COMPARISON OF SEISMIC RESPONSE OF NON-SEISMICALLY AND SEISMICALLY DESIGNED MULTI SPAN CONTINUOUS CONCRETE I-GIRDER BRIDGES

Abstract

Multi Span Continuous Concrete I-Girder Bridges are categorized among the most vulnerable bridge classes. Seismic response assessment for these highway bridges are essential for highway transportation networks exposed to seismic hazards. This study focuses on developing and comparing seismic response of different bridge components for seismically and non-seismically designed bridges that are common in this region. The primary differences between seismically and non-seismically designed bridges are the column details. Detailed threedimensional (3-D) nonlinear analytical models, which account for the nonlinear behavior of the column, girders, and abutments are developed with the use of OpenSees platform. The seismic behavior of the bridge components are obtained and compared for the case of non-seismically and seismically designed bridges. The results explicitly show that the seismic behavior of the bridge components are significantly affected by seismic detailing of the reinforced concrete column. However, different components are not equally affected by this parameter.