Fluid Viscous Dampers of the Izmit Bay Bridge, Turkey: Design Requirements and Full-Scale Testing

Abstract eng:
The Izmit Bay Bridge is a 3020m long cable suspension bridge, located at the eastern end of the Sea of Marmara, Izmit, Turkey. The bridge consists of a steel box girder deck sustained by cables and 2 towers made of stiffened steel plate (252m height). The restrained system for seismic, wind actions and traffic loads is provided by 7 fluid viscous dampers; 3 for the transition spans (Fmax=5000kN, stroke ±500mm and maximum velocity 1.25m/s) and 4 for the main suspended span with Fmax=5000kN, stroke ±2m and maximum velocity 2m/s, resulting the biggest hydraulic devices ever built with 13.5m pinto-pin length. This paper presents a description of the full-scale type tests conducted at FIP Industriale Test Laboratories on two viscous dampers (one of each type) to confirm the compliance with the European Standard EN15129 and the contract specifications. A series of dynamic tests were performed in order to verify the force vs. velocity constitutive law and to evaluate the dynamic stiffness and damping characteristics of the units, at the entire temperature range of 10°C/+80°C. The experimental results demonstrated a very stable behavior at any velocity up to 2m/s, througout the temperature range, guaranteeing the damping capacity reliability and satisfying all requirements.

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