Development of a Multi-Hazard Compendium of Extreme Events for Design and Evaluation of Highway Bridges--A Suggested US-Taiwan Cooperative Project

Extreme events continue to take a toll each year in bridge failures and collapses. Using the concept of load and resistant factors design (LRFD), bridge failures (exceeding design limit states) may be examined either from the case when the intensities of hazard loads exceed those against which the bridge was designed for based on standard codes and engineering practices, or from cases when a bridge loses the capacity to resist the intend loads from those involving complex combinations of strength and load effects. In general, extreme events may cause structural failure if the margin of safety provided in the standard codes and engineering practices is insufficient. In this presentation, the need for improved bridge safety against extreme events is articulated. In order to quantify the many uncertainties involved in establishing design loads (and load effects), a sustained and coordinated effort should be given to development of a database on multiple hazards and properties (and special characteristics) of extreme events. This is an important initial step which must be continuously upgraded. At present, hazards and extreme events data are disparately collected by specialists in different fields (earthquake, hurricanes, vessel collision). However, consistency is required in measurements of probability of occurrence, relationships among different categories (combined, subsequent) of hazards, engineering design related intensity parameters, and geographical variations for purposes of multihazard analysis and design of highway bridges. The above will require a significant amount of effort in coordination, time, and resources. However, a program may be initiated with a limited scope, which is presented for consideration as a US-Taiwan cooperative project involving earthquake and hydraulic hazards.

• 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
• Authors:
  • Lee, George C
• Conference:
  • The Second US-Taiwan Bridge Engineering Workshop
  • Location: San Mateo CA, United States
  • Date: 2006-9-21 to 2006-9-22
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Second US-Taiwan Bridge Engineering Workshop

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge design; Bridge engineering; Cooperation; Disasters; Failure analysis; Highway bridges; Limit state design; Structural deterioration and defects
• Identifier Terms: AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications
• Uncontrolled Terms: Extreme events
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01079613
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 22 2007 10:15AM