ABSTRACT
Due to human error and structural uncertainties, the cables of cable-stayed bridges have a higher risk of failure during construction, which may lead to damage or even collapse of a bridge. This chapter presents a framework to evaluate the reliability of concrete cable-stayed bridges during construction involving cable rupture. Initially, the mechanical behavior of a cable-stayed bridge subjected to cable rupture during construction was investigated. Subsequently, an intelligent algorithm combining the β-bound method and the response surface method was proposed for conducting an efficient evaluation of the system reliability. Finally, the system reliability indices of the cable-stayed bridge during different construction stages were evaluated with the consideration of the domain failure paths. The numerical results indicate that the main failure sequence of cable-stayed bridges during the largest cantilever state is the failure of longer cables, followed by the bending failure of mid-span girders. The main failure sequence during the closure stage of side-span is the failure of several mid-span cables followed by the bending failure of mid-span girders. The structural system reliability decreased with an increase in the number of cantilever sections. The proposed framework can provide reasonable reliability evolution for complex bridges during construction.
