High-Damage and Low-Damage Seismic Design Technologies for Accelerated Bridge Construction

This paper presents experimental investigation for the seismic performance of two half-scale fully prefabricated multi-column bridge piers under the cyclic quasi-static loading. The first specimen incorporates emulative monolithic connections between the precast members. This solution is called “High-Damage”. This solution achieved similar seismic performance levels and ductility (such as formation of plastic hinging), as that can be expected of a monolithic construction. However, residual displacement and significant structural damage at the plastic hinging zone would require extensive repair work and possible replacement of the bridge after a big earthquake. The second specimen is a “Low-Damage” solution. The specimen incorporated unbonded post-tensioning with the external dissipaters for a superior seismic performance. This solution eliminates any type of damage to the substructure components with full re-centering of the bridge following a big earthquake. The paper further provides a comparison of the High-Damage and Low-Damage solutions.