Finite strip analysis of multi-span box girder bridges by using non-periodic B-spline interpolation

A multi-span bridge has the peak value of resultant girder moment or membrane stress at the<br />interior support. In this paper, the spline finite strip method (FSM) is modified to obtain the more<br />appropriate solution at the interior support where the peak values of solution exist. The modification has<br />been achieved by expressing the shape function with non-periodic B-splines which have multiple knots at<br />the boundary. The modified B-splines have the useful feature for interpolating the curve with sudden<br />change in curvature. Moreover, the modified spline FSM is very efficient in analyzing multi-span box<br />girder bridges, since a bridge can be modeled by an assembly of strips extended along the entire bridge<br />length. Numerical examples of the bridge analysis have been performed to verify the efficiency and<br />accuracy of the new spline FSM.