Introduction The predominant characteristics of high-altitude climates include low air pressure,low humidity,and large diurnal temperature fluctuations.In practical engineering scenarios in high-altitude regions,many ...Introduction The predominant characteristics of high-altitude climates include low air pressure,low humidity,and large diurnal temperature fluctuations.In practical engineering scenarios in high-altitude regions,many pier surface cracks only appear several months after erection,and cyclic thermal stress is identified as the main trigger for such cracking.The thermal stress in concrete structures has been investigated for decades but remains incompletely understood.Structural engineers typically regard concrete as an isotropic material and calculate the thermal stress using code-specified coefficients of thermal expansion(CTEs)along with temperature conditions and constraints.Because the CTE of hardened cement paste is more than twice that of many aggregates,reducing the CTE of coarse aggregates can further exacerbate the thermal deformation incompatibility between the coarse aggregate and mortar matrix.In this paper,a comprehensive thermal-elastic mechanics model for pier concrete was developed to analysis the temperature-induced surface stress.Methods A series of mechanical and thermophysical tests were conducted on the diorite aggregate,ITZ cement paste,and mortar,and concrete.A test pier was constructed on open ground near the Yarlung Zangbo River at an altitude of 3800 m.The pier had a diameter of 1.8 m and height of 2 m.Temperature sensors were embedded in the cross-section at a height of 1 m,positioned along the southnorth and east-west directions.The embedding depths(distances from the pier surface)were 0,1.5,3,4.5,6,7.5,9,12,15,20,25,30,35,40,50,60,70,80 cm,and 90 cm.A model of the bridge pier concrete for surface-level analysis was constructed.The model consists of a concrete unit formed as a sphere-shell-shell composite,including the aggregate,ITZ,and mortar layers,embedded in the surface layer of a bridge pier.Outside this unit,the pier concrete was treated as an isotropic,homogeneous elastic material.The real-time internal temperature fields of high-altitude concrete bridge piers,measured on-site,were incorporated into the model.By applying thermoelastic mechanics theory and finite element solutions for plane strain problems,the three-dimensional thermal stresses on the surface layer of high-altitude bridge piers were analyzed Results and discussion During the experimental period,the lowest and highest temperatures on the bridge pier in the high-altitude region were 9.6 ℃ and 42.6 ℃,respectively.These occurred before sunrise and sunset on sunny days,respectively,corresponding to the local maximum temperature gradients during the surface heating and cooling stages,as well as the maximum temperature difference between the surface and center during these stages.The thermal stress on the pier concrete surface was obtained by superimposing the stresses caused by the uneven distribution of the internal temperature field and those caused by the incompatible thermal deformation among the different components in the surface concrete Before the erection of the upper structures,the absolute values of the tangential and vertical stresses were the same;therefore,only one curve was observed.From 22:00 to 8:00,the pier concrete surface was in tension,whereas from 11:00 to 22:00,the pier concrete surface was in compression.The surface of the pier concrete was subjected to biaxial forces of equal magnitude with a maximum compressive stress of 12.52 MPa and maximum tensile stress of 2.15 MPa,respectively at 18:00 and 8:00.According to the fatigue equation,the concrete was predicted to crack after 21 d of temperature cycling.Moreover,if humidity-induced stress is added on top of this,the tensile stress may approach or even exceed the concrete's tensile strength,thereby posing a significant risk of cracking.After the erection of upper structures,the tangential and vertical stresses no longer coincide because the upper structures have been erected.The curve of the tangential stress is unchanged,whereas the curve of the vertical stress is translated downwards by 1.57 MPa due to the structural deadweight.Therefore,the maximum tangential compressive stress remained 12.52 MPa,whereas the maximum vertical compressive stress increased to 14.09 MPa.Additionally,the maximum tangential tensile stress was 2.15 MPa,and the maximum vertical tensile stress was 0.58 MPa.According to Appendix C of GB/T 50010 and the fatigue equation,stresses are unlikely to cause cracking of the pier concrete surface.Although a higher CTE of the coarse aggregate slightly increased the maximum compressive stress,the differences among the three groups of concrete were minimal and could be ignored.Specifically,the maximum compressive stresses on the pier concrete surface were 12.54,12.45 MPa,and 12.56 MPa when using diorite,limestone,and basalt,respectively.By contrast,a lower CTE of the coarse aggregate results in a greater maximum tensile stress on the pier concrete surface.For example,when using limestone,which has a low CTE,the maximum tensile stress on the pier concrete surface is 2.28 MPa,compared to 2.17 MPa when using diorite and 2.14 MPa when using basalt.The finite element simulation results indicated that the maximum compressive stress on the pier concrete surface was 11.72 MPa,whereas the maximum tensile stress was 2.10 MPa.These results are approximately consistent with the theoretical calculations.This consistency provides mutual verification.Conclusions Surface cracking in pier concrete occurs predominantly before the erection of upper structures.Under sunny conditions,the orthogonal decomposition of the superficial stress revealed that the maximum compressive stress during the day was approximately 12.52 MPa,whereas the maximum tensile stress was approximately 2.15 MPa.This tensile stress approached the tensile strength of the C35 concrete under biaxial tension.The risk of cracking increased significantly when humidity-induced stress was considered.After the erection of upper structures,the maximum tangential tensile stress on the pier surface remained at 2.15 MPa while the maximum vertical stress decreased to 0.58 MPa,both of which are well below the tensile strength of C35 concrete under biaxial tension.Although the use of coarse aggregates with a lower coefficient of thermal expansion reduced the tensile stress induced by temperature gradients,it increased the stress owing to material deformation incompatibility,leading to a slight increase in the maximum tensile stress on the pier concrete surface.展开更多
Scour around bridge pier foundations is a complex phenomenon that can threaten structural stability.Accurate prediction of scour depth around compound piers remains challenging for bridge engineers.This study investig...Scour around bridge pier foundations is a complex phenomenon that can threaten structural stability.Accurate prediction of scour depth around compound piers remains challenging for bridge engineers.This study investigated the effect of foundation elevation on scour around compound piers and developed reliable scour depth prediction models for economical foundation design.Experiments were conducted under clear-water conditions using two circular piers:(1)a uniform pier(with a diameter of D)and(2)a compound pier consisting of a uniform pier resting on a circular foundation(with a foundation diameter(D_(f))of 2D)positioned at various elevations(Z)relative to the channel bed.Results showed that foundation elevation significantly affected scour depth.Foundations at or below the bed(Z/D≥0)reduced scour,while those projecting into the flow field(Z/D<0)increased scour.The optimal foundation elevation was found to be 0.1D below the bed level,yielding a 57%reduction in scour depth compared to the uniform pier due to its shielding effect against downflow and horseshoe vortices.In addition,regression,artificial neural network(ANN),and M5 model tree models were developed using experimental data from this and previous studies.The M5 model outperformed the traditional HEC-18 equation,regression,and ANN models,with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.85.Sensitivity analysis indicated that flow depth,foundation elevation,and diameter significantly influenced scour depth prediction,whereas sediment size had a lesser impact.展开更多
To address local concrete damage in joint areas at the footing of prefabricated assembled self-centering bridge piers(PASPs)in seismic design,a damage transfer configuration(DTC)was proposed,based on the bridge pier s...To address local concrete damage in joint areas at the footing of prefabricated assembled self-centering bridge piers(PASPs)in seismic design,a damage transfer configuration(DTC)was proposed,based on the bridge pier structure configuration and the mechanism of local damage formation.Integrating the DTC into the PASP,numerical models of a previous experimental reference PASP and a PASP with damage transfer configuration(DTPASP)were established using the finite element software ABAQUS with a concrete damage plasticity(CDP)model.The models were then compared with experimental results regarding damage distribution,hysteresis curves,energy dissipation capacity,the joint opening degree,and residual displacement.The findings indicate that the finite element model developed in this study can well reflect the experimental results of the reference PASP.The incorporation of the DTC proved to be beneficial in preserving structural integrity,bearing capacity,and the functionality of the core structure of bridge piers following an earthquake.Meanwhile,this addition did not exert a significant influence on the seismic behavior of the core structure of the bridge pier.展开更多
This article provides an overview of the current development status of prestressed segmental precast and assembled piers,Emphasis was placed on analyzing the stress characteristics of bridge piers under impact.The con...This article provides an overview of the current development status of prestressed segmental precast and assembled piers,Emphasis was placed on analyzing the stress characteristics of bridge piers under impact.The concept of recoverable functional design and its application prospects were elaborated,and finally,the research on the impact resistance performance of prestressed segmental precast and assembled pierswas discussed.Research has shown that optimizing design and material selection can effectively enhance the impact resistance and structural durability of bridge piers.At the same time,the introduction of the concept of recoverable functionality provides new ideas for the rapid repair and functional recovery of bridge piers,which helps to improve the recovery efficiency of bridges after extreme events.Future research should focus on the evaluation methods of impact resistance performance,new connection technologies,in-depth application of recoverable functional design,a combination of impact simulation experiments and numerical analysis,and exploration of comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction strategies.These research results will also promote the further development and innovation of prefabricated assembly technology in bridge engineering,bringing new ideas and methods to the field of engineering construction.展开更多
In this study,the flow characteristics around a group of three piers arranged in tandem were investigated both numerically and experimentally.The simulation utilised the volume of fluid(VOF)model in conjunction with t...In this study,the flow characteristics around a group of three piers arranged in tandem were investigated both numerically and experimentally.The simulation utilised the volume of fluid(VOF)model in conjunction with the k–ɛmethod(i.e.,for flow turbulence representations),implemented through the ANSYS FLUENT software,to model the free-surface flow.The simulation results were validated against laboratory measurements obtained using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter.The comparative analysis revealed discrepancies between the simulated and measured maximum velocities within the investigated flow field.However,the numerical results demonstrated a distinct vortex-induced flow pattern following the first pier and throughout the vicinity of the entire pier group,which aligned reasonably well with experimental data.In the heavily narrowed spaces between the piers,simulated velocity profiles were overestimated in the free-surface region and underestimated in the areas near the bed to the mid-stream when compared to measurements.These discrepancies diminished away from the regions with intense vortices,indicating that the employed model was capable of simulating relatively less disturbed flow turbulence.Furthermore,velocity results from both simulations and measurements were compared based on velocity distributions at three different depth ratios(0.15,0.40,and 0.62)to assess vortex characteristic around the piers.This comparison revealed consistent results between experimental and simulated data.This research contributes to a deeper understanding of flow dynamics around complex interactive pier systems,which is critical for designing stable and sustainable hydraulic structures.Furthermore,the insights gained from this study provide valuable information for engineers aiming to develop effective strategies for controlling scour and minimizing destructive vortex effects,thereby guiding the design and maintenance of sustainable infrastructure.展开更多
A novel seismic design method, namely split-pier seismic design, is proposed. A vertical gap and connect elements are set in split-piers. The lateral stiffness of piers is reduced by cracking of the connect elements u...A novel seismic design method, namely split-pier seismic design, is proposed. A vertical gap and connect elements are set in split-piers. The lateral stiffness of piers is reduced by cracking of the connect elements under severe earthquake, and the seismic response of bridges is reduced by avoiding the site predominant periods. A model of tied-arch rigid frame bridge with split-piers was designed. Seismic performance was investigated by pseudo-static experimentation on the scale model, The failure process of split-piers, the hysteresis characteristic and the effect of split-piers on the superstructure are presented. Results show that the split-pier has better seismic performance than common ductile piers do.展开更多
To study the seismic performance of double-skin steelconcrete composite box（ DSCB） piers, a total of 11 DSCB pier specimens were tested under bidirectional cyclic loading. The effects of the loading pattern, the ste...To study the seismic performance of double-skin steelconcrete composite box（ DSCB） piers, a total of 11 DSCB pier specimens were tested under bidirectional cyclic loading. The effects of the loading pattern, the steel plate thickness, the axial load ratio, the slenderness ratio and the aspect ratio were taken into consideration. The damage evolution process and failure modes of the tested specimens are presented in detail. Test results are also discussed in terms of the hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of DSCB pier specimens. It can be concluded that the hysteretic performance of DSCB piers in one direction is affected and weakened by the cyclic loading in the other direction. DSCB piers under bidirectional cyclic loading exhibit good performance in terms of load carrying capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. Overall, DSCB piers can meet the basic aseismic requirements. The research results can be taken as a reference for using DSCB piers as high piers in bridges in strong earthquakeprone areas.展开更多
The equations of the lateral deflection curve of the short pier shear wall under a lateral concentrated load at any level are derived by employing a continuous approach. Lateral flexibility matrixes for the dynamic an...The equations of the lateral deflection curve of the short pier shear wall under a lateral concentrated load at any level are derived by employing a continuous approach. Lateral flexibility matrixes for the dynamic analysis are also obtained by repeatedly calculating the lateral unit load on the wall at each level where a lumped mass located. Dynamic analyses are implemented for short pier shear walls with different parameters, called the integrative coefficient and the pier strength coefficient related to the dimensions of walls. The influences of two coefficients on the dynamic performances of the structure are studied. Results indicate that with the increase of the integrative coefficient, the periods of top two modes apparently decrease but the other periods of higher frequency modes show little variation when the pier strength coefficient remains constant. Similarly, if the integrative coefficient is constant, the top two periods of the free vibration decrease with the increase of the integrative coefficient but the other periods of higher frequency modes show less variation.展开更多
An accurate finite element （ FE） model was constructed to examine the hysteretic behavior of double-skin steel-concrete composite box （ DSCB） piers for further understanding the seismic performance of DSCB piers;...An accurate finite element （ FE） model was constructed to examine the hysteretic behavior of double-skin steel-concrete composite box （ DSCB） piers for further understanding the seismic performance of DSCB piers; where the local buckling behavior of steel tubes, the confinement of the in-filled concrete and the interface action between steel tube and in-filled concrete were considered. The accuracy of the proposed FE model was verified by the bidirectional cyclic loading test results. Based on the validated FE model, the effects of some key parameters, such as section width to steel thickness ratio, slenderness ratio, aspect ratio and axial load ratio on the hysteretic behavior of DSCB piers were investigated. Finally, the skeleton curve model of DSCB piers was proposed. The numerical simulation results reveal that the peak strength and elastic stiffness decrease with the increase of the section width to steel thickness ratio. Moreover, the increase of the slenderness ratio may result in a significant reduction in the peak strength and elastic stiffness while the ultimate displacement increases. The proposed skeleton curve model can be taken as a reference for seismic performance analyses of the DSCB piers.展开更多
In this study, three rapid repair techniques are proposed to retrofit circular bridge piers that are severely damaged by the flexural failure mode in major earthquakes. The quasi-static tests on three 1：2.5 scaled ci...In this study, three rapid repair techniques are proposed to retrofit circular bridge piers that are severely damaged by the flexural failure mode in major earthquakes. The quasi-static tests on three 1：2.5 scaled circular pier specimens are conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed repair techniques. For the purpose of rapid repair, the repair procedure for all the specimens is conducted within four days, and the behavior of the repaired specimens is evaluated and compared with the original ones. A finite element model is developed to predict the cyclic behavior of the repaired specimens and the numerical results are compared with the test data. It is found that all the repaired specimens exhibit similar or larger lateral strength and deformation capacity than the original ones. The initial lateral stiffness of all the repaired specimens is lower than that of the original ones, while they show a higher lateral stiffness at the later stage of the test. No noticeable difference is observed for the energy dissipation capacity between the original and repaired pier specimens. It is suggested that the repair technique using the early-strength concrete jacket confined by carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP） sheets can be an optimal method for the rapid repair of severely earthquake-damaged circular bridge piers with flexural failure mode.展开更多
In recent earthquakes, a large number of reinforced concrete （RC） bridges were severely damaged due to mixed flexure-shear failure modes of the bridge piers. An integrated experimental and finite element （FE） anal...In recent earthquakes, a large number of reinforced concrete （RC） bridges were severely damaged due to mixed flexure-shear failure modes of the bridge piers. An integrated experimental and finite element （FE） analysis study is described in this paper to study the seismic performance of the bridge piers that failed in flexure-shear modes. In the first part, a nonlinear cyclic loading test on six RC bridge piers with circular cross sections is carried out experimentally. The damage states, ductility and energy dissipation parameters, stiffness degradation and shear strength of the piers are studied and compared with each other. The experimental results suggest that all the piers exhibit stable flexural response at displacement ductilities up to four before exhibiting brittle shear failure. The ultimate performance of the piers is dominated by shear capacity due to significant shear cracking, and in some cases, rupturing of spiral bars. In the second part, modeling approaches describing the hysteretic behavior of the piers are investigated by using ANSYS software. A set of models with different parameters is selected and evaluated through comparison with experimental results. The influences of the shear retention coefficients between concrete cracks, the Bauschinger effect in longitudinal reinforcement, the bond-slip relationship between the longitudinal reinforcement and the concrete and the concrete failure surface on the simulated hysteretic curves are discussed. Then, a modified analysis model is presented and its accuracy is verified by comparing the simulated results with experimental ones. This research uses models available in commercial FE codes and is intended for researchers and engineers interested in using ANSYS software to predict the hysteretic behavior of reinforced concrete structures.展开更多
An experimental study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of a proposed rapid repair technique for severely earthquake-damaged bridge piers with flexural-shear failure mode. Six circular pier specimens were f...An experimental study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of a proposed rapid repair technique for severely earthquake-damaged bridge piers with flexural-shear failure mode. Six circular pier specimens were first tested to severe damage in flexural-shear mode and repaired using early-strength concrete with high-fluidity and carbon fiber reinforced polymers （CFRP）. After about four days, the repaired specimens were tested to failure again. The seismic behavior of the repaired specimens was evaluated and compared to the original specimens. Test results indicate that the proposed repair technique is highly effective. Both shear strength and lateral displacement of the repaired piers increased when compared to the original specimens, and the failure mechanism of the piers shifted from flexural-shear failure to ductile flexural failure. Finally, a simple design model based on the Seible formulation for post-earthquake repair design was compared to the experimental results. It is concluded that the design equation for bridge pier strengthening before an earthquake could be applicable to seismic repairs after an earthquake if the shear strength contribution of the spiral bars in the repaired piers is disregarded and 1.5 times more FRP sheets is provided.展开更多
Local scour around a bridge pier is an important parameter for the design of a bridge. Compared with the local scour in a mono-directional current, the local scour in a tidal current has its unique characteristics. In...Local scour around a bridge pier is an important parameter for the design of a bridge. Compared with the local scour in a mono-directional current, the local scour in a tidal current has its unique characteristics. In this paper, several aspects of local scour around bridge piers in tidal current, including the scour development process, the plane form of a scour hole and the maximum scour depth, are studied through movable bed flume experiments.展开更多
Experimental investigations have been carried out to study morpho-hydraulic characteristics such as scour geometry and turbulent flow properties around tandem piers in alluvial channels. Experiments were carried out i...Experimental investigations have been carried out to study morpho-hydraulic characteristics such as scour geometry and turbulent flow properties around tandem piers in alluvial channels. Experiments were carried out in a plane sand bed with two circular piers of same diameter arranged in tandem manner under no seepage, 10% seepage and 20% seepage conditions. Downward seepage minimizes the scour depth around piers and restrains the development of scour depth with time. Strong reversal flow is found near the bed at upstream of piers and near free surface at downstream of piers where velocity and Reynolds shear stress are found to be negative which reduce in magnitude with downward seepage. The flow is more critical within the gap between two piers where velocity is lesser near free surface and gradually increasing towards bed. Quadrant analysis shows that contribution of each event to the total Reynolds shear stress increases with downward seepage. Sedimentation effect prevails within the scour hole whereas outside the scour hole erosive forces become more dominant. Reduced reversal flow at upstream of pier because of downward seepage results in decreasing higher order moments and turbulent kinetic energy. At downstream of piers, secondary currents are dominant due to wake vortices. Strouhal number decreases in case of seepage runs than no seepage condition.展开更多
Seismic capacity,including the ultimate load-carrying capacity and ultimate deformation capacity of precast segmental concrete double-column(PSCDC)piers with steel sleeve(SS)connection or grouted corrugated-metal duct...Seismic capacity,including the ultimate load-carrying capacity and ultimate deformation capacity of precast segmental concrete double-column(PSCDC)piers with steel sleeve(SS)connection or grouted corrugated-metal duct(GCMD)connection,has been verified to be similar to those of cast-in-place(CIP)piers by quasi-static tests.However,the lack of knowledge of seismic response characteristics and damage process of PSCDC piers has limited their application in high-intensity seismic areas.Therefore,shake table tests,using variable types and intensities of seismic ground motions,were performed to investigate the seismic behavior of connection joints and to evaluate the seismic performance of PSCDC piers with SS and GCMD connections.Also,a finite element analysis(FEA)model was developed to study the influence of design parameters on the seismic behavior of the piers.The results showed that the main damage in PSCDC piers was caused by the cyclic opening and closing of connection joints.Under high-intensity ground motions,the PSCDC piers had a lower seismic performance than the CIP piers due to a significant decrease of their integrity and stiffness.The seismic performance of PSCDC piers is comparable to CIP piers when using an appropriate initial stress of the prestressing tendons.展开更多
In order to predict the local scour hole and its evaluation around a cylindrical bridge pier, the computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and theories of sediment movement and transport were employed to carry out numeric...In order to predict the local scour hole and its evaluation around a cylindrical bridge pier, the computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and theories of sediment movement and transport were employed to carry out numerical simulations. In the numerical method, the time-averaged Reynolds Navier-Stokes equations and the standard k-e model were first used to simulate the three-dimensional flow field around a bridge pier fixed on river bed. The transient shear stress on river bed was treated as a crucial hydrodynamic mechanism when handling sediment incipience and transport. Then, river-bed volumetric sediment transport was calculated, followed by the modification of the river bed altitude and configuration. Boundary adaptive mesh technique was employed to modify the grid system with changed river-bed boundary. The evolution of local scour around a cylindrical bridge pier was presented. The numerical results represent the flow pattern and mechanism during the pier scouring, with a good prediction of the maximum scour hole depth compared with test results.展开更多
In this work, experimental investigations have been pursued to analyse the influence of downward seepage on the turbulent characteristics of flow and corresponding changes in vortex structure around circular bridge pi...In this work, experimental investigations have been pursued to analyse the influence of downward seepage on the turbulent characteristics of flow and corresponding changes in vortex structure around circular bridge pier in alluvial channel. Experiments were conducted in sand bed channel with circular piers of different sizes for no seepage, 10% seepage and 20% seepage cases. The measurement of turbulent flow statistics such as velocity and Reynolds stresses is found to be negative within the scour hole at upstream of the pier whereas application of downward seepage retards the reversal of the flow causing a decrement in the velocity and Reynolds stresses. Higher Reynolds shear stress prevails at the downstream side because of the production of wake vortices. Contribution of all bursting events to the total Reynolds shear stress production has been observed to increase with downward seepage. The analysis of integral scale suggest that size of eddies increases with seepage, which is responsible for increase in particle mobility. Initially rate of scouring is more which abatements gradually with expanding time as well as with the increased of downward seepage. Presence of downward seepage reduces the depth and length of vortex and shifts towards downstream side of the pier.展开更多
In this study, sacrificial components were incorporated into self-centering railway bridge piers to improve the lateral stiffness. The seismic response of this new detail was investigated. First, the method to compute...In this study, sacrificial components were incorporated into self-centering railway bridge piers to improve the lateral stiffness. The seismic response of this new detail was investigated. First, the method to compute the initial uplift moment of the self-centering pier is given. In addition, shaking table tests were conducted on a free-rocking pier without sacrificial components, which was used to validate a two-spring numerical model. Good agreement was obtained between the numerical results and experimental data. Furthermore, the validated model was employed to investigate the influence of sacrificial components on the seismic response of rocking piers. For this purpose, two models were developed, with and without sacrificial components. Nonlinear response history analysis was then performed on both models under three historical motions. The results showed that compared to the one without sacrificial components, the rocking pier with sacrificial components has comparable displacement at the top of the pier, and maximum uplift moment at high amplitude motion. Therefore, incorporating sacrificial components into the rocking pier can increase the lateral stiffness at service load and low amplitude frequent earthquakes but can produce comparable response at high seismic excitation. These results provide support for performance-based seismic design of self-centering rocking piers.展开更多
By utilizing the current finite element program ANSYS, two types of finite element models (FEM), the beam model (BM) and shell model (SM), are established for the nonlinear stability analysis of a practical rigid fram...By utilizing the current finite element program ANSYS, two types of finite element models (FEM), the beam model (BM) and shell model (SM), are established for the nonlinear stability analysis of a practical rigid frame bridge—Longtanhe Great Bridge. In these analyses, geometrical and material nonlinearities are simultaneously taken into account. For geometrical nonlinearity, updated Lagrangian formulations are adopted to derive the tangent stiffness matrix. In order to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the plastic hinge of the piers, the multi lines spring element COMBIN39 is used in the SM while the bilinear rotational spring element COMBIN40 is employed in the BM. Numerical calculations show that satisfying results can be obtained in the stability analysis of the bridge when the double coupling nonlinearity effects are considered. In addition, the conclusion is significant for practical engineering.展开更多
文摘Introduction The predominant characteristics of high-altitude climates include low air pressure,low humidity,and large diurnal temperature fluctuations.In practical engineering scenarios in high-altitude regions,many pier surface cracks only appear several months after erection,and cyclic thermal stress is identified as the main trigger for such cracking.The thermal stress in concrete structures has been investigated for decades but remains incompletely understood.Structural engineers typically regard concrete as an isotropic material and calculate the thermal stress using code-specified coefficients of thermal expansion(CTEs)along with temperature conditions and constraints.Because the CTE of hardened cement paste is more than twice that of many aggregates,reducing the CTE of coarse aggregates can further exacerbate the thermal deformation incompatibility between the coarse aggregate and mortar matrix.In this paper,a comprehensive thermal-elastic mechanics model for pier concrete was developed to analysis the temperature-induced surface stress.Methods A series of mechanical and thermophysical tests were conducted on the diorite aggregate,ITZ cement paste,and mortar,and concrete.A test pier was constructed on open ground near the Yarlung Zangbo River at an altitude of 3800 m.The pier had a diameter of 1.8 m and height of 2 m.Temperature sensors were embedded in the cross-section at a height of 1 m,positioned along the southnorth and east-west directions.The embedding depths(distances from the pier surface)were 0,1.5,3,4.5,6,7.5,9,12,15,20,25,30,35,40,50,60,70,80 cm,and 90 cm.A model of the bridge pier concrete for surface-level analysis was constructed.The model consists of a concrete unit formed as a sphere-shell-shell composite,including the aggregate,ITZ,and mortar layers,embedded in the surface layer of a bridge pier.Outside this unit,the pier concrete was treated as an isotropic,homogeneous elastic material.The real-time internal temperature fields of high-altitude concrete bridge piers,measured on-site,were incorporated into the model.By applying thermoelastic mechanics theory and finite element solutions for plane strain problems,the three-dimensional thermal stresses on the surface layer of high-altitude bridge piers were analyzed Results and discussion During the experimental period,the lowest and highest temperatures on the bridge pier in the high-altitude region were 9.6 ℃ and 42.6 ℃,respectively.These occurred before sunrise and sunset on sunny days,respectively,corresponding to the local maximum temperature gradients during the surface heating and cooling stages,as well as the maximum temperature difference between the surface and center during these stages.The thermal stress on the pier concrete surface was obtained by superimposing the stresses caused by the uneven distribution of the internal temperature field and those caused by the incompatible thermal deformation among the different components in the surface concrete Before the erection of the upper structures,the absolute values of the tangential and vertical stresses were the same;therefore,only one curve was observed.From 22:00 to 8:00,the pier concrete surface was in tension,whereas from 11:00 to 22:00,the pier concrete surface was in compression.The surface of the pier concrete was subjected to biaxial forces of equal magnitude with a maximum compressive stress of 12.52 MPa and maximum tensile stress of 2.15 MPa,respectively at 18:00 and 8:00.According to the fatigue equation,the concrete was predicted to crack after 21 d of temperature cycling.Moreover,if humidity-induced stress is added on top of this,the tensile stress may approach or even exceed the concrete's tensile strength,thereby posing a significant risk of cracking.After the erection of upper structures,the tangential and vertical stresses no longer coincide because the upper structures have been erected.The curve of the tangential stress is unchanged,whereas the curve of the vertical stress is translated downwards by 1.57 MPa due to the structural deadweight.Therefore,the maximum tangential compressive stress remained 12.52 MPa,whereas the maximum vertical compressive stress increased to 14.09 MPa.Additionally,the maximum tangential tensile stress was 2.15 MPa,and the maximum vertical tensile stress was 0.58 MPa.According to Appendix C of GB/T 50010 and the fatigue equation,stresses are unlikely to cause cracking of the pier concrete surface.Although a higher CTE of the coarse aggregate slightly increased the maximum compressive stress,the differences among the three groups of concrete were minimal and could be ignored.Specifically,the maximum compressive stresses on the pier concrete surface were 12.54,12.45 MPa,and 12.56 MPa when using diorite,limestone,and basalt,respectively.By contrast,a lower CTE of the coarse aggregate results in a greater maximum tensile stress on the pier concrete surface.For example,when using limestone,which has a low CTE,the maximum tensile stress on the pier concrete surface is 2.28 MPa,compared to 2.17 MPa when using diorite and 2.14 MPa when using basalt.The finite element simulation results indicated that the maximum compressive stress on the pier concrete surface was 11.72 MPa,whereas the maximum tensile stress was 2.10 MPa.These results are approximately consistent with the theoretical calculations.This consistency provides mutual verification.Conclusions Surface cracking in pier concrete occurs predominantly before the erection of upper structures.Under sunny conditions,the orthogonal decomposition of the superficial stress revealed that the maximum compressive stress during the day was approximately 12.52 MPa,whereas the maximum tensile stress was approximately 2.15 MPa.This tensile stress approached the tensile strength of the C35 concrete under biaxial tension.The risk of cracking increased significantly when humidity-induced stress was considered.After the erection of upper structures,the maximum tangential tensile stress on the pier surface remained at 2.15 MPa while the maximum vertical stress decreased to 0.58 MPa,both of which are well below the tensile strength of C35 concrete under biaxial tension.Although the use of coarse aggregates with a lower coefficient of thermal expansion reduced the tensile stress induced by temperature gradients,it increased the stress owing to material deformation incompatibility,leading to a slight increase in the maximum tensile stress on the pier concrete surface.
文摘Scour around bridge pier foundations is a complex phenomenon that can threaten structural stability.Accurate prediction of scour depth around compound piers remains challenging for bridge engineers.This study investigated the effect of foundation elevation on scour around compound piers and developed reliable scour depth prediction models for economical foundation design.Experiments were conducted under clear-water conditions using two circular piers:(1)a uniform pier(with a diameter of D)and(2)a compound pier consisting of a uniform pier resting on a circular foundation(with a foundation diameter(D_(f))of 2D)positioned at various elevations(Z)relative to the channel bed.Results showed that foundation elevation significantly affected scour depth.Foundations at or below the bed(Z/D≥0)reduced scour,while those projecting into the flow field(Z/D<0)increased scour.The optimal foundation elevation was found to be 0.1D below the bed level,yielding a 57%reduction in scour depth compared to the uniform pier due to its shielding effect against downflow and horseshoe vortices.In addition,regression,artificial neural network(ANN),and M5 model tree models were developed using experimental data from this and previous studies.The M5 model outperformed the traditional HEC-18 equation,regression,and ANN models,with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.85.Sensitivity analysis indicated that flow depth,foundation elevation,and diameter significantly influenced scour depth prediction,whereas sediment size had a lesser impact.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.51408359,52278527 and 52478536。
文摘To address local concrete damage in joint areas at the footing of prefabricated assembled self-centering bridge piers(PASPs)in seismic design,a damage transfer configuration(DTC)was proposed,based on the bridge pier structure configuration and the mechanism of local damage formation.Integrating the DTC into the PASP,numerical models of a previous experimental reference PASP and a PASP with damage transfer configuration(DTPASP)were established using the finite element software ABAQUS with a concrete damage plasticity(CDP)model.The models were then compared with experimental results regarding damage distribution,hysteresis curves,energy dissipation capacity,the joint opening degree,and residual displacement.The findings indicate that the finite element model developed in this study can well reflect the experimental results of the reference PASP.The incorporation of the DTC proved to be beneficial in preserving structural integrity,bearing capacity,and the functionality of the core structure of bridge piers following an earthquake.Meanwhile,this addition did not exert a significant influence on the seismic behavior of the core structure of the bridge pier.
基金supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.LTGG23E080001Scientific Research Foundation of Hangzhou City University under Grant Nos.X-202107 and X-202109Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Urban Infrastructure under Grant No.IUI2023-ZD-14.
文摘This article provides an overview of the current development status of prestressed segmental precast and assembled piers,Emphasis was placed on analyzing the stress characteristics of bridge piers under impact.The concept of recoverable functional design and its application prospects were elaborated,and finally,the research on the impact resistance performance of prestressed segmental precast and assembled pierswas discussed.Research has shown that optimizing design and material selection can effectively enhance the impact resistance and structural durability of bridge piers.At the same time,the introduction of the concept of recoverable functionality provides new ideas for the rapid repair and functional recovery of bridge piers,which helps to improve the recovery efficiency of bridges after extreme events.Future research should focus on the evaluation methods of impact resistance performance,new connection technologies,in-depth application of recoverable functional design,a combination of impact simulation experiments and numerical analysis,and exploration of comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction strategies.These research results will also promote the further development and innovation of prefabricated assembly technology in bridge engineering,bringing new ideas and methods to the field of engineering construction.
文摘In this study,the flow characteristics around a group of three piers arranged in tandem were investigated both numerically and experimentally.The simulation utilised the volume of fluid(VOF)model in conjunction with the k–ɛmethod(i.e.,for flow turbulence representations),implemented through the ANSYS FLUENT software,to model the free-surface flow.The simulation results were validated against laboratory measurements obtained using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter.The comparative analysis revealed discrepancies between the simulated and measured maximum velocities within the investigated flow field.However,the numerical results demonstrated a distinct vortex-induced flow pattern following the first pier and throughout the vicinity of the entire pier group,which aligned reasonably well with experimental data.In the heavily narrowed spaces between the piers,simulated velocity profiles were overestimated in the free-surface region and underestimated in the areas near the bed to the mid-stream when compared to measurements.These discrepancies diminished away from the regions with intense vortices,indicating that the employed model was capable of simulating relatively less disturbed flow turbulence.Furthermore,velocity results from both simulations and measurements were compared based on velocity distributions at three different depth ratios(0.15,0.40,and 0.62)to assess vortex characteristic around the piers.This comparison revealed consistent results between experimental and simulated data.This research contributes to a deeper understanding of flow dynamics around complex interactive pier systems,which is critical for designing stable and sustainable hydraulic structures.Furthermore,the insights gained from this study provide valuable information for engineers aiming to develop effective strategies for controlling scour and minimizing destructive vortex effects,thereby guiding the design and maintenance of sustainable infrastructure.
基金The Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(NoBK2002061)
文摘A novel seismic design method, namely split-pier seismic design, is proposed. A vertical gap and connect elements are set in split-piers. The lateral stiffness of piers is reduced by cracking of the connect elements under severe earthquake, and the seismic response of bridges is reduced by avoiding the site predominant periods. A model of tied-arch rigid frame bridge with split-piers was designed. Seismic performance was investigated by pseudo-static experimentation on the scale model, The failure process of split-piers, the hysteresis characteristic and the effect of split-piers on the superstructure are presented. Results show that the split-pier has better seismic performance than common ductile piers do.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.5117810151378112)the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education(No.20110092110011)
文摘To study the seismic performance of double-skin steelconcrete composite box（ DSCB） piers, a total of 11 DSCB pier specimens were tested under bidirectional cyclic loading. The effects of the loading pattern, the steel plate thickness, the axial load ratio, the slenderness ratio and the aspect ratio were taken into consideration. The damage evolution process and failure modes of the tested specimens are presented in detail. Test results are also discussed in terms of the hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of DSCB pier specimens. It can be concluded that the hysteretic performance of DSCB piers in one direction is affected and weakened by the cyclic loading in the other direction. DSCB piers under bidirectional cyclic loading exhibit good performance in terms of load carrying capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. Overall, DSCB piers can meet the basic aseismic requirements. The research results can be taken as a reference for using DSCB piers as high piers in bridges in strong earthquakeprone areas.
文摘The equations of the lateral deflection curve of the short pier shear wall under a lateral concentrated load at any level are derived by employing a continuous approach. Lateral flexibility matrixes for the dynamic analysis are also obtained by repeatedly calculating the lateral unit load on the wall at each level where a lumped mass located. Dynamic analyses are implemented for short pier shear walls with different parameters, called the integrative coefficient and the pier strength coefficient related to the dimensions of walls. The influences of two coefficients on the dynamic performances of the structure are studied. Results indicate that with the increase of the integrative coefficient, the periods of top two modes apparently decrease but the other periods of higher frequency modes show little variation when the pier strength coefficient remains constant. Similarly, if the integrative coefficient is constant, the top two periods of the free vibration decrease with the increase of the integrative coefficient but the other periods of higher frequency modes show less variation.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51678141,51378112)the Open Fund from the National Engineering Laboratory for Technology of Geological Disaster Prevention in Land Transportation,Southwest Jiaotong University(No.SWJTUGGS-2014001)
文摘An accurate finite element （ FE） model was constructed to examine the hysteretic behavior of double-skin steel-concrete composite box （ DSCB） piers for further understanding the seismic performance of DSCB piers; where the local buckling behavior of steel tubes, the confinement of the in-filled concrete and the interface action between steel tube and in-filled concrete were considered. The accuracy of the proposed FE model was verified by the bidirectional cyclic loading test results. Based on the validated FE model, the effects of some key parameters, such as section width to steel thickness ratio, slenderness ratio, aspect ratio and axial load ratio on the hysteretic behavior of DSCB piers were investigated. Finally, the skeleton curve model of DSCB piers was proposed. The numerical simulation results reveal that the peak strength and elastic stiffness decrease with the increase of the section width to steel thickness ratio. Moreover, the increase of the slenderness ratio may result in a significant reduction in the peak strength and elastic stiffness while the ultimate displacement increases. The proposed skeleton curve model can be taken as a reference for seismic performance analyses of the DSCB piers.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.51678150Science for Earthquake Resilience under Grant No.XH17064Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award(DECRA)
文摘In this study, three rapid repair techniques are proposed to retrofit circular bridge piers that are severely damaged by the flexural failure mode in major earthquakes. The quasi-static tests on three 1：2.5 scaled circular pier specimens are conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed repair techniques. For the purpose of rapid repair, the repair procedure for all the specimens is conducted within four days, and the behavior of the repaired specimens is evaluated and compared with the original ones. A finite element model is developed to predict the cyclic behavior of the repaired specimens and the numerical results are compared with the test data. It is found that all the repaired specimens exhibit similar or larger lateral strength and deformation capacity than the original ones. The initial lateral stiffness of all the repaired specimens is lower than that of the original ones, while they show a higher lateral stiffness at the later stage of the test. No noticeable difference is observed for the energy dissipation capacity between the original and repaired pier specimens. It is suggested that the repair technique using the early-strength concrete jacket confined by carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP） sheets can be an optimal method for the rapid repair of severely earthquake-damaged circular bridge piers with flexural failure mode.
基金Supported by:National Natural Science Foundation of China Under Grant No.50878033 and National Special Foundation of Earthquake Science of China Under Grant No.200808021
文摘In recent earthquakes, a large number of reinforced concrete （RC） bridges were severely damaged due to mixed flexure-shear failure modes of the bridge piers. An integrated experimental and finite element （FE） analysis study is described in this paper to study the seismic performance of the bridge piers that failed in flexure-shear modes. In the first part, a nonlinear cyclic loading test on six RC bridge piers with circular cross sections is carried out experimentally. The damage states, ductility and energy dissipation parameters, stiffness degradation and shear strength of the piers are studied and compared with each other. The experimental results suggest that all the piers exhibit stable flexural response at displacement ductilities up to four before exhibiting brittle shear failure. The ultimate performance of the piers is dominated by shear capacity due to significant shear cracking, and in some cases, rupturing of spiral bars. In the second part, modeling approaches describing the hysteretic behavior of the piers are investigated by using ANSYS software. A set of models with different parameters is selected and evaluated through comparison with experimental results. The influences of the shear retention coefficients between concrete cracks, the Bauschinger effect in longitudinal reinforcement, the bond-slip relationship between the longitudinal reinforcement and the concrete and the concrete failure surface on the simulated hysteretic curves are discussed. Then, a modified analysis model is presented and its accuracy is verified by comparing the simulated results with experimental ones. This research uses models available in commercial FE codes and is intended for researchers and engineers interested in using ANSYS software to predict the hysteretic behavior of reinforced concrete structures.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China Under Grant No.51008041 and 50978042the National Special Foundation of Earthquake Science of China Under Grant No.200808021the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities Under Grant No.2011JC011
文摘An experimental study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of a proposed rapid repair technique for severely earthquake-damaged bridge piers with flexural-shear failure mode. Six circular pier specimens were first tested to severe damage in flexural-shear mode and repaired using early-strength concrete with high-fluidity and carbon fiber reinforced polymers （CFRP）. After about four days, the repaired specimens were tested to failure again. The seismic behavior of the repaired specimens was evaluated and compared to the original specimens. Test results indicate that the proposed repair technique is highly effective. Both shear strength and lateral displacement of the repaired piers increased when compared to the original specimens, and the failure mechanism of the piers shifted from flexural-shear failure to ductile flexural failure. Finally, a simple design model based on the Seible formulation for post-earthquake repair design was compared to the experimental results. It is concluded that the design equation for bridge pier strengthening before an earthquake could be applicable to seismic repairs after an earthquake if the shear strength contribution of the spiral bars in the repaired piers is disregarded and 1.5 times more FRP sheets is provided.
文摘Local scour around a bridge pier is an important parameter for the design of a bridge. Compared with the local scour in a mono-directional current, the local scour in a tidal current has its unique characteristics. In this paper, several aspects of local scour around bridge piers in tidal current, including the scour development process, the plane form of a scour hole and the maximum scour depth, are studied through movable bed flume experiments.
文摘Experimental investigations have been carried out to study morpho-hydraulic characteristics such as scour geometry and turbulent flow properties around tandem piers in alluvial channels. Experiments were carried out in a plane sand bed with two circular piers of same diameter arranged in tandem manner under no seepage, 10% seepage and 20% seepage conditions. Downward seepage minimizes the scour depth around piers and restrains the development of scour depth with time. Strong reversal flow is found near the bed at upstream of piers and near free surface at downstream of piers where velocity and Reynolds shear stress are found to be negative which reduce in magnitude with downward seepage. The flow is more critical within the gap between two piers where velocity is lesser near free surface and gradually increasing towards bed. Quadrant analysis shows that contribution of each event to the total Reynolds shear stress increases with downward seepage. Sedimentation effect prevails within the scour hole whereas outside the scour hole erosive forces become more dominant. Reduced reversal flow at upstream of pier because of downward seepage results in decreasing higher order moments and turbulent kinetic energy. At downstream of piers, secondary currents are dominant due to wake vortices. Strouhal number decreases in case of seepage runs than no seepage condition.
基金Supported by Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)under Grant No.51408360Technology Project of Xiamen Construction Bureau(XJK)under Grant No.XJK2017-1-4。
文摘Seismic capacity,including the ultimate load-carrying capacity and ultimate deformation capacity of precast segmental concrete double-column(PSCDC)piers with steel sleeve(SS)connection or grouted corrugated-metal duct(GCMD)connection,has been verified to be similar to those of cast-in-place(CIP)piers by quasi-static tests.However,the lack of knowledge of seismic response characteristics and damage process of PSCDC piers has limited their application in high-intensity seismic areas.Therefore,shake table tests,using variable types and intensities of seismic ground motions,were performed to investigate the seismic behavior of connection joints and to evaluate the seismic performance of PSCDC piers with SS and GCMD connections.Also,a finite element analysis(FEA)model was developed to study the influence of design parameters on the seismic behavior of the piers.The results showed that the main damage in PSCDC piers was caused by the cyclic opening and closing of connection joints.Under high-intensity ground motions,the PSCDC piers had a lower seismic performance than the CIP piers due to a significant decrease of their integrity and stiffness.The seismic performance of PSCDC piers is comparable to CIP piers when using an appropriate initial stress of the prestressing tendons.
基金Project(50978095) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(IRT0917) supported by the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in Chinese UniversityProject supported by China Scholarship Council
文摘In order to predict the local scour hole and its evaluation around a cylindrical bridge pier, the computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and theories of sediment movement and transport were employed to carry out numerical simulations. In the numerical method, the time-averaged Reynolds Navier-Stokes equations and the standard k-e model were first used to simulate the three-dimensional flow field around a bridge pier fixed on river bed. The transient shear stress on river bed was treated as a crucial hydrodynamic mechanism when handling sediment incipience and transport. Then, river-bed volumetric sediment transport was calculated, followed by the modification of the river bed altitude and configuration. Boundary adaptive mesh technique was employed to modify the grid system with changed river-bed boundary. The evolution of local scour around a cylindrical bridge pier was presented. The numerical results represent the flow pattern and mechanism during the pier scouring, with a good prediction of the maximum scour hole depth compared with test results.
文摘In this work, experimental investigations have been pursued to analyse the influence of downward seepage on the turbulent characteristics of flow and corresponding changes in vortex structure around circular bridge pier in alluvial channel. Experiments were conducted in sand bed channel with circular piers of different sizes for no seepage, 10% seepage and 20% seepage cases. The measurement of turbulent flow statistics such as velocity and Reynolds stresses is found to be negative within the scour hole at upstream of the pier whereas application of downward seepage retards the reversal of the flow causing a decrement in the velocity and Reynolds stresses. Higher Reynolds shear stress prevails at the downstream side because of the production of wake vortices. Contribution of all bursting events to the total Reynolds shear stress production has been observed to increase with downward seepage. The analysis of integral scale suggest that size of eddies increases with seepage, which is responsible for increase in particle mobility. Initially rate of scouring is more which abatements gradually with expanding time as well as with the increased of downward seepage. Presence of downward seepage reduces the depth and length of vortex and shifts towards downstream side of the pier.
文摘In this study, sacrificial components were incorporated into self-centering railway bridge piers to improve the lateral stiffness. The seismic response of this new detail was investigated. First, the method to compute the initial uplift moment of the self-centering pier is given. In addition, shaking table tests were conducted on a free-rocking pier without sacrificial components, which was used to validate a two-spring numerical model. Good agreement was obtained between the numerical results and experimental data. Furthermore, the validated model was employed to investigate the influence of sacrificial components on the seismic response of rocking piers. For this purpose, two models were developed, with and without sacrificial components. Nonlinear response history analysis was then performed on both models under three historical motions. The results showed that compared to the one without sacrificial components, the rocking pier with sacrificial components has comparable displacement at the top of the pier, and maximum uplift moment at high amplitude motion. Therefore, incorporating sacrificial components into the rocking pier can increase the lateral stiffness at service load and low amplitude frequent earthquakes but can produce comparable response at high seismic excitation. These results provide support for performance-based seismic design of self-centering rocking piers.
文摘By utilizing the current finite element program ANSYS, two types of finite element models (FEM), the beam model (BM) and shell model (SM), are established for the nonlinear stability analysis of a practical rigid frame bridge—Longtanhe Great Bridge. In these analyses, geometrical and material nonlinearities are simultaneously taken into account. For geometrical nonlinearity, updated Lagrangian formulations are adopted to derive the tangent stiffness matrix. In order to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the plastic hinge of the piers, the multi lines spring element COMBIN39 is used in the SM while the bilinear rotational spring element COMBIN40 is employed in the BM. Numerical calculations show that satisfying results can be obtained in the stability analysis of the bridge when the double coupling nonlinearity effects are considered. In addition, the conclusion is significant for practical engineering.
