Seismic Assessment and Retrofit of Bridges with Functional Bearing System(III)

Seismic Assessment and Retrofit of Bridges with Functional Bearing System(III)

Based on the recent investigations of existing bridges damaged by major earthquakes, particularly in the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, it is found that the bearing system of the bridge, including the movements of the bearing, shear keys and restrainers, plays a vital role for the behavior of the bridge during a major earthquake. This study has proposed a three-year project since 2004 to understand the effect of bridge bearing systems and thereby, would like to develop simplified and economical seismic retrofit methods for existing bridges based the bearing systems. Basic mechanical behaviors and performance levels in each bearing component and the interrelationship among the different components will be tested to provide appropriate analytical models for numerical simulations. In addition, combining with the performance-based design concept, this study aimed to enhance further the design methodologies to be developed that can provide sufficient capacity on the existing bridges and that can limit the damage level to a certain acceptable criteria under a given seismic demand.