Abstract:Based on deflection theory, the influence of rise-to-span ratio, side to mid-span ratio, vertical flexural stiffness of stiffening girder, longitudinal slope of stiffening girder and integrated temperature rise or fall on the mechanical behavior of a two-pylon, three-span self-anchored suspension bridge is analyzed. In addition, the stability of the stiffening girder under the axial compressive force and its extreme span are discussed. The analysis results show that the smaller the rise-to-span ratio, the greater the main cable tension and larger the axial compressive force of stiffening girder, but the lower the overall stiffness of the structure. The larger the side-to-mid span ratio, the smaller the overall stiffness of the structure, and the worse the transverse stability of the stiffening girder under the axial compressive force. The greater the tensile stiffness of the main cable or the larger the vertical flexural stiffness of the stiffening girder is, the larger the overall stiffness of the structure is. The influence of both the longitudinal slope of the stiffening girder and the integrated temperature rise or fall is usually small on the structure stress, which can be ignored. The extreme span of the self-anchored suspension bridge is controlled jointly by the lateral type I instability and the yield strength of the stiffening girder.