Adjustment for Shape Restoration and Force Control of Cable Arch Stayed Bridges

Cable arch stayed bridges are one type of tensile structures, and there are increasingly such structures constructed. Their performance relies on how they are designed. This type of structures can suffer big deflections under load, in this situation the displacements may need to be reduced. Sometimes, it may be necessary to control internal force of a specific cable so the cable force remains within the desired limit. More study need to be done to develop the techniques that are available for such adjustments. This paper deals with theoretical and experimental adjusting of two physical models, and the linear and nonlinear geometrical behavior of cable (arch) stayed bridges. It was concluded that the techniques of adjustment were practical and efficient to reduce, eliminate shape distortion, and control internal bar force of both structures. For structures that behave linearly, it is easier to get the target (displacement or force), but for non-linear structures one iteration of adjustments was not enough to get the displacement target. Through the techniques of the internal bar force adjustment, the amount of force can be reduced even to the zero, e.g. in case of replacing damaged members.