Structural Analysis of a Six Span Pratt Steel Truss Bridge under Horizontal Load with a Damaged Member

Steel truss bridges are widely used in bridge engineering due to their high strength to weight ratio, structural efficiency, and suitability for medium spans. Among various truss configurations, the Pratt truss is one of the most commonly employed systems because of its efficient arrangement of tension and compression members. In this study, the structural behavior of a six span Pratt steel truss bridge subjected to horizontal loading is investigated while considering a structural damage scenario. A numerical model of the bridge was developed in Abaqus, and a horizontal load was applied to evaluate the structural response. In order to examine potential critical conditions, one of the truss members was intentionally removed from the model to simulate a damaged component. The structural response of the bridge was then evaluated in terms of displacement, stress distribution, and internal force redistribution. The results show that the presence of a damaged member significantly affects the load transfer mechanism within the truss system. Increased stress concentrations and larger displacements were observed in the members surrounding the damaged region. The analysis also indicates that the central spans of the bridge experience higher internal forces compared with the edge spans. The findings highlight the importance of considering damage scenarios when evaluating the stability and safety of steel truss bridges under horizontal loading conditions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Steel truss bridges ، Pratt truss ، horizontal loads