Abstract:
An analytical method is proposed to evaluate the girder profile and internal forces in the splicing construction state of suspension bridges with short extended spans, explicitly accounting for the effects of hinged joints. Based on the design parameters of the completed bridge, mechanical and deformation analyses of the main cable, girder, and hanger are performed, and governing equations are established from unstrained length conservation and force–deformation compatibility. The equations are solved using the nonlinear GRG algorithm to obtain the main-span girder profile and the coordinates and inclination angle at the closure segment in the splicing construction state. Parametric sensitivity analyses are further conducted to examine the effects of variations in the girder elastic modulus, moment of inertia, and unit self-weight. The results show that the positioning and posture vary approximately linearly with parameters, with the inclination angle being most sensitive to unit self-weight and the moment of inertia having a significant influence on stress. The proposed method provides an efficient tool for refined closure-segment calculation and high-precision construction control of suspension bridges.