Rocking of Bridge Piers Subjected to Multi-Directional Earthquake Excitation

Rocking as an acceptable mode of seismic response has been extensively studied and has been shown to potentially limit local displacement demands. Rocking can act as a form of isolation, reducing displacement and force demands on a bridge, thereby allowing for design of smaller footings and members. As part of a larger, Caltrans-funded investigation to develop guidelines for the design of bridges supported on piers that rock on their foundations, a series of preliminary shaking table tests of a simple inverted pendulum reinforced concrete bridge column was conducted. These tests are among the first to consider the effects of three components of excitation. For the shaking table tests, the underlying soil is modeled by a neoprene pad, upon which the pier is allowed to rock. Preliminary results from these tests comprise the focal point of this paper. These shaking table experiments provide data to validate analytical models that are in turn used to assess and improved design guidelines related to rocking foundations.

• 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:
  • Espinoza, Andres
  • Mahin, Stephen A
• Conference:
  • Fifth National Seismic Conference on Bridges & Highways
  • Location: San Francisco CA, United States
  • Date: 2006-9-18 to 2006-9-20
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 8p
• Monograph Title: Fifth National Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways: Innovation in Earthquake Engineering for Highway Structures

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Base isolation; Bridge piers; Design; Dislocation (Geology); Earthquakes; Evaluation and assessment; Excitation; Force; Foundations; Improvements; Mathematical models; Rocking; Shaking table tests; Soils
• Uncontrolled Terms: Multidirectional flow; Seismic response
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Design; Geotechnology; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls; I53: Construction of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01080757
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: A09
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 15 2007 10:33AM