• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.10 no.3 s.49
• /
• pp.47-55
• /
• 2006

Seismic performance and retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) two-column piers widely used at roadway bridges in Korea was experimentally evaluated. Ten two-column piers that were 400 mm in diameter and 2,000 mm in height were constructed. These piers were subjected to hi-directional cyclic loadings under a constant axial load of $0.1f_{ck}A_g$. Test parameters were the confinement steel ratio, loading pattern, lap splice of longitudinal reinforcing bars, and retrofitting method. Specimens with lap-spliced longitudinal bars were retrofitted with steel jacket, pre-stressing steel wire, and steel band. Test result showed that while the specimens subjected to bi-directional lateral cyclic loadings which consisted of two main amplitudes in the transverse axis and two sub amplitudes in longitudinal axis, referred to as a T-series cyclic loadings, exhibited plastic hinges both at the top and bottom parts of the column, the specimens subjected to bi-directional lateral cyclic loadings in an opposite way, referred to as a L-series cyclic loadings, exhibited a plastic hinge only at the bottom of the column. The displacement ductility of the specimen under the T-series loadings was bigger than that of the specimen under the L-series loadings. Specimen retrofitted with pre-stressing steel wires exhibited poor ductility due to the upward shift of the plastic hinge region because of over-reinforcement, but specimens retrofitted with steel jacket and steel band showed the required displacement ductility. Steel band can be an effective retrofitting scheme to improve the seimsic performance of RC bridge piers, considering its practical construction.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2004

Due to the 1989 Loma Prieta, 1995 Hyogoken Nambu earthquakes, etc, a number of bridge columns  were collapsed in flexure-shear failures as a consequence of the premature termination of the column longitudinal reinforcement. Nevertheless, previous researches for the performance of bridge columns were concentrated on the flexural failure mode. It is well understood that the seismic behaviour of RC bridge piers was dependent on the performance of the plastic hinge of RC bridge piers, the ductility of which was desirable to be computed on the basis of the curvature. Experimental investigation was made to evaluate the variation of the curvature of the plastic hinge  region for the seismic performance of earthquake-damaged RC columns in flexure-shear failure mode. Seven test specimens in the aspect ratio of 2.5 were made with test parameters: confinement ratios, lap splices, and retrofitting FRP materials. They were damaged under series of artificial earthquakes that could be compatible in Korean peninsula. Directly after the pseudo-dynamic test, damaged columns were retested under inelastic reversal cyclic loading under a constant axial load, $P=0.1f_{ck}A_g$. Residual seismic capacity of damaged specimens was evaluated by analzying the moment-curvature hysteresis and the curvature ductility. Test results show that the biggest curvature was developed around 15cm above the footing, which induced the column failure. It was observed that RC bridge specimens with lap-spliced longitudinal steels appeared to fail at low curvature ductility but significant improvement was made in the curvature ductility of RC specimens with FRP straps wrapped around the plastic hinge region. Based on the experimental variation of the curvature of RC specimens, new equivalent length of the plastic hinge region was proposed by considering the lateral confinement in this study. The analytical and experimental relationship between the displacement and the curvature ductility were compared based on this proposal, which gave excellent result.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.699-716
• /
• 2016

Buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs) are commonly used as lateral force-resisting systems in the structures located in seismic-active regions. The nearly symmetric load-displacement behavior of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) helps in dissipating the input seismic energy through metallic hysteresis. In this study, an experimental investigation has been conducted on the reduced-core length BRB (RCLBRB) specimens to evaluate their hysteretic and overall performance under gradually increased cyclic loading. Detachable casings are used for the concrete providing confinement to the steel core segments of all test specimens to facilitate the post-earthquake inspection of steel core elements. The influence of variable core clearance and the local detailing of casings on the cyclic performance of RCLBRB specimens has been studied. The RCLBRB specimen with the detachable casing system and a smaller core clearance at the end zone as compared to the central region exhibited excellent hysteretic behavior without any slip. Such RCLBRB showed balanced higher yielding deformed configuration up to a core strain of 4.2% without any premature instability. The strength-adjustment factors for the RCLBRB specimens are found to be nearly same as that of the conventional BRBs as noticed in the past studies. Simple expressions have been proposed based on the regression analysis to estimate the strength-adjustment factors and equivalent damping potential of the RCLBRB specimens.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.279-293
• /
• 2019

The overall seismic performance of existing pre 1960-70s reinforced concrete (RC) structures is significantly affected by the inadequate length of columns' lap-spliced reinforcement. Due to this crucial structural deficiency, the cyclic response is dominated by premature bond - slip failure, strength and stiffness degradation, poor energy dissipation capacity and low ductility. Recent earthquakes worldwide highlighted the importance of improving the load transfer mechanism between lap-spliced bars, while it was clearly demonstrated that the failure of lap splices may result in a devastating effect on structural integrity. Extensive experimental and analytical research was carried out herein, to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of strengthening techniques applied to RC columns with lap-spliced reinforcement and also accurately predict the columns' response during an earthquake. Ten large scale cantilever column subassemblages, representative of columns found in existing pre 1970s RC structures, were constructed and strengthened by steel or RC jacketing. The enhanced specimens were imposed to earthquake-type loading and their lateral response was evaluated with respect to the hysteresis of two original and two control subassemblages. The main variables examined were the lap splice length, the steel jacket width and the amount of additional confinement offered by the jackets. Moreover, an analytical formulation proposed by Tsonos (2007a, 2019) was modified appropriately and applied to the lap splice region, to calculate shear stress developed in the concrete and predict if yielding of reinforcement is achieved. The accuracy of the analytical method was checked against experimental results from both the literature and the experimental work included herein.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.705-714
• /
• 2012

Precast reinforced concrete bridge columns with hollow rectangular section were tested under cyclic lateral load with constant axial force to investigate its seismic performance. After all the precast column segments were erected, longitudinal reinforcement was inserted in the sheath prefabricated in the segments, which were then mortar grouted. Main variables of the test series were column aspect ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, amount of lateral reinforcement, and location of segment joints. The aspect ratios were 4.5 and 2.5, and the longitudinal steel ratios were 1.15% and 3.07%. The amount of lateral reinforcement were 95%, 55%, 50%, and 27% of the minimum amount for full ductility design requirements in the Korean Bridge Design Code. The locations of segment joints in plastic hinge region were 0.5 and 1.0 times of the section depth from the bottom column end. The test results of cracking and failure mode, axial-flexural strength, lateral load-displacement relationship, and displacement ductility are presented. Then, safety of the ductility demand based seismic design in the Korean Bridge Design Code is discussed. The column specimens showed larger ductility than expected, because buckling of longitudinal reinforcing bar was prevented due to confinement developed not only by transverse steel but also by sheath and infilling mortar.