Continuing Professional Development Programme ESCI, 25th Sep 2018

Basics
Seismic Effects on Performance of
Bridges

Planning, Design, Construction & Maintenance of Bridges and

Culverts (Basic & Advance) (NRIDA)

Arvind Kumar Jaiswal

Chief Consulting Engineer, EON Designers, Secunderabad 500015 (Telangana)
Mob 9440649299 E-mail arvind.eondesigners@gmail.com
Web: www.eondesigners.in

Architectural & Structural Concepts of EQ Architectural & Structural Concepts of EQ

Resistant Building Configuration
The elevations should be regular (uniform),
i.e. top-heavy facades where mass is
concentrated at upper storey's should be
avoided.
Resistant Building Configuration
Transmission of the seismic (inertia)
forces to the ground should be direct
Common Modes of Structural Failure as
shown below shall be avoided

Sliding at plinth Sliding at Sliding at roof Diagonal

Adequate Inadequate Forms to be avoided Cracks at foundation level

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 Architectural & Structural Concepts of EQ Architectural & Structural Concepts of EQ
Resistant Building Configuration Resistant Building Configuration

Resistance to overturning can be improved Improving resistance to lateral force as

as follows follows

Making rigid connections between Stability by X

Stable Unstable Stability by embedment Stability bracing or elements by rigid infill wall
by bracing

Basics of Seismology Basics of Seismic Design

Some important Terms Some important Terms

• Focus • Cracking of concrete

• Epicenter • Over strength
• Magnitude Concrete
• Intensity Steel
• Moment Magnitude • Redundancy
• Process of movement • Confinement
• Waves •

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Cracked and Uncracked Sections
Why Concrete cracks….?

Cracked Sections RC & PSC Sections

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 RC & PSC Sections Overstrength

Concrete Steel

Redundancy…
Performance of RC & Steel

 
Confined HYSD

MS
Unconfined

 
Concrete Steel

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 Which one is better…? 4 or 8 columns?

Robustness of structure
&
Redundancy

Confinement of concrete Importance of 135o Hook ….?

6@200 c/c 8@75-100c/c

with 90º hooks with 135º
hooks

450
230

No Confinement Confinement
Typical Recommendation of
Practice IS Code

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 Seismic Design Principles…
Welded Splices and Mechanical Splices
 1. Seismic Shaking
• Welded Joint efficiency is taken to 100% if
welding is supervised and at any cross section not
 2. Concept of Hertz or Cycles/Sec more than 20% of the tension reinforcement is
welded
 3. Joint Safety
• Otherwise efficiency is considered to be 80%

 4. Behaviour of RC & PSC Beams • Mechanical Splices 100% efficiency

When foundations are at different levels

Torsion & Swing Analogy Undesirable effect during earthquake!

Courtesy EQ Tips-7
Courtesy EQ Tips-7

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 Torsion Why Seismic Design?

Bridge designers make changes in seismic design

or construction practice based on lessons learnt:

• from bridge damage due to earthquakes,

• through tests in labs and
• from analytical studies.
Courtesy EQ Tips-7

Purpose of this lecture Parameters influencing Ground shaking

To identify and classify types of damage to
bridges that earthquakes commonly induce. • Geotechnical
• Primary damage, • Structural
• Secondary damage • Residual Bridge Capacity

It must be noted that in many cases the

difference between primary and secondary
damage is unknown because
• Bridge geometry is complex
• In case of collapse it is difficult to reconstruct
sequence of failure.

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 Geotechnical Parameters Geotechnical Parameters
• Proximity to fault: • Shear velocity of top 30m of ground
Bridges close to fault suffer higher levels of • Softer soils far from fault rupture are
ground shaking amplified
• Greater Magnitude: • Longer period structures experience higher
Increase ground shaking acceleration on soft soil.
• Relationship between fault mechanism and • Short period structures resting on rock
level of ground shaking experience higher acceleration
i) Bridges on hanging wall of fault are • Deep (2.5 km) basins filled with alluvial soils
designed for higher ground motion experience higher acceleration
ii) Dipping faults can cause higher ground • Topographical features also have effect on
motion ground motion

Near fault effect (within 15 km) Site condition & Ground Shaking

• 1.4 km of Cyprus Viaduct on weak soil (with low

• The long period “velocity pulse” caused the shear velocity) collapsed, whereas a portion of
collapse of an 18-span viaduct section of structure on good soil (higher shear wave velocity)
Hanshin Expressway was undamaged (Loma Prieta-1989 M 6.9)

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 Site condition & Ground Shaking

Structural Parameters Structural Parameters

• Poor development length of reinforcement or
“continuity” can prevent concrete bridge
elements from being pulled apart during an
earthquake
• Provision of ample seating space for to
support end of girders.
• Provision of ample “confinement” in concrete
columns allowing them to displace without
failing in flexure or shear.
Higashi-Nada Viaduct collapse in 1995 Hyogo-
Ken Nambu Earthquake, Jan 17, 1995.

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 Structural Parameters
• Lack of “Regularity” makes bridge vulnerable
• Excessive deformation demand in a few brittle
elements
• Complex structural configuration.
• Lack of redundancy.
Examples of Irregularity
• Non-prismatic elements like flared columns
often fail during earthquake
• The strong flare forces plastic hinging into
short column below it.
• The shorter column gets a bigger shear force
(Vp=Mp/L), which can fail column
Examples of Irregularity
• Tall and short columns in the same bent
• Tall and short bents in a frame
• Tall and short frames in a bridge.
Above cases cause shorter elements to fail since
they cannot displace as much as the longer
elements .
It is important
a) for the elements on a bridge to be regular
and balanced, but also
b) Parts of bridge elements should also be
regular.
Examples of Irregularity
•Bridge elements arranged in parallel need to
have about same stiffness, carry about the same
mass, and have about the same period.
• Bridge elements arranged in series need to
have the same strength and stiffness to prevent
the weaker elements from failing prematurely.
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 Structural Parameters Structural Parameters

Weld failure of column longitudinal • Shear failure – within plastic hinge region,
reinforcement: 1995 Kobe Earthquake. 1971 San Fernando earthquake

Structural Parameters Structural Parameters

Nishinomiya-Ko Bridge approach span collapse Shear failure outside plastic hinging region, San
in 1995 Hyogo-Ken Nambu Earthquake. Fernando Earthquake.

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 Structural Parameters Structural Parameters

Reinforced
concrete channel
wall
unintentionally
shortened the
effective length of
bridge column...!!

Bridge collapse during Northridge Earthquake

in California.

Structural Parameters Structural Parameters

Expansion joint introduced catastrophic irregularity

causing unseating & finally collapse..!!.

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How to reduce bridge damage during
Residual Bridge Capacity
seismic shaking?
By introducing following parameters: • Columns:
i) Most important goal is to assess “residual
• Continuity capacity” of column after a seismic event.
• Confinement ii) We must know how ductile or brittle the
• Regularity. concrete column is and then study damage
to determine where it is on the curve and
how much capacity it has left.
• Above type capacity assessment has to be
done for girders, girder or column joints,
foundations, abutments or shear keys, hinge
seats, bearings etc..

Damages Damages to superstructure

• Standard Girder Bridges damages can be to: • Usually superstructure damage occurs at
i) Superstructure discontinuity like expansion joint etc.
ii) Sub-structure
iii) Connections • Expansion joint releases stresses caused by
iv) Foundation a) Thermal movement of superstructure
v) Retrofit b) Post-tensioned superstructure shortening
c) Creep and shrinkage
d) Relative settlement of supports

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 Damages to superstructure Damages to superstructure
• Expansion joints are located: • After the 1971 San Fernando earthquake,
a) over abutment seats, engineers began putting cable restrainers at
b) bent caps, and expansion joints.
c) at in-span hinges
• However this practice is discouraged today.
• When ends of girder sit on a narrow seat, the
bridge is vulnerable to collapse. • It is unlikely that enough cables can be
provided to prevent unseating or to support
superstructure if it falls..!!

Damages to superstructure Damages to superstructure

• Since unseating is related to column • Girders falling off bearings can destroy the
displacement, the seats at expansion joint must expansion joint device, which is a danger to
be longer that the combined earthquake inattentive drivers.
displacement of adjacent bents and frames.

• Sometimes girders fall of the bearings, but

not the seat. This is difficult to repair, but much
better than having girders fall off the seat and
dropping the span.

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 Damages to superstructure Damages to superstructure
• If the superstructure is continuous, then the
superstructure can move off the bearings
without much danger of becoming unseated.

• Generally, only the deck is made continuous

over simply supported girders.

• An extremely well designed deck can

sometimes support girders as they become
unseated, but downward force is usually
enough to break the deck in to two.
• Unseating at Piers 41 and 40 during Kobe EQ.

Damages to superstructure Damages to superstructure

• If one has several connectors come together
on a long, stiff bent with a short seat, the more
flexible connectors move other directions,
pulling their end spans off the stiffer bridge.
• Many superstructures feel off their seats
during 2010 Chile earthquake, because newer
bridges were built with short seats, weak shear
keys, and without end diaphragms between
girders.
• In one instance Vespucio Norte expressway
was parallel to three span precast I girder
bridges. During earthquake, the spans of newer
bridge rotated enough to push over the steel
keeper plates and unseated all three spans.
• Please note that the parallel bridge (with
concrete shear keys and end diaphragms) was
undamaged.

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 Damages to superstructure What went wrong…?
• In one instance Vespucio Norte expressway
was parallel to three span precast I girder
bridges. During earthquake, the spans of newer
bridge rotated enough to push over the steel
keeper plates and unseated all three spans.

• Please note that the parallel bridge (with

concrete shear keys and end diaphragms) was
undamaged.

What went wrong…? What went wrong…?

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 What went wrong…? Damages to superstructure

• Column damage at Piers 39 during Kobe EQ.

Damages caused by other seismic

Damages
Hazards
• Non-Standard Girder Bridges damages can be • Liquefaction and lateral spreading
to: • Tsunami
i) Highway Interchanges • Surface Rupture
ii) Arch & Truss Bridges • Co-location hazard
iii) Cable Stayed & Suspension Bridges
iv) Movable Bridges

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Discussion

Thank You

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