Strengthening reinforced concrete bridge piers against heavy vehicle collisions with ultra-high performance concrete collars: A finite element analysis study

This paper investigates the effectiveness of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) collars in strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers against heavy tractor-trailer collisions through finite element (FE) analysis. First, validated FE models of UHPC and a heavy tractor-trailer were provided. Then, FE analyses were conducted to evaluate the strengthening performance of the UHPC collar. The effectiveness of UHPC collar was compared with conventional RC collar, and the effects of varying UHPC collar thickness, height, and collar reinforcement were investigated. The results showed that the most severe damage observed on bridge piers due to heavy vehicle collisions primarily occurred below a height of approximately 2000 mm, manifested as diagonal shear cracks and plastic hinges. Therefore, the recommended minimum collar height is 2000 mm. The comparison between UHPC collar and RC collar strengthening demonstrated the superior effectiveness of UHPC collars. A 130-mm UHPC collar exhibited a similar strengthening effect as an 180-mm RC collar. Among the three investigated parameters of UHPC collar thickness, height, and collar reinforcement, the study found that collar thickness had the most significant influence on the effectiveness of the UHPC collar in terms of damage pattern, energy absorption, and maximum deflection. While collar height primarily influenced deflection, a larger collar height was beneficial in reducing pier deflection at the end of the strengthened segment. Adding a small amount of collar reinforcement improved the performance of piers; however, this improvement was limited. The findings of this study address the lack of research on using UHPC for strengthening full-scale bridge piers against heavy tractor-trailer collisions and provide valuable references for future designs with similar applications.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1177/13694332241237575
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13694332
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © The Author(s) 2024.
• Authors:
  • Qu, Chunpeng
  • 0009-0000-1354-8305
  • Farzaneh, Farhad
  • Jung, Sungmoon
  • Zhang, Qian
• Publication Date: 2024-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1717-1733
• Serial:
  • Advances in Structural Engineering
  • Volume: 27
  • Issue Number: 10
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 1369-4332
  • Serial URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ase

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge piers; Crashes; Finite element method; Reinforced concrete bridges; Structural strengthening; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01915369
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 17 2024 11:29AM