Loading Definition and Design of Bridge Piers Impacted by Medium-Weight Trucks
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 24, Issue 6
Abstract
Computational simulation was used to investigate the collision process between medium-weight, single-unit trucks and reinforced concrete bridge piers. The simulation results were used to formulate and calibrate a pulse model to describe, in a simplified manner, the dynamic force demands imposed on a bridge pier by a colliding truck. Key parameters in the force demand model were impact speed, truck weight, and pier dimensions. Accuracy of the proposed demand model was assessed by comparing the damage modes and displacement profiles of piers subjected to impact by the computational truck model and an equivalent, simplified pulse model. Extensive numerical simulations were carried out using the developed pulse model to identify prominent failure mechanisms. Damage levels were quantified through the use of macrolevel deformation parameters, such as plastic rotation and shear distortion. It was shown that shear damage can be substantially reduced by using capacity design theory to proportion the piers.
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Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under Contract DTFH61-14-D-00010. This research is also supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation (Grants CNS-0958379, CNS-0855217, and ACI-1126113) and the City University of New York High Performance Computing Center at the College of Staten Island. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Highway Administration or the National Science Foundation.
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Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 24 • Issue 6 • June 2019
Copyright
© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 19, 2018
Accepted: Nov 14, 2018
Published online: Apr 1, 2019
Published in print: Jun 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Sep 1, 2019
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