Seismic Vulnerability of an Isolated Bridge in Mexico

Abstract eng:
The 525 meters long Infiernillo II bridge crosses the Balsas river and it is the first isolated bridge built in Mexico. The bridge is part of a highway that connects central cities of the country to the Pacific Coast. Reinforced concrete slab deck on camel back steel trusses compose the superstructure of the five simple supported spans. The substructure consists of reinforced concrete bents and abutments. An analytical model of the structure aimed at determining the bridge capacity was created by the use of the SAP2000 program. The bridge demands were assessed using several strong motion movements recorded close to the Pacific Coast in Mexico by the national seismic instrumentation network in the country and by the results of a hazard analysis in the in the site. The study started calibrating the analytical model proposed with the results obtained with ambient vibration measurements. The bridge irregularity is also analyzed and the importance of the dynamic characteristics of the isolators employed was remarked. Finally, probability density functions of the bridge capacity and demand were assessed and fragility curves were proposed aimed at determining the expected behavior of the bridge as function of peak ground acceleration of the typical strong motions recorded in Mexico.

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