Seismic Response of Short and Medium Span Bridges Equipped with Energy Dissipating Shear Keys

Abstract eng:
This paper presents the results of an analytical study conducted to evaluate the performance of short and medium span bridges using an innovative energy dissipation system aimed at improving seismic response of bridges. The energy dissipation system consists of ordinary rubber bearings which transfer the gravity load to the substructure and energy dissipation devices which replace shear keys on bent caps and abutments. In this system the bearings do not provide much resistance to lateral load. The device which is fabricated by metallic components would resist the lateral load and dissipate the seismic energy during an earthquake. Nonlinear time history response of a bridge structure with and without the energy dissipation system is studied. The most common type of structure for short and medium span bridges is considered. The bridge structure is subjected to various earthquake records including El-Centro, Tabas, Kobe, and Bam. The results of this study indicate that seismic demand of substructure is greatly reduced when the energy dissipation devices replace the shear keys on the bent cap and the abutments.

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