The seismic response of cable-stayed bridges is characterised by complicated interactions between the deck and the towers. These are influenced by the possible damage in the structure, and also by design choices or constraints such as the tower shape, the span, the cable arrangements, the support conditions and the type of foundation soil. The aim of this work is to assess the influence of these effects on the seismic behaviour of a large number of cable-stayed bridge finite element models. The results of the nonlinear dynamic analyses show the importance of the tower geometry. This is especially significant in short-span bridges with abrupt changes in the inclination of the lateral tower legs, which can lead to large levels of damage in the form of concrete cracking, reinforcement yielding and overall energy dissipation. Finally, design recommendations are proposed to improve the seismic response of the towers.

来源平台：STRUCTURES