Low-damage bridge columns for post earthquake serviceability

Bridge columns are typically designed to behave in a ductile manner during large earthquakes, sustaining significant damage without collapse. This is not a resilient approach, as post-earthquake repair may be substantial and lead to bridge closure. The seismic performance of many of these bridges is essential to post-earthquake mobility, as bridges are relied upon as critical lifelines into urban centers after natural disasters. Bridge closure can impede emergency response, and significant financial losses may be associated with downtime of the bridge. State DOTs in Washington and Oregon recently have begun to require bridges along key emergency response lifelines to be designed to remain in-service following a Magnitude-9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake. There is a need for cost-efficient, low-damage bridge columns to meet this objective. One approach, used recently by WSDOT on the SR-99 bridge, is shape memory alloy (SMA) as longitudinal column reinforcement in combination with engineered cementitious composite (ECC) in place of conventional concrete. The SMA provides post-earthquake re-centering of the column, while the ECC mitigates crushing at locations that would typically have conventional concrete. Although SMA is a more expensive material than conventional reinforcement, the SMA is only used at plastic hinge locations. While the same is true for ECC, the ECC requires a separate installation relative to casting of conventional concrete, reflecting a more significant disruption to the typical construction process. For the proposed research, SMA will be used with conventional concrete rather than ECC, with steel jackets used in the plastic hinge region to confine the concrete to prevent crushing. The steel jackets may take the place of traditional sonotube formwork at these locations, providing minimal disruption to the typical construction process. Although the approach is applicable in all seismic locations, the proposed research will focus on the response of bridge columns to CSZ earthquake demands, which produce long duration shaking. Previous research on SMA in columns has not focused specifically on long-duration earthquakes, which have more potential to induce damage based on fatigue. In the proposed research, an experimental study will be conducted, and test results will be used to characterize column response, including determination of parameters needed for column modeling. Design guidelines will be formulated to provide needed guidance to DOTs.

• Record URL:
  https://tridurle.wsu.edu/low-damage-bridge-columns-for-post-earthquake-serviceability/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $152708
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551947137

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability & Life Extension

  Washington State University
  Civil & Environmental Engineering
  Pullman, Washington  United States  99164

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability & Life Extension

  Washington State University
  Civil & Environmental Engineering
  Pullman, Washington  United States  99164
• Project Managers:

  Kline, Robin

• Performing Organizations:

  Washington State University, Pullman

  Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
  PO Box 642910
  Pullman, WA  United States  99164-2910
• Principal Investigators:

  Motter, Christopher

• Start Date: 20230501
• Expected Completion Date: 20230601
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
• Subprogram: Transportation Infrastructure Durability and Life Extension

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alloys; Bridge design; Columns; Composite materials; Earthquake resistant design
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01890850
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Transportation Infrastructure Durability and Life-Extension
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551947137
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 23 2023 9:02PM