A review on design and analysis of floating bridges: Numerical simulations, model tests and field measurements

Floating bridges are economically attractive alternatives used for crossing wide and deep straits or fjords. They have played a crucial role in transportation since the early 20th century. Although several floating bridges are currently in operation worldwide, their design standards are not mature, especially associated with the dynamic response analysis. To this end, a review of the relevant advances and research directions of floating bridges is presented. In this paper, the development and types of floating bridges are briefly introduced. To evaluate the dynamic responses of floating bridges, research advances are reviewed from the perspectives of numerical simulations, model tests, and field measurements. It has shown that floating bridges are exposed to complex coastal environmental conditions in which combinations of various loads can induce significant load effects. Challenges can come from environmental inhomogeneity, structural flexibility, coupled effects, and multi-disasters. Besides, the existing research methods have more or less shortcomings, making it difficult to effectively analyze their dynamic responses. This paper summarizes the previous methods for the dynamic response analysis of floating bridges, with an emphasis on loads and load effects. Some recommendations and research opportunities for future work are also proposed.