Target damage level assessment for seismic performance evaluation of two-column reinforced concrete bridge bents

摘要

Displacement capacity verification analysis is usually used to evaluate the level of displacement at which structural elements reach their inelastic deformation capacities. In engineering practice, a modified version of displacement capacity analysis is used in the seismic performance assessment of bridge structures as an alternative to ductility and drift based approaches. In this seismic performance evaluation for a given target damage level, top bent displacement demand should not exceed a certain fraction of displacement capacity under safety evaluation earthquake level. A limited amount of study is available in the literature addressing the limiting values used in setting target damage levels. Furthermore, prediction of seismic response of structures over flexible foundations is not an easy task due to the complexities involved in the soil-structure interaction. The focus of this study is to investigate target damage levels by defining a relationship between displacement capacity to demand ratio and strain based damage levels for seismic performance assessment of two column reinforced concrete bridge bents over flexible foundations.