Validated Simulation Models for Lateral Response of Bridge Abutments with Typical Backfills
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 15, Issue 3
Abstract
Abutment-backfill soil interaction can significantly influence the seismic response of bridges. In the present study, we provide numerical simulation models that are validated using data from recent experiments on the lateral response of typical abutment systems. Those tests involve well-compacted clayey silt and silty sand backfill materials. The simulation methods considered include a method of slices approach for the backfill materials with an assumed log-spiral failure surface coupled with hyperbolic soil stress-strain relationships [referred to as “log-spiral hyperbolic (LSH) model”] as well as detailed finite-element models, both of which were found to compare well with test data. Through parametric studies on the validated LSH model, we develop equations for the lateral load-displacement backbone curves for abutments of varying height for the two aforementioned backfill types. The equations describe a hyperbolic relationship between lateral load per unit width of the abutment wall and the wall deflection and are amendable to practical application in seismic response simulations of bridge systems.
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Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) under Contract No. UNSPECIFIED59A0247 (and amendments thereto), which is gratefully acknowledged. The writers would like to acknowledge the valuable assistance and technical support of Caltrans in this project, particularly Craig Whitten. The last writer would also like to acknowledge the University of California’s Faculty Research Grants (FRG) program for providing additional funding for the study presented herein. The writers finally thank Anne Lemnitzer for providing the data from the UCLA abutment test and Liping Yan for his helpful discussions. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper belong to the writer(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Caltrans or the University of California.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 15 • Issue 3 • May 2010
Pages: 302 - 311
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 27, 2008
Accepted: Jul 10, 2009
Published online: Jul 13, 2009
Published in print: May 2010
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