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:
  Bridge Bridge Engineering Bridges Design Methods Earthquake Engineering Earthquake Resistant Design Earthquake Resistant Structures Highway Capacity LL Capacity Post Earthquake Structural Engineering

  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.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  59A0506
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:99128741fffa6935d3393e05b27e64d7ea475e651c957b478fe16676543c4e20
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/25200/dot_25200_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 9.73 MB ]