Seismic Displacement Estimates for Bridges in the New Madrid Seismic Zone
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 21, Issue 2
Abstract
The Mississippi embayment (ME) of the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) is characterized by deep soil deposits. This places much of the ME outside the realm of code-based spectral shape assumptions. Only the top 30 m of the subsurface profile is used as input for developing current code-based response spectra. Rules for effective damping and response modification for effective damping vary depending on the structure type—conventionally designed plastic hinging or isolation design. The goal of this study was to build on previous research and propose an alternative, rational method for including each of these effects—profile depth, effective damping, and response modification for effective damping—into the development of seismic displacement estimates for bridges in the NMSZ. Displacement estimates for a bridge near Memphis, Tennessee, for both conventional design and isolated design alternatives, were made using both code-based and alternative criteria. The bridge was moved to five other sites of various profile depths to examine the effect on response. It is demonstrated that current code-based displacement demand estimates may be unconservative for both short-period, conventionally designed bridges and isolated structures.
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Published In
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 21 • Issue 2 • May 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 6, 2015
Accepted: Jul 27, 2015
Published online: Dec 30, 2015
Published in print: May 1, 2016
Discussion open until: May 30, 2016
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