Exploring the failure mechanism of light poles on elevated bridges under high winds

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2024

Abstract

Light poles are critical secondary structural components that support the functionality and safety of transportation systems. However, they are tall slender structures vulnerable to wind load. This research attempts to analyze the mechanism of the widespread failure (69 poles failed) of light poles on an elevated highway bridge exposed to Category 4 Hurricane Laura (2020). First, large eddy simulation is performed to simulate the wind field and the aerodynamic pressure on light poles considering and without considering the presence of the bridge superstructure, respectively. Simulation result shows that the presence of the bridge superstructure strengthens the local wind field and the aerodynamic pressures. A nonlinear finite element model is created to simulate the structural responses. Research results indicate that, when considering the presence of the bridge superstructure, stresses at the pole bottom exceed the yielding strength and significant inelastic strains are developed, which is the main cause of the widespread pole failure. The present study can be used to evaluate the current design standard for luminaire pole structures on elevated bridges.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Engineering Failure Analysis

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