Evaluation of Seismic Response Considering the Ageing Effect of Rubber and Lead-Rubber Bearings Applied to PSC Box Bridge

Abstract

The number of aged bridges is increasing so that bridges over 30 years old account for about 11% of all bridges. Consequently, the development of a seismic performance evaluation method that considers the effects of ageing is essential for a seismic retrofitting process for improvement of the seismic safety of existing old bridges. Assessment of the damage situation of bridges after the recent earthquakes in Korea has been limited to the bearings, anchor, and concrete mortar on piers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the seismic responses of PSC box girder bridges by considering the ageing effect of rubber bearings (RBs) and lead-rubber bearings (LRBs). The modification factor proposed by AASHTO is used to take into account the ageing effect in the bearings. PSC box girder bridges with RBs and LRBs were 3D modeled and analyzed with the OpenSEES program. In order to evaluate the ageing effect of RBs and LRBs, 40 near fault and 40 far field records were used as the input earthquakes. When considering the effect of ageing, the displacement responses and shear forces of bridge bearings (RBs and LRBs) were found to increase mostly under the analytical conditions. It was shown that the effect of ageing is greater in the case of RBs than in the case of LRBs.