3 research outputs found
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The effect of preloading on the strength of jacketed R/C columns
The influence of core preloading on the strength of jacketed reinforced concrete (R/C) columns is analytically investigated. A recently proposed method for arbitrary composite section analysis in biaxial bending and axial load is extended to include preloading actions. A parametric evaluation of the preloading effect using quantitative indices is performed, considering the variability of several parameters such as section geometry, amount of reinforcement, and various axial and moment preloading levels. Results are presented in the form of 3D failure surfaces and moment-curvature curves. Specific cases where the preloading effect is more pronounced are finally highlighted
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Bridge-specific fragility analysis: when is it really necessary?
In seismic assessment of bridges the research focus has recently shifted on the derivation of bridge-specific fragility curves that account for the effect of different geometry, structural system, component and soil properties, on the seismic behaviour. In this context, a new, component-based methodology for the derivation of bridge-specific fragility curves has been recently proposed by the authors, with a view to overcoming the inherent difficulties in assessing all bridges of a road network and the drawbacks of existing methodologies, which use the same group of fragility curves for bridges within the same typological class. The main objective of this paper is to critically assess the necessity of bridge-specific fragility analysis, starting from the effect of structure-specific parameters on component capacity (limit state thresholds), seismic demand, and fragility curves. The aforementioned methodology is used to derive fragility curves for all bridges within an actual road network, with a view to investigating the consistency of adopting generic fragility curves for bridges that fall within the same class and quantifying the degree of over- or under-estimation of the probability of damage when generic bridge classes are considered. Moreover, fragility curves for all representative bridges of the analysed concrete bridge classes are presented to illustrate the differentiation in bridge fragility for varying structural systems, bridge geometry, total bridge length and maximum pier height. Based on the above, the relevance of bridge-specific fragility analysis is assessed, and pertinent conclusions are drawn
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Soil-structure interaction effects in analysis of seismic fragility of bridges using an intensity-based ground motion selection procedure
The paper focuses on the effects of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) in seismic fragility analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) bridges, considering the vulnerability of multiple critical components of the bridge and different modelling approaches for soil-foundation and bridge-embankment interactions. A two-step procedure, based on the introduction of springs and dashpots at the pier foundations and the abutment to account for inertial and kinematic SSI effects, is incorporated into a component-based methodology for the derivation of bridge-specific fragility curves. The proposed methodology is applied for quantifying the fragility of a typical highway overpass at both the component and system level, while the effect of alternative procedures (of varying complexity) for modelling foundation and abutment boundary conditions is critically assessed. The rigorous SSI modelling method is compared with simpler methods and the results show that consideration of SSI may only slightly affect the probability of system failure, depending on the modelling assumptions made. However, soil-structure interaction may have a notable effect on component fragility, especially for the more critical damage states. This is an observation that is commonly overlooked when assessing the structural performance at the system level and can be particularly important when component fragility is an issue, e.g. when designing a retrofit scheme