Investigation of the structural system conversion under transverse wind load based on the long-term monitoring lateral response of Sutong Bridge

Lateral response under transverse wind loads is one of the significant factors in design of long-span cable-stayed bridges. In view of the great potential of the structure health monitoring system (SHMS) is gradually being explored, the lateral displacement and vibration data of Sutong Bridge have been analyzed detailedly in this paper. Unlike the linear shape of pylon which is mainly influenced by in-site temperature, the principle component analysis and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) of the raw data shows the displacement and vibration trends of main girder have three unique phases as the transverse wind load increases. The monitoring data during Typhoon Haikui are consistent with the fitted results taking the structural conversion into consideration and the FEM analysis results with the aerodynamic coefficient modified, indicating that the actual lateral response of the bridge can be obtained more scientifically and accurately with the three phases identified.