Enhancing Seismic Performance of Steel Bridge Piers with Rocking Mechanism and Friction Damper: A Finite Element Simulation Study

This paper presents a novel rocking system for bridge piers that aims to minimize structural damage and reduce residual drift during seismic events. This system relies on gravity for re-centering and does not utilize post-tensioned tendons. It consists of a pair of tubular steel columns attached to the foundation and cap beam with rocking connections. Each connection utilizes a friction damper that absorbs energy through friction at low lateral displacement and plastic deformation at large lateral displacement. Finite element (FE) simulation was utilized to evaluate the behavior of this system under vertical and lateral loading. The finite element models under two different gravity loads were subjected to lateral cyclic loading to study the re-centering characteristics of the system. The analyses have demonstrated that the system exhibits a flag-shaped hysteresis response with minimal residual drift. A supplementary analysis has also shown that any residual drift in this system can be recovered by loosening bolts in the frictional connection.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bridge Pier ، Tubular steel column ، Rocking system ، Self-centering ، Finite element analysis (FEA)