Full-scale tests on rectangular hollow bridge piers

The seismic performance of rectangular hollow bridge piers is a significant issue of the high-speed rail project in Taiwan because the flexural ductility and shear capacity of such columns with the configuration of lateral reinforcement used in Taiwan is not clear. In this paper, three prototypes of such piers were tested under a constant axial load and a cyclically reversed horizontal load to investigate their seismic behavior, including flexural ductility, dissipated energy, and shear capacity. An analytical model is developed to predict the momentcurvature curve of sections and the load-displacement relationship of piers. Based on the test results, the seismic behavior of such piers is presented. The test results are also compared to the proposed analytical model. It is found that the ductility factors of the tested piers are in the range from 4.1 to 10.3, and the proposed analytical model can predict the load-displacement relationship of such piers with acceptable accuracy.