Damage analyses of the main pylon of a suspension bridge under ship impact using fiber beam elements

Ship–bridge collisions frequently occur, damaging bridges over waterways, causing traffic disruptions and, in severe cases, leading to collapses that endanger the safety of individuals on the bridge. While many studies have advanced the understanding of ship–bridge collisions, there remains a need for deeper exploration of large ship collisions with major sea-crossing bridges, which pose distinct challenges due to their scale and structural complexity. In this research, numerical simulations are employed to analyze a typical suspension bridge, assessing both its dynamic response and the extent of damage incurred during a ship–bridge collision. While high-resolution finite element (FE) models are computationally expensive in terms of time and resources, a nonlinear simplified model of the suspension bridge is developed using fiber beam elements, whose modeling method is validated against experimental results. Several collision scenarios are then considered to analyze the bridge’s failure mode, identifying the most critically damaged position. To quantify the damage level of the bridge, a curvature-based multi-stage damage model is introduced. Additionally, preliminary analyses are conducted by adjusting the ship’s speed, mass, and impact angle to evaluate the bridge’s damage under different collision scenarios. The findings in this study can be used to guide the damage evaluation of bridges under ship impact.