Full-Scale Bending Tests on Local Configuration of Concrete-Filled Double-Steel-Plate Composite Cable Towers

The concrete-filled double-steel-plate composite cable tower displays many advantages such as high compression-bending stiffness, high load-bearing capacity, and convenient construction, and has a broad application prospect in long-span suspension bridges. Four full-scale bending beam tests on local configuration of the tower wall were carried out, to study the synergistic working performance of steel plates and concrete in the composite cable tower using C80 high-strength concrete, and to examine the impact of connection types and stiffener spacing. The experimental results showed that the perfobond connectors and stud bolts jointly ensured the synergistic work between the steel plates and concrete. Bearing capacity, stiffness, and synergistic working effect of the pure stud bolt specimens without reinforcement were slightly lower than those of the reinforced specimens. Transverse stiffener spacing of the tower wall was more appropriate at 1 200 mm. Based on the experimental results, a calculation formula for the bending bearing capacity of the cross-section of the double-steel-plate concrete composite structure was further analyzed and established, which matched well with the experimental results.