bridge with a pair of cross stays on both the side and center spans would vary drastically due to different acting aerodynamic forces on the deck. It was also shown that some cases of greatly reduced compound flutter speed have been observed when measured aerodynamic forces were selected for the bridge with a pair of cross stays only on the side spans.