Reinforced Concrete Bridge Column Multihazard Performance: A Computational Tool to Assess Response to Vehicle Impact, Air Blast, and Fire
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 38, Issue 1
Abstract
Pier columns, as primary bridge supports, are vulnerable to extreme loading demands resulting from fire, vehicle collisions, and blasts. The combined effects of these demands may cause significant strength reduction, extensive damage, and potentially collapse. Although the response of bridge columns subjected to independent or combined vehicle impact and air blast has been widely investigated, the cumulative effects of fire in conjunction with these dynamic loads have received limited attention. Consequently, this study presents a unique and advanced multistep finite-element modeling approach using LS-DYNA to simulate the response of isolated round reinforced concrete bridge columns subjected to fire prior to and after a vehicle collision and subsequent air blast. The developed modeling approach incorporates uncoupled implicit heat transfer analyses and explicit structural analyses and was validated against published fire, impact, and blast test results. A parametric study that investigated the effects of various column diameters and fire exposure scenarios on performance was completed, considering fire occurring before or after impact and blast. Column performance was assessed based on damage levels, residual load capacities, and lateral displacements. Study findings enhance the understanding of bridge column performance under this combination of hazards, provide insight into improving bridge resiliency, and could potentially have practical implications for the design and maintenance of bridge columns. Specifically, the study reveals that fire prior to impact and blast was a more critical load sequence for larger column diameters that could potentially remain in service in their final damage states while being repaired. Moreover, the study indicated that for the same fire duration and column diameters, residual capacities and displacements corresponding to half-surface-area exposure were slightly lower than those exposed to fire on the full surface area, a finding that could be beneficial in many practical applications where protective techniques and tools could be implemented.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
Financial support provided by the Mid America Transportation Center (MATC) and the USDOT’s University Transportation Centers Program (NTC) is acknowledged. The authors would like to recognize the University of Nebraska’s Holland Computing Center (HCC) for providing computational resources needed to complete the study.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 38 • Issue 1 • February 2024
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 13, 2023
Accepted: Sep 5, 2023
Published online: Oct 18, 2023
Published in print: Feb 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Mar 18, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Blasting effects
- Bridge columns
- Bridge components
- Bridge engineering
- Bridge management
- Bridge-vehicle interaction
- Bridges
- Bridges (by material)
- Columns
- Concrete
- Concrete bridges
- Concrete columns
- Continuum mechanics
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Dynamic loads
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Fires
- Man-made disasters
- Materials engineering
- Reinforced concrete
- Solid mechanics
- Structural dynamics
- Structural engineering
- Structural members
- Structural systems
- Vehicle loads
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