Post-Earthquake Traffic Capacity of Modern Bridges in California

Details

• Creators:
  Terzic, Vesna ; Stojadinovic, Bozidar
• Corporate Creators:
  University of California, Berkeley. Earthquake Engineering Research Center
• Corporate Contributors:
  California. Dept. of Transportation. Division of Research and Innovation ; United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Bridges
  • Highway capacity
  • Structural engineering
  • Bridge engineering
  • Earthquake engineering
  • Earthquake resistant design
  • Design methods
  • Earthquake resistant structures
  • Bridge
  • LL capacity
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  CA/PEER/2010-103 ; PEER 2010/103
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  California
• Edition:
  Final report.
• Corporate Publisher:
  University of California, Berkeley. Earthquake Engineering Research Center
• Abstract:
  Evaluation of the capacity of a bridge to carry self-weight and traffic loads after an earthquake is essential for a ; safe and timely re-opening of the bridge. In California, modern highway bridges designed using the Caltrans ; Seismic Design Criteria are expected to maintain at minimum a gravity load carrying capacity during both ; frequent and extreme seismic events. However, no validated, quantitative guidelines for estimating the remaining ; load carrying capacity of such bridges after an earthquake event exist today. In this study, experimental and ; analytical methods were combined to evaluate the postearthquake traffic load carrying capacity of a modern ; California highway overpass bridge. An experimental study on models of circular reinforced concrete bridge ; columns was performed to investigate the relationship between earthquake-induced damage in bridge columns ; and the capacity of the columns to carry axial load in a damaged condition. The test results were then used to ; calibrate a finite element model of a bridge column. This bridge column model was incorporated into a hybrid ; model of a typical California overpass bridge and tested using the hybrid simulation technique. The finite element ; model of the typical California overpass bridge was validated using the data from hybrid simulations. The ; validated model of the typical bridge was used to evaluate its post-earthquake truck load capacity in an ; extensive parametric study that examined the effects of different ground motions and bridge modeling ; parameters such as the boundary conditions imposed by the bridge abutments, the location of the truck on the ; bridge, and the amount of bridge column residual drift. The principal outcomes of this study are the following ; findings. A typical modern California highway bridge is safe for traffic use after an earthquake if no columns ; failed and the abutments are still capable of restraining torsion of the bridge deck about the longitudinal axis. If ; any of the columns failed, i.e., if broken column reinforcing bars are discovered in an inspection, the bridge ; should be closed for regular traffic. Emergency traffic with weight, lane, and speed restrictions may be allowed ; on a bridge whose columns failed if the abutments can restrain torsion of the bridge deck. These findings pertain ; to the bridge configuration investigated in this study. Additional research on the post-earthquake traffic load ; capacity of different bridge configurations is strongly recommended.
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• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  59A0506
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/25200/dot_25200_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 9.73 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:99128741fffa6935d3393e05b27e64d7ea475e651c957b478fe16676543c4e20