Performance evaluation of post-tensioned steel bridge pier using finite element analysis

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More than 40% of Canadian civil infrastructure has passed its service life, and the municipal infrastructuredeficit has grown to $141B (CIRC 2016). If immediate measures are not taken to revamp the infrastructure, thecost of replacement may increase manifold. Such deficient infrastructure also poses a serious threat to thepublic during disasters like earthquakes. A recent study conducted by the Insurance Bureau of Canadaestimated the overall loss after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in British Columbia at almost $75B (IBC 2013),which clearly reflects the vulnerability of Canadian civil infrastructure. In order to avoid such scenarios inCanada, and in other earthquake prone regions across the world, it is imperative to take immediate measures.The proposed research will introduce prefabricated post-tensioned steel bridge pier that will not only enablestructures to be built faster but also help structures self-center after major earthquakes. Such structures will beimmediately serviceable requiring no major repair works.Performance-based design is becoming a standard practice for seismic design and evaluation of structures inorder to achieve a reliable and satisfactory level of performance. However, there has been no study on theseismic performance of such self-centering steel bridge piers. This research will help develop properunderstanding and knowledge about the behavior of such bridges, which will eventually help us develop theperformance-based design guideline for such bridges. This study will assist engineers in examining theinteraction among different components of the bridge under lateral loads, and evaluate its limit states, anddetermine adequate section sizes and connection details and provide design implications. Finite elementmethod (FEM) will be implemented in this study where the models of self-centering bridge piers will begenerated in ANSYS FEM environment. Extensive FE analysis will be performed to determine the effect ofdifferent parameters including the steel strength, dimensions, amount of post-tensioning force and energydissipator characteristics on its behavior, and the preliminary design requirements.