ABSTRACT
While California high-speed rail (CAHSR) project encompasses various types of infrastructure to accommodate high-speed trains (HST), a single-span concrete network tied arch bridge was proposed for the first time to support HST as a part of CAHSR Construction Packages 2–3. Such a system was utilized to accommodate a long span and to satisfy the minimum horizontal and vertical clearance requirements to the existing features on the ground. Due to compound nature of a network tied-arch bridge in combination with CAHSR seismic and track-structure interaction (TSI) analysis requirements, a comprehensive nonlinear analysis is crucial to ensure satisfactory performance of the bridge. This paper presents an overview of the nonlinear analysis required to design the bridge, including nonlinear seismic, TSI, time-dependent, and geometry analyses using a detailed 3D finite-element model of the bridge. Recommendations are provided to effectively perform different analyses based on the finding of this study.
