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

超过40%的加拿大民用基础设施已过其使用寿命，市政基础设施赤字已增长至1410亿美元(中国保监会2016年)。如果不立即采取措施改造基础设施，更换的费用可能会增加很多。在地震等灾害期间，这种基础设施的不足也对公众构成了严重威胁。加拿大保险局最近进行的一项研究估计，不列颠哥伦比亚省发生9.0级地震后的总损失接近750亿美元(IBC 2013)，这清楚地反映了加拿大民用基础设施的脆弱性。为了避免在加拿大和世界上其他地震多发地区出现这种情况，必须立即采取措施。拟议中的研究将引入预制后张法钢桥墩，这种桥墩不仅可以更快地建造结构，还可以帮助结构在大地震后自我定位。这样的结构将立即可以使用，不需要大修工作。基于性能的设计正在成为结构抗震设计和评估的标准实践，以实现可靠和令人满意的性能水平。然而，目前还没有对这种自定心钢桥墩的抗震性能进行研究。这项研究将有助于加深对此类桥梁行为的正确理解和认识，最终将有助于我们制定基于性能的此类桥梁设计指南。这项研究将帮助工程师检查横向荷载下桥梁不同部件之间的相互作用，评估其极限状态，确定适当的截面尺寸和连接细节，并提供设计影响。本文将采用有限元方法，在有限元分析环境中建立自定心桥墩的有限元模型。将进行广泛的有限元分析，以确定不同的参数，包括钢材强度、尺寸、后张力量和耗能器特性对其性能的影响，以及初步设计要求。

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.