Seismic performance evaluation and retrofitting of existing highway bridges in British Columbia

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Recent seismic events all over the world have shown the vulnerability of bridge structures during earthquakes. The west coast of Canada is considered the most seismic prone region. There has been limited research to date to evaluate the seismic vulnerability and viable retrofit strategies for the bridges that are common in British Columbia. There is a need for reliable methods for assessing the seismic vulnerability of existing bridges, particularly highway bridges having lifeline characters. S-Frame Software Inc is a world leading Software Company in structural engineering analysis and design where its S-Frame is capable to conduct both static and dynamic time-history analysis. In this project S-Frame will be utilized, which will be first equipped with several nonlinear hysteretic models for accurate seismic performance evaluation. The proposed research will focus on developing reliability-based seismic assessment for existing highway bridges in British Columbia and also bridges retrofitted with various alternatives. Fragility curves will be developed to assess the relative performance of existing bridges and retrofitted bridges considering several limit states. The development of reliable fragility curves would allow for accurate seismic risk assessment, bridge retrofit prioritization, post-earthquake emergency response. The bridge inventory, structural configuration, geometry, and properties of the bridges will be obtained from British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructures.