SEISMIC RESPONSE AND CAPACITY EVALUATION OFEXTERIOR SACRIFICIAL SHEAR KEYS OF BRIDGE ABUTMENTS

摘要

The observed damage on bridge abutments and abutment piles after 1994 Northridge earthquake requireda revision on the role and design of shear keys. Experimental research was conducted to investigate theseismic behavior of exterior shear keys that are designed in accordance to current guidelines.Experimental work was also performed on shear keys designed to act as a structural fuse in a bridgesystem that protect abutment piles from failure in a strong earthquake. In this paper, we discuss the resultsof the experimental program and development of a simple analytical model for capacity evaluation ofexterior shear keys.