Earthquake Fragility Assessment of Curved and Skewed Bridges in Mountain West Region

Reinforced concrete (RC) bridges with both skew and curvature are common in areas with complex terrains. Skewed and/or curved bridges were found in existing studies to exhibit more complicated seismic performance than straight bridges, however the related seismic risk studies are still rare. These bridges have irregular and complex geometric designs, and comprehensive seismic analysis is not always required. As a result, little knowledge about actual seismic risks for these bridges in low-to-moderate regions is available. To provide more insightful understanding of the seismic risks, analytical fragility studies were carried out on four typical bridge designs with different geometric configurations (i.e. straight, curved, skewed, skewed and curved) in the mountain west region of the United States. Results show curved and skewed geometries can considerably affect the bridge seismic fragility in a complex manner. Conducting a detailed seismic risk assessment of skewed and curved bridges is needed in low-to-moderate seismic regions.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=855
• 
• Summary URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/31509
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/31508
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Colorado State University, Fort Collins

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Fort Collins, CO  United States  80525

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Chen, Luke
  • Chen, Suren
• Publication Date: 2016-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 36p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge design; Curved bridges; Earthquake resistant design; Geometric design; Reinforced concrete bridges; Risk assessment; Seismicity; Skew bridges
• Geographic Terms: Mountain-Plains Region
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01616904
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC 16-312
• Files: NTL, TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 21 2016 1:26PM