Sustainable Design Considerations in the Construction of Bridges to Resist the Effects of Strong Earthquakes

Until recently, the primary goal in the seismic-resistant design of bridges was to prevent collapse and loss of life. Modern ductile details, in combination with capacity design concepts and computer simulation tools, generally produce bridges capable of withstanding numerous cycles of inelastic deformation with minimal probability of collapse. However, designated plastic hinge regions in such bridges may suffer serious damage during an earthquake, which may reduce the bridge’s ability to carry traffic loads and withstand the effects of future earthquakes. Ductile design approaches may also result in significant permanent displacements of the roadway, reducing traffic flow following an earthquake. While prevention of collapse and protection of life are essential design criteria, the disruption of a major urban transportation system and other lifeline elements following a natural disaster can have substantial direct economic impacts, significantly hamper response efforts, and thwart the ability of a region to recover. As such, conventional life safety criteria by themselves may not be sufficient. Thus, earthquake engineers are challenged to develop new or improved bridge systems that are economical, can be constructed quickly with minimal disruption to the public and to the environment, and can withstand strong earthquake ground shaking (and other hazards) safely but also with little disruption or cost associated with post-earthquake inspections and repairs. Such approaches are consistent with, and supportive of emerging trends related to sustainable design. In this paper, following a brief discussion of general issues that need to be tackled, highlights are provided on research underway at University of California at Berkeley related to three technologies that contribute to sustainable design. These relate to development of new or improved guidelines for the design of (1) seismically isolated bridges, (2) bridge piers that rock on spread footings or pile foundations, and (3) fixed based bridge columns that self-center as a result of the presence of unbonded longitudinal post-tensioning. Each approach is shown to be effective in reducing design forces compared to designing the bridge to remain essentially elastic, and each substantially reduces post-earthquake damages and residual displacement. Recommendations are offered for future research and deployment needs.

• Corporate Authors:

  Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research

  State University of New York, 107 Red Jacket Quadrangle, P.O. Box 610025
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14261-0025

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Mahin, Stephen A
  • Anderson, Eric
  • Espinoza, Andres
  • Jeong, Hyungil
  • Sakai, Junichi
• Conference:
  • Fourth International Workshop on Seismic Design and Retrofit of Transportation Facilities
  • Location: San Francisco CA, United States
  • Date: 2006-3-13 to 2006-3-14
• Publication Date: 2006-4-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: 10p
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Seismic Design and Retrofit of Transportation Facilities

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge piers; Bridges; Columns; Earthquake resistant design; Earthquake resistant structures; Pile foundations; Seismicity; Traffic flow
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bridge columns; Inelastic deformation; Sustainable engineering
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01079390
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 22 2007 10:14AM