Seismic Performance of Rectangular Hollow Bridge Columns

Seismic performance of rectangular hollow bridge columns is a significant issue for a high-speed rail project in Taiwan because ductility of these columns varies with the type of lateral reinforcement. In this paper two prototypes and four models of such columns were tested under a constant axial load and a pseudo-static, cyclically reversed horizontal load. Effects of ductility and dissipated energy are investigated. An analytical model is developed to predict the moment-curvature relationship of each section and the load-displacement relationship of the columns. Based on test results, seismic performance of the columns is presented. Test results are also compared to those from the proposed analytical model. Ductility factors of the tested specimens range from 3.45 to 11.1, and the analytical model satisfactorily predicts the load-displacement relationship of such columns with acceptable accuracy.