Abstract
The aim of the construction control simulation for a cable-stayed bridge is to ensure that the specific designed geometrical configuration of this bridge will be satisfied after its construction. This paper presents a numerical simulation and control technique, considering geometrical nonlinear effects, to obtain the erection configuration of cable-stayed bridges. Two nonlinear finite-element methods, i.e. birth-death element method and step-by-step element method, are introduced and compared. To reach the accurate positions where the elements are activated, three activation modes for newly generated elements are considered: tangent mode, parallel mode, and designated positions mode. An iterative process is used to simulate the construction control of cable-stayed bridges. The results of a numerical example show that the erection configuration can be significantly different from the objective configuration; therefore, numerical simulation is necessary for the construction control of cable-stayed bridges.