• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.261-273
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• 2012

This study proposes and examines a circular composite bridge pier for seismic resistance. The axial and flexural strengths of the proposed bridge pier are provided by the longitudinal reinforcing bars and the concrete, while the transverse reinforcements used in the conventional reinforced concrete pier are replaced by the steel tube. The shear strength of this composite pier relies on the steel tube and the concrete. This system is similar to the steel jacketing method which strengthens the existing reinforced concrete bridge piers. However, no transverse shear reinforcing bar is used in the proposed composite bridge pier. A series of experimental studies is conducted to investigate the seismic resistant characteristics of the proposed circular composite pier. The effects of the longitudinal reinforcing bars, the shear span-to-diameter ratio, and the thickness of the steel tube on the performance of strength, ductility, and energy dissipation of the proposed pier are discussed. The experimental results show that the strength of the proposed circular composite bridge pier can be predicted accurately by the similar method used in the reinforced concrete piers with minor modification. From these experimental studies, it is found that the proposed circular composite bridge pier not only simplifies the construction work greatly but also provides excellent ductility and energy dissipation capacity under seismic lateral force.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.285-295
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• 2018

In this paper, the bearing capacity of a non-eccentric and eccentric tubular, concrete-filled, steel bridge pier was studied through the finite element method. Firstly, to verify the validity of the numerical analysis, the finite element analysis of four steel tube columns with concrete in-fill was carried out under eccentric loading and horizontal cyclic loading. The analytical results were compared with experimental data. Secondly, the effects of the eccentricity of the vertical loading on the seismic performance of these eccentrically loaded steel tubular bridge piers were considered. According to the simulated results, with increasing eccentricity ratio, the bearing capacity on the eccentric side of a steel tubular bridge pier (with concrete in-fill) is greatly reduced, while the capacity on the opposite side is improved. Moreover, an empirical formula was proposed to describe the bearing capacity of such bridge piers under non-eccentric and eccentric load. This will provide theoretical evidence for the seismic design of the eccentrically loaded steel tubular bridge piers with concrete in-fill.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.599-611
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• 2017

This paper improves seismic fragility of a typical steel-concrete composite bridge with the deck-to-pier connection joint configuration at the concrete crossbeam (CCB). Based on the quasi-static test on a typical steel-concrete composite bridge model under the SEQBRI project, the damage states for both of the critical components, the CCB and the pier, are identified. The finite element model is developed, and calibrated using the experimental data to model the damage states of the CCB and the bridge pier as observed from the experiment of the test specimen. Then the component fragility curves for both of the CCB and the pier are derived and combined to develop the system fragility curves of the bridge. The uncertainty associated with the mean system fragility has been discussed and quantified. The study reveals that the CCB is more vulnerable than the pier for certain damage states and the typical steel-concrete composite bridge with CCB exhibits desirable seismic performance.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1221-1236
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• 2016

Modular structures consist of standardized modules and their connections. A modular bridge pier is proposed to accelerate bridge construction. Multiple concrete-filled steel tubes (CFTs) using commercial steel tubes were chosen as the main members. Buckling restrained bracings and enhanced connection details were designed to prevent premature low-cycle fatigue failure upon cyclic loading. The pier had a height of 7.95 m, widths of 2.5 m and 2.0 m along the strong and weak axis, respectively. Cyclic tests were performed on the modular pier to investigate structural performance. Test results showed that four CFT columns reached yielding without a premature failure of the bracing connections. The ultimate capacity of the modular pier was reasonably estimated based on the plastic-hinge-analysis concept. The modular CFT pier with enhanced bracing showed improved displacement ductility without premature failure at the welding joints.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.343-355
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• 2013

Shear failure and core concrete crushing at plastic hinge region are the two main failure modes of bridge piers, which can make repair impossible and cause the collapse of bridge. To avoid the two types of failure of pier, a composite pier was proposed, which was formed by embedding high strength concrete filled steel tubular (CFT) column in reinforced concrete (RC) pier. Through cyclic loading tests, the seismic performances of the composite pier were studied. The experimental results show that the CFT column embedded in composite pier can increase the flexural strength, displacement ductility and energy dissipation capacity, and decrease the residual displacement after undergoing large deformation. The analytical analysis is performed to simulate the hysteretic behavior of the composite pier subjected to cyclic loading, and the numerical results agree well with the experimental results. Using the analytical model and time-history analysis method, seismic responses of a continuous girder bridge using composite piers is investigated, and the results show that the bridge using composite piers can resist much stronger earthquake than the bridge using RC piers.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.661-677
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• 2016

The quasi static test of the steel reinforced concrete (SRC) bridge piers and rigid frame arch bridge structure with SRC piers was conducted in the laboratory, and the seismic performance of SRC piers was compared with that of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers. In the test, the failure process, the failure mechanism, hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, ductility coefficient, stiffness degradation curves and the energy dissipation curves were analyzed. According to the $M-{\Phi}$ relationship of fiber section, the three-wire type theoretical skeleton curve of the lateral force and the pier top displacement was proposed, and the theoretical skeleton curves are well consistent with the experimental curves. Based on the theoretical model, the effects of the concrete strength, axial compression ratio, slenderness ratio, reinforcement ratio, and the stiffness ratio of arch to pier on the skeleton curve were analyzed.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2015

Prefabrication technologies are making bridge construction safer and less disruptive to the environment and traveling public, making bridge designs more constructible and, improving the quality and durability by shifting site work to a more controllable environment. Modular bridge substructures with concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) piers and composite pier caps were suggested to realize accelerated bridge construction. The precast segmental pier cap consists of a composite pier table and precast prestressed segments on the table. The pier table has embedded steel section to mitigate stress concentration at the connection by small tubes. Each bridge pier has four or six CFT columns which connect to the pier cap. Shear strength of the pier cap was obtained by extending vertical reinforcing bars from the table to the precast segment. Transverse prestressing was introduced to control tensile stresses by service loadings. Structural performance of the proposed modular system was evaluated by static tests. Design requirements of the composite pier cap were satisfied by continuous reinforcing bars and prestressing tendons. Standardized modular substructures can be effectively utilized for the fast replacement or construction of bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.355-374
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• 2006

Thin walled steel bridge-piers/columns are vulnerable to damage, when subjected to earthquake excitations. Local buckling, global buckling or interaction between local and global buckling usually is the cause of this damage, which results in significant strength reduction of the member. In this study new innovative design concepts, "thin-walled corrugated steel columns" and "thin-walled cellular steel columns" are presented, which allow the column to undergo large plastic deformations without significant strength reduction; hence dissipate energy under cyclic loading. It is shown that, compared with the conventional designs, circular and stiffened box sections, these new innovative concepts might results in cost-effective designs, with improved buckling and ductility properties. Using a finite element model, that takes the non-linear material properties into consideration, it is shown that the corrugations will act like longitudinal stiffeners that are supporting each other, thus improving the buckling behavior and allowing for reduction of the overall wall thickness of the column.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.377-384
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• 2003

Recently, there are much concerns about new and innovative transverse materials which could be used instead of conventional transverse steel in reinforced concrete bridge piers. FRP materials could be substituted for conventional transverse steel because of their sufficient strength, light weight, easy fabrication, and useful applicability to any shapes of pier sections, such as rectangular or circular sections. The objective of this research is to evaluate the seismic performance of reinforced concrete bridge pier specimens with FRP transverse reinforcement by means of the Quasi-Static test. In the first task, test columns were made using FRP rope, but these specimens appeared to fail at low displacement ductility levels due to insufficient confinement of strand extension itself. Therefore, the second task was to evaluate the seismic performance of test specimens transversely confined with FRP band. Although FRP banded specimens showed lower seismic performance than the specimen with spiral reinforcing steel, it satisfied with the response modification factor, 3, required for the single column of Korea bridge roadway design code. It was concluded that FRP band could be efficiently substituted for conventional reinforcing steel.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.275-283
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• 2018

Seismic strengthening is essential for existing bridge piers which are deficient to resist the earthquake. The concrete and CFRP jackets with a bottom-anchoring method are used to strengthen railway bridge piers with low reinforcement ratio. Quasi-static tests of scaled down model piers are performed to evaluate the seismic performance of the original and strengthened bridge pier. The fracture characteristics indicate that the vulnerable position of the railway bridge pier with low reinforcement ratio during earthquake is the pier-footing region and shows flexural failure mode. The force-displacement relationships show that the two strengthening techniques using CFRP and concrete jackets can both provide a significant improvement in load-carrying capacity for railway bridge piers with low reinforcement ratio. It is clear that the bottom-anchoring method by using planted steel bars can guarantee the CFRP and concrete jackets to work jointly with original concrete piers Furthermore, it can be found that the use of CFRP jacket offers advantages over concrete jacket in improving the energy dissipation capacity under lateral cyclic loading. Therefore, the seismic strengthening techniques by the use of CFRP and concrete jackets provide alternative choices for the large numbers of existing railway bridge piers with low reinforcement ratio in China.