Study on a benchmark finite element model of a cable-stayed bridge based on ABAQUS and IM-HPO

To solve the problem that finite element analysis and calculation need to be repeated during model updates, which leads to tedious and inefficient correction work, ABAQUS (a powerful finite element software for engineering simulation) is used to develop a user-friendly graphical user interface platform for automatic completion of this update for cable-stayed bridges. In this paper, a method for establishing the benchmark finite element model of cable-stayed bridges based on ABAQUS and influence matrix (IM)-hunter prey optimization (HPO) is proposed. The method is based on the secondary development of ABAQUS to realize the modules of sensitivity analysis, influence matrix, and optimization. According to the sensitivity analysis module, the influence of the change in the finite element model parameters on the static response of a cable-stayed bridge is studied, and the cable area is used as the parameter to be corrected. The influence matrix module is used to obtain the IM of the cable area to girder displacement and cable force under a static load. The objective function is constructed by combining the measured displacement and cable force data using the optimization module, and the global optimal solution of the parameters to be corrected in the objective function is found by HPO. Finally, the solution is sent to the finite element model for correction, and the corrected displacement and cable force data are compared with the measured data. The results show that the modified calculation results obtained by this method are in good agreement with the measured results. The modified finite element model can be used as presented.