Tsunami Design Forces for ABC Retrofit
The catastrophic damage that tsunamis cause to coastal communities is often exacerbated by the destruction of much of the transportation infrastructure. To reduce the impacts of tsunamis, it is essential that transportation agencies retrofit bridges using methods that minimize disruption to the current transportation system. This project leverages funds from the University of Washington to provide initial estimates of forces that a tsunami would impose on a bridge as the result of debris-laden flows. The effects of the initial tsunami bore on bridges has been studied analytically and experimentally by a number of researchers. For example, with funding from FHWA and five state DOTs, PEER is currently coordinating a study in which the impact of a tsunami bore on a bridge superstructure was simulated experimentally at the NHERI wave flume at Oregon State University (OSU). This small project focuses on later, post-bore effects of tsunamis, which can be equally damaging but have rarely been studied. The post-bore effects are dominated by quasi-steady-state, debris-laden flows that cannot be simulated experimentally well in a flume with a transient, piston-generated wave. No data is available to calibrate design or simulation models for this condition. Such data is needed to develop ABC methods for the retrofit of bridges to resist tsunamis.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $10,000
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Contract Numbers:
69A3551747121
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Performing Organizations:
Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)
Florida International University
10555 W. Flagler Street
Miami, FL United States 33174University of Washington, Seattle
1107 NE 45th Street, Suite 535
Seattle, WA United States 98105 -
Principal Investigators:
Eberhard, Marc
- Start Date: 20191201
- Expected Completion Date: 20230804
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bridge construction; Debris flows; Design load; Retrofitting; Tsunamis
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Design;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01700433
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)
- Contract Numbers: 69A3551747121
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Mar 30 2019 2:00PM