ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: An application of the optimum design methodologies will be presented in order to minimize the amount of steel needed for the full set of stays for the Queensferry Crossing (formerly the Forth Replacement Crossing). The optimization problem is formulated considering the cross sectional area of each individual cable as design variable. An approach based on simulating the prestressing forces by temperature increments in cables is performed to solve at the same time the optimization problem and compute the initial cable tension forces under dead weight. A multimodel optimization approach is used in order to consider two stages of the bridge construction. Finally, a modification of the spatial distribution in cables for this bridge project is proposed and the results are compared after the optimization process.
