Abstract

The overall stability of hydraulic tainter steel gate decrease seriously, and they are caused by improper structure layout of the two-way eccentric compression of struts. Chinese and American specification method, structural mechanics method and finite element method are respectively used to study rational structural layout of strut arms in vertical frame. First of all, a unified method for rational layout of struts of tainter gate in vertical frame is deduced by using structural mechanics method that simplifies curve girder as straight girder on the basis of zero rotation in vertical girder. Second, rational layouts of struts were researched by utilizing spatial finite element method according to zero rotation in vertical girder. The 756 groups rational layout results of the above three methods with different water heads, different number of struts and different unit stiffness ratios were researched. The differences of struts stress and material dosages of various rational layout methods were evaluated. From the point of view of the forces of tainter gate struts in vertical frame, as the results shown, the layouts of struts by Chinese and American specification method, straight beam method and finite element method are large eccentric compression, small eccentric compression and axial compression respectively. The layout of struts with specification method in lower head is quite different from straight beam method and finite element method, and the layouts of deep water head with straight beam method and finite element method are tend to be consistent. Unit stiffness ratio between vertical girder and strut has little effect on layout of tainter gate struts, but has a great influence on material dosages of tainter gate. Compared with specification method, layout of tainter gate with two struts and three struts by using straight beam method and finite element method can improve stability of struts and save materials of overall tainter gate structure, and the material saving rates of tainter gate with two struts and three struts with finite element method are respectively [32.63, 47.58] (%) and [21.61, 30.01] (%). Rational layout concise charts of tainter gate with two struts and three struts by specification method, straight beam method and finite element method are given, which can be used directly for projects designs. Compared with specification method, the layout of struts of straight beam method and finite element method is not only security and economy, but also method and mechanics concept are simple, which can provide the theoretical basis for specification revision of Chinese and American.