Influence of side retainers on transverse anti-seismic system in cable-stayed bridge

Under the background of Daxie Bridge in Ningbo,the effect of side retainers on the lateral anti-seismic system in cable-stayed bridge was investigated.Nonlinear time history analysis was utilized to obtain the seismic responses of Daxie Bridge in correspondence with three conditions,i.e.structural response excluding retainer influences,structural response incorporating retainer influences,and structural response considering the effects of damage of retainers.It is found that the pounding effects between girder and retainer are effective to reduce the earthquake response of the auxiliary piers,which usually governs the design of cable-stayed bridges in the transverse direction.Damage of retainers will amplify the lateral displacement of the girder,which is not expected to happen for cable-stayed bridges.The retainers are efficient to diminish the seismic response of bridge structure,to restrain the displacement of girder and to protect the bearings from earthquake when dampers are mounted on the side piers,which will,however,increase the cost and cause design problems.Recommendations were made to choose strong retainers with sufficient strength to survive severe ground motions as a useful measure for cable-stayed bridge.