Overturning-Collapse Modeling and Safety Assessment for Bridges Supported by Single-Column Piers
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 22, Issue 11
Abstract
Overturning collapse has been regarded as one of the most critical failure modes for single-column-pier bridges in current practices. To reveal the entire overturning process, a meticulous three-dimensional (3D) simulation of bridges with superstructures, bearings, and piers, considering geometric and material nonlinearities, was first established. Multiple load patterns were applied, including the practical eccentric truckloads that lead to overturning incidents and the conventional checking loads that are defined in the bridge design specifications. Second, four sequential limit stages of the overturning process were defined to precisely describe the structural behaviors under different mechanical conditions before the final collapse. A safety indicator was further proposed to quantify the possibility of overturning with respect to different limit stages. Using such a safety indicator in a case study, the ability of bridges to resist overturning was assessed and compared to results from the specifications and field observations. By doing this, the drawbacks of specifications in checking the safety of single-column-pier bridges were demonstrated. A parametric study was finally conducted to investigate the influence of different single-column-pier bridge arrangements on the overturning behaviors. It can be concluded that the specification-based methods greatly overrate the safety level of single-column-pier bridges, whereas the safety indicator provides more reasonable results as well as multiple-sublevel safety warnings up to the final collapse. Additional findings and suggestions for a better design or maintenance of single-column-pier bridges in curved-girder cases were also discussed.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support for this work from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project 51208097), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (Project BK20161417), Science and Technology Project Funds by the Ministry of Transport of China (Projects 2013318223380 and 2014318J14250), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2242016R30023) is gratefully acknowledged. The opinions and statements do not necessarily represent those of the sponsors.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 22 • Issue 11 • November 2017
Copyright
© 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 28, 2016
Accepted: May 22, 2017
Published online: Aug 17, 2017
Published in print: Nov 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Jan 17, 2018
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