• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.407-417
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• 2023

Precast assembled bridge piers with hybrid connection (PASP) use both tendons and socket connections. To study the seismic performance of PASP, a full-scale in-situ test was performed based on an actual bridge project. The elastic-plastic fiber model of PASP was established using finite element software, and numerical analyses were performed to study the influence of prestress degree and socket depth on the PASP seismic performance. The results show that the typical failure mode of PASP under horizontal load is bending failure dominated by concrete cracking at the joint between the column and cushion cap. The cracking of the pier concrete and opening of joints depend on the prestress degree and socket depth. The prestressing tendons and socket connection can provide enough ductility, strength, restoration capability, and bending strength under small horizontal displacements. Although the bearing capacity and post yield stiffness of the pier can be improved to some extent by increasing the prestressing force, ductility is reduced, and residual deformation is increased. Overall, there are reasonable minimum socket depths to ensure the reliability of the socket connection.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.19-30
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• 2005

A coupled three-dimensional pile group analysis method was developed by considering complex behavior of sub-structures (pile-soil-cap) which included soil nonlinearity and the behavior of super-structure (pier). As an intermediate analysis method between FBPier 3.0 and Group 0.0, it took advantages of each method. Among the components of a pile group, individual piles were modeled with stiffness matrices of pile heads and soils with nonlinear load-transfer curves (t-z, q-z and p-y curves). A pile cap was modeled with modified four-node flat shell elements and a pier with three-dimensional beam element, so that a unified analysis could be possible. A nonlinear analysis method was proposed in this study with a mixed incremental and iteration techniques. The proposed method for a pile group subjected to axial and lateral loads was compared with othe. analytical methods (i.e., Group 6.0 and FBPier 3.0). It was found that the proposed method could predict the complex behavior of a pile group well, even though piles were modelled simply in this study by using pile head stiffness matrices which were different from the method introduced in FBPier 3.0.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.259-274
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• 1998

The test results from non-destructive and destructive field testing of a three-span deteriorated reinforced concrete slab bridge are used as a vehicle to examine the reliability of available tools for finite-element analysis of in-situ structures. Issues related to geometric modeling of members and connections, material models, and failure criteria are discussed. The results indicate that current material models and failure criteria are adequate, although lack of inelastic out-of-plane shear response in most nonlinear shell elements is a major shortcoming that needs to be resolved. With proper geometric modeling, it is possible to adequately correlate the measured global, regional, and local responses at all limit states. However, modeling of less understood mechanisms, such as slab-abutment connections, may need to be finalized through a system identification technique. In absence of the experimental data necessary for this purpose, upper and lower bounds of only global responses can be computed reliably. The studies reaffirm that success of finite-element models has to be assessed collectively with reference to all responses and not just a few global measurements.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2020

Precast concrete elements in accelerated bridge construction (ABC) extends from superstructure to substructure, precast pile foundation has proven a benefit for regions with fragile ecological environment and adverse geological condition. There is still a lack of knowledge of the seismic behavior and performance of the precast pile foundation. In this study, a 1/8 scaled model of precast pile foundation with elevated cap is fabricated for quasi-static test. The failure mechanism and responses of the precast pile-soil interaction system are analyzed. It is shown that damage occurs primarily in precast pile-soil interaction system and the bridge pier keeps elastic state because of its relatively large cross-section designed for railways. The vulnerable part of the precast pile with elevated cap is located at the embedded section, but no plastic hinge forms along the pile depth under cyclic loading. Hysteretic curves show no significant strength degradation but obvious stiffness degradation throughout the loading process. The energy dissipation capacity of the precast pile-soil interaction system is discussed by using index of the equivalent viscous damping ratio. It can be found that the energy dissipation capacity decreases with the increase of loading displacement due to the unyielding pile reinforcements and potential pile uplift. It is expected to promote the use of precast pile foundation in accelerated bridge construction (ABC) of railways designed in seismic regions.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.549-562
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• 2017

The US railroad network carries 40% of the nation's total freight. Railroad bridges are the most critical part of the network infrastructure and, therefore, must be properly maintained for the operational safety. Railroad managers inspect bridges by measuring displacements under train crossing events to assess their structural condition and prioritize bridge management and safety decisions accordingly. The displacement of a railroad bridge under train crossings is one parameter of interest to railroad bridge owners, as it quantifies a bridge's ability to perform safely and addresses its serviceability. Railroad bridges with poor track conditions will have amplified displacements under heavy loads due to impacts between the wheels and rail joints. Under these circumstances, vehicle-track-bridge interactions could cause excessive bridge displacements, and hence, unsafe train crossings. If displacements during train crossings could be measured objectively, owners could repair or replace less safe bridges first. However, data on bridge displacements is difficult to collect in the field as a fixed point of reference is required for measurement. Accelerations can be used to estimate dynamic displacements, but to date, the pseudo-static displacements cannot be measured using reference-free sensors. This study proposes a method to estimate total transverse displacements of a railroad bridge under live train loads using acceleration and tilt data at the top of the exterior pile bent of a standard timber trestle, where train derailment due to excessive lateral movement is the main concern. Researchers used real bridge transverse displacement data under train traffic from varying bridge serviceability levels. This study explores the design of a new bridge deck-pier experimental model that simulates the vibrations of railroad bridges under traffic using a shake table for the input of train crossing data collected from the field into a laboratory model of a standard timber railroad pile bent. Reference-free sensors measured both the inclination angle and accelerations of the pile cap. Various readings are used to estimate the total displacements of the bridge using data filtering. The estimated displacements are then compared to the true responses of the model measured with displacement sensors. An average peak error of 10% and a root mean square error average of 5% resulted, concluding that this method can cost-effectively measure the total displacement of railroad bridges without a fixed reference.