Assessment of the Seismic Vulnerability of Wall Pier Supported Highway Bridges on Priority Emergency Routes in Southern Illinois

Bignell, John L.; LaFave, James M.; Hawkins, Neil M.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/46015 Copy

Description

Title

Assessment of the Seismic Vulnerability of Wall Pier Supported Highway Bridges on Priority Emergency Routes in Southern Illinois

Author(s)

• Bignell, John L.
• LaFave, James M.
• Hawkins, Neil M.

Issue Date

2006-04

Keyword(s)

• Wall pier
• bridge
• three-dimensional modeling
• component models
• failure limit states
• seismic assessment
• pushover
• fragility analysis
• liquefaction
• New Madrid seismic zone

Abstract

To assess the seismic vulnerability of southern Illinois highway bridges, an earlier project had evaluated the fragility of the most prevalent kind (multi-column pier supported). This project investigated the vulnerability of IDOT wall pier supported bridge structures (approx. 28% of the total population) using pushover analyses and via producing structural and site liquefaction fragility curves. First, typical structural characteristics were determined from an inventory sample of 22 southern Illinois priority emergency route wall pier supported bridges. These structural and other details were then used to construct two sets of three-dimensional nonlinear numerical models, one set for purposes of performing almost 200 pushover analyses, and the second one for conducting nearly 100 dynamic time history analyses (required for fragility curve construction). Details regarding the analytical sub-models (used for representing the various bridge components in the overall models) are given, as is information concerning the structural limit states considered in the analyses (all selected based on a review of the available literature). The theoretical underpinnings of the implemented fragility procedure are also highlighted. Results and conclusions based on the pushover and fragility analyses (including a companion liquefaction fragility analysis) are presented, including details about how wall pier bridge structural variations affect the critical failure modes, as well as which bridge categories are the most vulnerable. Finally, implications of all the findings (including some of those from the previous study about multi-column pier supported highway bridges) on the overall southern Illinois priority route network are discussed.

Series/Report Name or Number

FHWA-ICT-07-004

ISSN

0917-9191

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/46015

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Illinois Department of Transportation IHR-R36

Copyright and License Information

No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161

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