Seismic Design of Bridges for Prevention of Girder Pounding By H. Hao 1 , N. Chouw 2 1 University of Western Australia, Australia 2 University of Auckland, New Zealand Featured in: Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering (EJSE) Poppy Brewer East Peckham
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Seismic Design of Bridges for Prevention of Girder Pounding
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Seismic Design of Bridges for Prevention of Girder Pounding
By H. Hao1, N. Chouw2
1 University of Western Australia, Australia 2University of Auckland, New Zealand
Featured in: Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering (EJSE)
Poppy BrewerEast Peckham
THE PROBLEM
Introduction
• Current design regulations depend on an in-phase overall vibration to stop adjacent structures from colliding.
• However, pounding damage has still been observed in recent earthquakes.
Taiwan earthquake, 1999
The Trans European Motorway (TEM), 1999
‘Million Dollar’ truss-bridge Alaska, 1964
BAD TIMES!
THE REASSESSMENT
Reassessing the causes of pounding
• Hao and Chouw found two key areas that needed to be better considered:
1. Non-uniform vibrations
2. Soil-structure interaction (SSI)
Non-uniform vibrations
• Vibrations within a system can vary greatly!
Soil-structure interaction (SSI)
• Supporting subsoil can have vastly different properties, so the chance of vibrations being the same at all support bases of a bridge is very small.
The evidenceOriginal method of calculation gives much smaller maximum gap
requirement than the new method, which considers SSI.
AHA! A genius new design philosophy is required.
THE SOLUTION
The solution
• Taking these key aspects of bridge behaviour into account, it is evident that a wider gap is required between adjacent bridge members.
• MEJs, or modular expansion joints provide a solution.
Modular Expansion Joints (MEJs)•MEJs are already being used to combat the thermal expansion and contraction of bridges.