SIMULATION OF COLLAPSE PROCESS OF ELEVATED EXPRESSWAY BRIDGES DUE TO THE 1995 KOBE EARTHQUAKE

At 5:46 a.m. (local time) on January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin (Hyogo-Ken Nanbu or Kobe) earthquake hit the Hanshin-Awaji area, Japan. The damage due to this earthquake was the worst earthquake disaster in Japan since the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Over 100,000 houses and buildings collapsed and many modern civil infrastructures such as elevated bridges of highways and railways, and port facilities, etc., were also heavily damaged. In addition, fires broke out razing many houses after the quake. The death toll was more than 6,300 including deaths due to various problems following the earthquake. Unfortunately, most deaths were caused due to collapse of structures. To mitigate casualties due to earthquakes, it is important to study the mechanism of collapse of structures during earthquakes. In this study, using the Extended Distinct Element Method (EDEM), which is applicable to both a composite and continuous medium, and a perfect discrete one, the collapse mechanism of structures during the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake is studied. Although the phenomena treated in this study were difficult to be simulated by the conventional methods such as the finite element method, the numerical results obtained agree well with the actual earthquake damage.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/10883800
• Corporate Authors:

  National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research

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

  International Center for Disaster-Mitigation Engineering

  Tokyo University, 7-22-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku
  Tokyo 106,   Japan 
• Authors:
  • Meguro, K
  • Katayama, T
• Conference:
  • Workshop on Earthquake Engineering Frontiers in Transportation Facilities
  • Location: Buffalo, New York
  • Date: 1997-3-10 to 1997-3-11
• Publication Date: 1997-8-29

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: p. 155-166
• Serial:
  • National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research
  • Publisher: National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research
  • ISSN: 1088-3800

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Collapse; Highway bridges; Loss and damage; Machines; Simulation
• Identifier Terms: Hyogoken-Nanbu Earthquake (Japan)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Damages
• Old TRIS Terms: Extended distinct element method; Mechanisms
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00751019
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Technical Report, NCEER-97-0005, INCEDE 1997-01
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 20 1998 12:00AM