Stress ribbon bridge: Modern analogy of ROPE BRIDGE

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Features:
Pedestrian bridges
Highly stressed freely suspended pre-stressed
tendons
Precast or cast in situ deck slab
Characterized by successive and complementary
smooth curves
Catenary shape or funicular shape

STRUCTURE

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Supports:

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Supports:
Cables are pre-tensioned by anchoring into support structure,
hence this region is highly stressed.

Performance may be improved by construction of:

i) flexible saddle
ii) parabolic haunch
iii) intermediate arch support

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Simple support with constant section

Flexible saddle arrangement at support

Parabolic hunch arrangement at support

Stress ribbon supported by arch

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Deck:

Might be pre-fabricated or cast in-situ

Stressed only by normal forces hence might be

reduced by waffles

Integrated with end and intermediate supporting

construction so as to work as a composite
structure.

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Deck:

Lake Hodges Bridge, USA

FABRICATION

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Leviation Stage:

I. Cables are hanged from supports

II. Pre cast segments are slided over the bearing tendons to
desired position
III. Segments are jointed by cast in-situ composite slabs

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Leviation Stage:

Typical precast segment on bearing cables

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Leviation Stage:

Shifting of precast segment on bearing cables

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Basic Stage:

I. Static analysis is done at this stage.

II. After sufficient hardening of joints, post tensioning is done by
pre-stressing tendons.
III. Effect of dead load, creep, shrinkage, temperature and prestressing are determined.
IV. Shape at this stage determines the final sag in the bridge.

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Service /Ultimate Stage:

Analysis of structure for all service loads is done

MULTI-SPANNED
BRIDGES

Stress Ribbon Bridge

These can be of following types:
(1)
(1)

Concrete or steel columns as intermediate supports

Stress Ribbon Bridge

(2)
(2)

Concrete arch as intermediate supports

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Advantages:
Minimal environmental and visual impact
Can be erected without falsework or shoring
Minimal long-term maintenance is required
Are highly desirable at place as shown below:

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Disadvantages:
Large horizontal forces at the end and intermediate
which determines economy of bridge.
Remedy- i) construction of flexible member close
to
supports
ii) widening of deck at the ends
iii) having an arch shaped intermediate
support
Danger of overturning and oscillations due to high
span to width ratio.
Remedy- i) increasing sag
ii) proper dynamic analysis

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Recent advances:
Innovative design uses unidirectional
solid carbon fibre cables (TSC).

Unsupported spans were

significantly increased
Supporting structure was
reduced
Installation time and cost
were reduced by over 80%

World's longest stress ribbon

bridge in Cuenca, Spain

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Some important bridges in this category:
Name

Country

MainSpan

Rio Colorado Bridge

Costa Rica

146 m

Lake Hodges Bridge

USA

100.9 m

East Golf Cart Bridge

USA

86.9 m

5) Rogue River Pedestrian Bridge

USA

84.73 m

6) Aaresteg Mlimatt

Switzerland

78 m

7) Glacis Bridge

Germany

76 m

8) Aaresteg Rupperswil

Switzerland

74.05 m

1)
2)
3)
4)

9) Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Bridge

USA
49.5 m
10)
Kent Messenger Millennium Bridge United Kingdom 48 m
Pnt da Suransuns

Switzerland

40 m

Stress Ribbon Bridge

Rogue River
Pedestrian Bridge

Lake Hodges Bridge

McLoughlin
Boulevard Pedestrian
Bridge

West Golf Cart

Bridge

Jiri Strasky
West Golf Cart Bridge

Sacramento River Trail

Pedestrian Bridge

Stress Ribbon Bridge

References:
1) Strasky,J.- Stress-ribbon pedestrian bridges supported or suspended on
arches. Brijuni Islands, 10-14 July 2008.
2) Strasky,J.: Precast stress ribbon pedestrian bridges in Czechoslovakia.
PCI JOURNAL, May-June 1987.
3) Strasky,J.: Stress-ribbon pedestrian bridges. International Bridge
Conference. Pittsburgh 1999.
4) Nakazawa, Tsutsumi, Yokota- Experimental study on dynamic
characteristics of Stress-Ribbon bridge. Ninth world Conference on
Earthquake Engineering, JAPAN, Aug 2-9, 1988.
5) Strasky,J.: Stress ribbon and cable supported Pedestrian bridges

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