Deck–tower interaction in the transverse seismic response of cable-stayed bridges and optimum configurations

• Identification of key vibration modes in the transverse seismic response of cable-stayed bridges.
• Extensive parametric analysis to explore the interaction between the deck and the towers.
• Analytical formulation to avoid design solutions for which the seismic response is amplified.
• Design recommendations to optimise the structural response of cable-stayed bridges.

Modern design solutions in cable-stayed bridges give a significant importance to the seismic response in the transverse direction. This work is focused on the dynamic interaction between the deck and the towers, exploring the key role of different vibration modes. An extensive parametric analysis is proposed to address the influence of the main span length, the tower geometry, the cable-system arrangement, the width and height of the deck and the soil conditions. It is demonstrated that the vibration modes that govern the seismic response of cable-stayed bridges in the transverse direction involve the interaction between the tower and the deck, but the order of these modes and the parts of the deck that are affected change with the main span length. It is also observed that the interaction between the deck and the towers during the earthquake is maximised if their isolated vibration frequencies are close to each other, leading to a significantly large seismic demand. Analytical expressions are proposed to obtain the critical frequencies of the towers for which these interactions arise, and recommendations are given to define the tower geometry in order to avoid such problematic scenarios.