A novel numerical approach and experimental study to evaluate the effect of component failure on spoke-wheel cable structure

The component failure of spoke-wheel cable structures is a major concern among the present structural engineering community. This paper investigated the effect of component failure on the spoke-wheel cable structures through numerical and experimental studies. Firstly, a new simulation modification method was introduced based on the building information modelling (BIM) and three-dimensional laser scanning (3DLS). Then, the finite element (FE) simulation was carried out using the original or modified model and related to the experimental study on the component failure of a typical spoke-wheel cable structure. Breakages of the spoke cables, poles, and inner-rings were considered to evaluate their influences on the behaviour of the spoke-wheel cable structure. The accuracy enhancement brought by the novel approach based on BIM + 3DLS was demonstrated. Furthermore, the structural reliability analysis after the component failure based on the modified FE model was conducted. The result indicates that the breakage of the ring cable caused the collapse of the entire structure and the breakage of the lower spoke cable led to a negative reliability index indicating a structural failure as well. However, after breaking the upper spoke cable, the reliability index remained positive, although large displacements occurred at some nodes. In contrast, the breakage of the pole had a relatively small influence on the structure and did not cause the failure of the whole structure. Moreover, the method based on BIM + 3DLS could help to establish a more accurate simulation model and reduce the calculation errors of the cable force and structural displacement significantly.