A method for examining the seismic performance of steel arch deck bridges

To examine the seismic resistance performance of a steel arch bridge during a strong earthquake, an approach is proposed in this paper to determine the ultimate strain of an arch rib using the static elasto-plastic large deformation theory. A steel fixed-end deck arch bridge with a span length of 200 m was used as an example in this study. The ultimate strain of the arch rib was calculated using the elasto-plastic finite element model. The seismic responses of the arch bridge exposed to strong earthquakes in two and three directions were also simulated. Moreover, the effect of earthquake motion in the lateral direction on the elasto-plastic earthquake response was discussed, and the seismic resistance of the structure was analyzed. The results show that steel arch bridges have preferable seismic resistance under strong earthquake conditions. While lateral earthquake motion has some influence on the damage to an arch bridge, it has little effect on the displacement, axial force, and bending moment responses of the arch rib. It is feasible to examine the seismic performance of the arch bridge by ascertaining the out-of-plane and in-plane earthquake responses of the bridge.     

A method for examining the seismic performance of steel arch deck bridges

To examine the seismic resistance performance of a steel arch bridge during a strong earthquake, an approach is proposed in this paper to determine the ultimate strain of an arch rib using the static elasto-plastic large deformation theory. A steel fixed-end deck arch bridge with a span length of 200 m was used as an example in this study. The ultimate strain of the arch rib was calculated using the elasto-plastic finite element model. The seismic responses of the arch bridge exposed to strong earthquakes in two and three directions were also simulated. Moreover, the effect of earthquake motion in the lateral direction on the elasto-plastic earthquake response was discussed, and the seismic resistance of the structure was analyzed. The results show that steel arch bridges have preferable seismic resistance under strong earthquake conditions. While lateral earthquake motion has some influence on the damage to an arch bridge, it has little effect on the displacement, axial force, and bending moment responses of the arch rib. It is feasible to examine the seismic performance of the arch bridge by ascertaining the out-of-plane and in-plane earthquake responses of the bridge.     

Seismic response of a continuous bridge with bearing protection devices

Unseating of bridges during earthquakes results from the failure of bearings and insufficient seat length. In case of elastomeric bearings, large deformations of the superstructure occur, under severe earthquake ground motions and additional protection measures are necessary. The combination of a displacement restraining device with the elastomeric bearing can prevent bearing failure. This paper evaluates the performance of four different types of protection devices to limit the displacement of the superstructure during earthquakes: (1) rigid stopper device, (2) yielding stopper device, (3) steel restrainer, and (4) superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) restrainer. Analytical models for all the protection devices have been developed and seismic response of an existing bridge with elastomeric bearings and different protection devices has been evaluated for five strong ground motion records scaled in the frequency domain. The results show that all the protection devices have comparable performance in preventing the failure of bearing during an earthquake.     

横向随机地震下震致轨道几何不平顺的功率谱密度曲线研究

为了保证高速铁路系统在抗震救灾期间能够继续运营以实现运送救援物资、医疗力量,有必要对震致轨道几何不平顺进行合理的预测。该文以高速铁路CRTS Ⅱ型轨道-桥梁系统为对象建立了有限元模型,从PEER强震数据库中筛选出60条具有随机特征的地震波并对有限元模型开展了非线性时程分析,研究了地震轨道残余不平顺的分布规律,提出了一种构造震致轨道几何不平顺功率谱密度曲线的方法,生成了震致轨道几何不平顺样本,探讨了震后轨道不平顺的模拟方法。研究结果表明：在横向地震后轨道发生了明显的轨向、高低、水平不平顺,轨距不平顺的幅值较小;轨道的地震随机残余不平顺在各个频率的功率谱密度服从对数正态分布;震致轨道几何不平顺谱可通过地震轨道残余不平顺谱集的均值和方差简单表示;初始不平顺对震致不平顺的影响作用可以忽略不计,震后轨道几何不平顺可以近似视为初始不平顺和震致不平顺之和。     

Linear and nonlinear seismic response of a 52‐storey steel frame building

This paper presents the results of a study on the seismic behaviour of a well‐instrumented 52‐storey steel frame building in Los Angeles, California. This building has been subjected to ground motions from several earthquakes among which the records obtained during the 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake and the 1994 Northridge earthquake were selected for this study. Detailed time and frequency domain analyses of the recorded motions from these two earthquakes were conducted to determine the dynamic characteristics of the structure. This information was used to calibrate a three dimensional dynamic computer model of the building. Nonlinear dynamic computer analyses were then employed to investigate the response of the structure during severe ground shaking. The results of this study showed that by performing a linear three‐dimensional analysis, the response of the building during past earthquakes can be reproduced with confidence. The results also show that because of the torsional response of this high‐rise building is not negligible, two‐dimensional analysis is not feasible for reliably predicting its nonlinear response during earthquakes. By further performing a nonlinear three‐dimensional analysis, the state and sequence of damage could also be predicted. The study also included an investigation of the effectiveness of pushover analysis for predicting the nonlinear behaviour of the building. This type of analysis has the deficiency of excluding the participation of higher modes, which is obvious for high‐rise buildings, especially for shaking from near‐field type ground motions. Improvements to the pushover analysis for such a type of shaking were explored. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

考虑板式支座滑移的中小跨度梁式桥振动台试验

基于汶川地震中小跨度梁式桥普遍出现的板式橡胶支座滑移典型震害,采用大比例全桥振动台试验手段探究了考虑板式支座滑移对该类桥梁抗震性能影响。以一座25m跨径的标准简支T梁桥为例,设计了1/4缩尺比的全桥试验模型,选取一条近场脉冲型实际地震动记录作为振动台试验输入,对不同墩梁横向约束体系的结构开展了一系列振动台试验研究。试验结果表明：①强震作用下板式橡胶支座与梁底间会出现摩擦滑移效应,从而在一定程度上对下部结构起到隔震作用;②在地震动较小时,常规横向混凝土挡块可以起到一定限位效果,但在强震作用下,随着板式橡胶支座开始发生滑移,混凝土挡块的限位效果逐渐减弱,同时混凝土挡块还会造成下部结构较大的地震损伤;③新型弹塑性挡块具有良好稳定的滞回耗能能力,可有效控制强震作用下墩梁间最大相对位移需求,减低其震后残余位移,同时弹塑性挡块的屈服还可避免下部结构造成严重地震损伤。     

CFRP strengthening of a railway concrete trough bridge – a case study

This paper presents an upgrading and monitoring of a Swedish concrete railway bridge. The methods used for the upgrading as well as for the monitoring are innovative and new. Carbon fibre tubes are inserted in holes in the bridge deck, drilled in the transverse direction of the slab at a location ca. 40 mm from the top. Carbon fibre NSMR bars are bonded in transverse grooves in the soffit of the slab. Both methods are intended to increase the transverse bending moment capacity of the troughs' bottom slab in the ultimate limit state. Monitoring is performed to verify the effectiveness of the strengthening and to understand the behaviour of the bridge. However, for obvious reasons, monitoring is only carried out in the SLS (service limit state). Even though only marginal effects of strengthening could be recorded in the SLS, both the strengthening and monitoring were considered successful at a cost of approximately 8% of the total cost of a new bridge replacement.     

Finite element model development,validation and probabilistic seismic performance evaluation of Vincent Thomas suspension bridge

Based on recent findings, the main span of the Vincent Thomas suspension bridge crosses directly over the Palos Verdes fault, which has the capacity to produce a devastating earthquake. In spring 2000, the bridge underwent a major retrofit using visco-elastic dampers. This study focuses on seismic vulnerability of the retrofitted bridge. Three-dimensional member-based detailed and panel-based simplified finite element models of the bridge are developed. In order to show the appropriateness of these models, eigenproperties of the bridge are evaluated and compared with the system identification results obtained using ambient vibration data. In addition, a model validation is performed by simulating the dynamic response during the 1994 Northridge earthquake and comparing with the measured response. Finally, considering a set of strong ground motions in the Los Angeles area, nonlinear time history analyses are performed and the ductility demands of critical sections are presented in terms of fragility curves. The study shows that a ground motion with peak ground acceleration of 0.9 g or greater will result in plastic hinge formation at one or more locations with a probability of exceedance of 50%. Also, it is found that the effect of dampers is minimal for low to moderate earthquakes and high for strong earthquakes.     

Structural health monitoring of a cable-stayed bridge with Bayesian neural networks

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in permanent observation of the dynamic behaviour of bridges for long-term monitoring purpose. This is due not only to the ageing of a lot of structures, but also for dealing with the increasing complexity of new bridges. The long-term monitoring of bridges produces a huge quantity of data that need to be effectively processed. For this purpose, there has been a growing interest on the application of soft computing methods. In particular, this work deals with the applicability of Bayesian neural networks for the identification of damage of a cable-stayed bridge. The selected structure is a real bridge proposed as benchmark problem by the Asian-Pacific Network of Centers for Research in Smart Structure Technology (ANCRiSST). They shared data coming from the long-term monitoring of the bridge with the structural health monitoring community in order to assess the current progress on damage detection and identification methods with a full-scale example. The data set includes vibration data before and after the bridge was damaged, so they are useful for testing new approaches for damage detection. In the first part of the paper, the Bayesian neural network model is discussed; then in the second part, a Bayesian neural network procedure for damage detection has been tested. The proposed method is able to detect anomalies on the behaviour of the structure, which can be related to the presence of damage. In order to obtain a confirmation of the obtained results, in the last part of the paper, they are compared with those obtained by using a traditional approach for vibration-based structural identification.     

Seismic experimental study on a concrete pylon from a typical medium span cable-stayed bridge

According to the current seismic design codes of bridges in China, cable-stayed bridges have been usually required to remain elastic even subjected to strong earthquakes. However, the possibilities of pylon plastic behavior were revealed in recent earthquake damages. The lack of due diligence in the nonlinear seismic behavior of the pylon has caused a blurry understanding about the seismic performance of such widely built though less strong earthquake experienced structures. In light of this point, a 1/20 scaled concrete pylon model which from a typical medium span cable-stayed bridge was designed and tested on the shaking table longitudinally. The dynamic response and seismic behavior of the pylon were measured, evaluated and compared to reveal its vulnerable parts and nonlinear seismic performance. The results show that most parts of the concrete pylon remain elastic even under very strong excitations, which means a sufficient safety margin for current pylon longitudinal design. The most vulnerable parts of the pylon appeared first at the pylon bottom region, cracks opening and closing at the pylon bottom were observed during the test, and then extended to the lower column and middle column around the lower strut.     

大跨度斜拉桥倒Y形混凝土桥塔的横向拟静力试验

为研究强震下大跨度斜拉桥倒Y形混凝土桥塔的横向破坏机理及屈服后性能,文中以苏通大桥为背景,基于OpenSees平台建立了有限元分析模型,根据动力特性等效和恒载轴力等效原则将全桥模型简化为单塔模型,并确定了两点位移加载模式,采用1:35的几何缩尺比设计了试验模型并进行拟静力推倒试验,最后结合数值模拟分析,得到地震下桥塔的屈服顺序和破坏位置,并分析屈服后性能。研究结果表明：提出的简化单塔模型可替代全桥模型进行横向地震破坏机理研究;在横向强震下,横梁上侧塔柱截面最先屈服,塔底截面其次屈服,横梁下侧塔柱截面最后屈服,最后破坏位置为横梁上侧塔柱或塔底截面;在塔柱截面屈服后,桥塔整体强度增幅明显,破坏位移可达屈服位移的4~6倍,具有延性破坏特性;塔柱截面配箍率的增加会显著增大桥塔的整体强度和位移能力。     

Dynamic stability analysis of the bedding rock slope considering the vibration deterioration effect of the structural plane

In traditional dynamic stability analysis of the rock slope, more attention has been given to the influence of the dynamic load, but less attention to the vibration deterioration effect of the rock structural plane subjected to cyclic shear. Based on previous research results, a mathematical model was developed to calculate the vibration deterioration effect of the structural plane, which was further applied to the dynamic stability analysis of the rock slope in this paper. The process of vibration deterioration was realized by programming with FISH programming language in FLAC^3D, and the numerical calculation method was adopted to analyze the slope stability during the earthquake and the long-term stability of the slope subjected to frequent microseisms. The results show that the vibration deterioration effect of the structural plane is more obvious with the enlargement of seismic load. Thus, it is more necessary to consider the vibration deterioration effect for dynamic stability analysis of the slope subjected to strong earthquakes. Permanent reduction of the shear strength of the slope sliding plane could even be caused by a microseism due to the vibration abrasion of the initial fluctuation angle. Therefore, influence caused by frequent microseisms on the long-term stability of the slope cannot be ignored. The probability statistics method was used to process the time-history curve of slope stability coefficient, which led overall evaluation index of the slope stability to be associated with the reliability theory. Research results in this paper can provide some reference to analyze the dynamic stability during the strong earthquakes and the long-term stability under frequent microseisms (e.g. reservoir-induced earthquakes and aftershocks) for the bedding rock slope.     

Devices for protecting bridge superstructure from pounding and unseating damages: an overview

Previous earthquakes have highlighted the seismic vulnerability of bridges due to excessive movements at expansion joints. This movement could lead to the catastrophic unseating failure if the provided seat width is inadequate. Moreover, seismic pounding is inevitable during a strong earthquake due to the limited gap size normally provided at the expansion joints. Various types of restrainers, dampers and other devices have been proposed to limit the joint movement or to accommodate the joint movement so that the damages caused by excessive relative displacements could be mitigated. To select and design appropriate devices to mitigate the relative displacement-induced damages to bridge structures during earthquake shaking, it is important that results from the previous studies are well understood. This paper presents an overview on various pounding and unseating mitigation devices that have been proposed by various researchers. Based on an extensive review of up-to-date literatures, the merits and limitations of these devices are discussed.     

简支梁桥抗震设计的研究--以江苏宿迁桥抗震设计为例

本文介绍了采用橡胶支座的简支梁桥抗震计算的理论、方法及抗震措施 ,并以江苏宿迁桥梁抗震设计为例 ,分析纵桥向、横桥向地震作用计算过程。计算结果表明 ,江苏宿迁桥梁在地震时 ,下部设计由地震作用控制 ,纵桥向、横桥向水平力均较大。研究结果表明 ,桥梁设计应在详细的调查基础上 ,把合理的抗震设计和有效的抗震措施结合起来 ,方可得到好的效果     

Seismic design of high-rise towers for cable-stayed bridges under strong earthquakes

This paper presents the first of a series of studies on the seismic design of high-rise towers for cable-stayed bridges under strong earthquakes. One practical cable-stayed bridge with a 730 m long main span and two high-rise towers over 200 m in height was selected for this study. The preliminary results show that compared with piers, the tower is more vulnerable to pulse-like earthquakes, and it may develop plasticity at certain locations. In addition, viscous dampers may not have the same effect during pulse-like earthquakes as they do under site-specific earthquakes. Hence, reoptimization of damper parameters or reconsideration of other energy dissipation devices will be needed if strong earthquakes are likely to occur.     

Analysis of landslide stability under seismic action and subsequent rainfall: a case study on the Ganjiazhai giant landslide along the Zhaotong-Qiaojia road during the 2014 Ludian earthquake,Yunnan, China

In a strong earthquake, not only a large number of coseismic landslides are triggered, but relaxation and cracks in the rocks and soils are induced, which make these rocks and soils vulnerable to instability during subsequent rainfall; thus, strong earthquakes always have long-term effects on landslides. The geo-hazards along the Zhaotong-Qiaojia road in the 2014 Ludian earthquake (Ms 6.5) of Yunnan Province, China, were investigated, and the Ganjiazhai giant landslide was chosen as a case study. First, using the limit equilibrium analysis and Newmark method, the critical seismic intensity of the landslide before the earthquake was evaluated. Secondly, the dynamic failure process of the landslide under the measured ground motion was simulated with the discontinuous deformation analysis method. Lastly, based on stress–seepage coupling analysis and precipitation data from Ludian meteorological station, the stability of the landslide during subsequent rainfall after the earthquake was predicted. The results show that the critical seismic intensity was within degrees VIII–IX, which is consistent with the results of the earthquake damage investigation. The dynamic failure process can be divided into four stages, and four scarps formed; the potential sliding zones during the subsequent rainfall were at the first scarp and the fourth scarp, and their critical rainfall amounts were 35–40 mm and 55–60 mm, respectively. In this paper, failure process simulation and stability prediction of the landslide before, during, and after the strong earthquake are presented, which provide analysis methods for the dynamic stability of landslides in the meizoseismal area.

     

发震断层的永久位移概率评估方法

 基于Cornell地表地震动的概率方法,提出发震断层未来地震引起地表永久位移的概率分析方法,其中断层模型、地震发生模型、震级与破裂面的长度、宽度、地表位移之间关系的参数采用物探结果、震源运动学反演、历史地震资料、现场考察及测年确定。主要技术有2点：(1) 概率分析场点地震动是场点周围断层所有潜在地震的贡献,而场点的地表永久位移仅是该断层的贡献;(2) 场点所在断层发生的所有地震对场点的地震动均有贡献,而场点所在断层发生的少数地震才能对场点永久位移有贡献。应用提出的方法,结合海原断裂地震地质资料和地震活动性资料,给出2种特征地震模型下的不同概率水准的地震地表永久位移。发震断层不同概率水准下的地表永久位移评估为穿越断层的管线和桥梁工程提供基础数据,以便采取合理的抵抗永久地表位移措施,减小地震灾害带来的损失。     

Development of a baseline for structural health monitoring for a curved post-tensioned concrete box–girder bridge

The establishment of a baseline is essential for long-term structural health monitoring and performance evaluation. Usually, field testing data and finite element (FE) model are two critical tools used to develop the baseline. In this paper, the establishment of the baseline field database for a curved post-tensioned concrete bridge with expansion bearings is first introduced to include the effect of varying temperature conditions on the field testing data. This database uses data collected from a full year and is based on an undamaged status. The development of a baseline FE model for the bridge is then discussed. Model updating for the FE model are detailed in this paper which includes calibration of material properties, utilization of spring bearing elements, and replacement of Mindlin plate elements (MP4) on box–girder by recently developed cracked Mindlin plate elements (MP4C) to represent the bridge service conditions. A good agreement in modal results has been observed between the baseline FE model and the baseline field data. The proposed structural health baseline can be used for near real-time damage detection, development of monitoring techniques, and condition assessment. Finally, as an application of the baseline, this FE model is used for an earthquake simulation with a selected ground motion on the bridge. The seismic analysis demonstrates the beneficial effect of the guided expansion bearings on the bridge deck in the longitudinal direction.     

高烈度区斜拉桥横向约束方案优化分析

为了确定强震作用下斜拉桥合理的横向抗震约束体系,以可克达拉大桥为工程背景,采用非线性时程分析法,分析了4种横向约束体系即横向滑动体系、全限位体系、位移相关型减震体系和速度相关型减震体系对强震区大跨度桥梁地震响应的影响,重点对钢阻尼器的屈服荷载和黏滞阻尼器的位置及相关参数进行优化分析,并与其他体系的地震响应进行了对比。结果表明：在强震作用下,对于大跨度桥梁横向滑动体系和全限位体系均不是理想的抗震体系;而在墩梁、塔梁之间设置减隔震装置可以有效减少横桥向的墩梁、塔梁的相对位移及地震剪力和弯矩;然而,从桥梁正常使用的角度来看,塔梁之间布设横向钢阻尼器装置优于黏滞阻尼器装置。     

Testing and long-term monitoring of a curved concrete box girder bridge

Capital investment in national infrastructure is significant. The need to maintain and protect critical infrastructure links has led in recent years to significant developments in the area of structural health monitoring. The objective is to track a structure’s long-term performance, typically using sensors, and to successively compare the most recently measured responses with prior response history. During construction of the West Street On-Ramp, a curved concrete box girder bridge, located in the city of Anaheim (California), eleven accelerometers were permanently installed on its bridge deck. The associated data acquisition system was configured to record once a specified threshold acceleration response was exceeded; during the period 2002-2010 a total of 1350 datasets including six earthquakes, for each of the eleven sensors, were acquired. This automatically acquired data was supplemented, during the summer of 2009, with responses measured during controlled vehicle tests. Six accelerometers were additionally installed on the frame of the weighed test vehicle. This paper presents the findings of the analyses of these measured data sets and serves to inform owners and managers as to the potential feedback from their instrumentation investment. All response histories were analyzed using frequency domain techniques for system identification. Extraction of the modal characteristics revealed a continuous reduction, of approximately 5%, in the first three natural frequencies over the period of the study. The measured responses from the vehicle sensors are discussed in the context of identifying the potential for bridge frequency measurement using instrumented vehicles.