SIMULATED DESIGN PROCEDURE FOR AN IMPROVED SEISMIC VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING RC BRIDGES

Abstract eng:
This research work proposes the development of a simplified method for simulated design of existing reinforced concrete (RC) motor-way bridges. Given the fragmentary availability of data, the simulated design procedure should provide information about the reinforcement of bent members in order to proceed with the seismic response assessment of the whole bridge. The developed methodology should be as simple as possible in order to be suitable for large scale seismic vulnerability assessment of the Italian roadway bridge stock. Nevertheless, the methodology should be general in order to take into account the evolution of both construction technologies and regulations within a time window of 50 years, from 1940 to 1990, the most productive period concerning the construction of Italian roadway bridge stock. The validation of the method has been carried out through the comparison of the available executive design documentation of several existing bridges with the corresponding simulated design results, quantifying the discrepancy. Finally, the seismic response of both the existing structure and the “simulated” one have been analyzed by means of non-linear static and dynamic analyses, in order to estimate the influence of such discrepancy on the assessment of the bridge response and, mainly, to evaluate its influence on the large scale seismic vulnerability assessment.

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