Abstract
This paper presents an applicability of the effective tangent modulus (Ef) method for evaluating the ultimate strength of super long-span cable-stayed bridges. Using the center span length 1000 m, 1200 m and 1400 m cable-stayed bridge models which are preliminary designed, the ultimate strength of them is calculated by the elasto-plastic finite displacement analysis and the Ef method. From this comparative study, the load factors (eigen-values) obtained by the Ef method showed good agreement in about 2.7%∼10.8% errors compared with those obtained by the elasto-plastic finite displacement analysis. So it is clear that Ef method is an effective procedure which evaluates the ultimate strength of overall cable-stayed bridges.
