Seismic Fragility Examination of Simply Supported Curved Prestressed Concrete Bridge Portfolios

Abstract eng:
This paper examines the seismic vulnerability of single-span, simply supported, curved, prestressed concrete (PSC) I-girder bridge portfolios with various characteristics using fundamental fragility concepts that have been commonly used. Experimental design technique was used as a statistical means of comparison between varying bridge configurations, ultimately producing a wide variety of hypothetical PSC I-girder bridges. Structural design of each bridge was made according to the guidelines specified by the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. To examine seismic vulnerability to seismic excitations, non-linear time history analyses (NLTHAs) was conducted using multiple synthetic ground motions. Response of critical components was extracted for fragility analysis and comparison. Fragility curves were created via probabilistic seismic demand models (PSDM) following established techniques. The preliminary fragility data were analyzed to determine the effects of the varying design parameters on seismic vulnerability of the bridge portfolios. The results found that the shorter span bridges with a tighter radius of curvature are less sensitive to seismic excitations than those with straighter decking.

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