Numerical and experimental investigations on the seismic response of continuous girder bridge using winding rope fluid viscous dampers

Abstract

Severe damage to the continuous girder bridges (CGB) has been observed in past earthquakes. To decrease the seismic response of CGB, a novel winding rope fluid viscous damper (WRFVD) is proposed. In this paper, theoretical mechanical equations for the WRFVD are derived. In addition, simplified numerical modeling approach on CGB with WRFVD is presented. To verify effectiveness of the WRFVD on CGB, a scaled three-span CGB equipped with WRFVD was tested using the shaking table test. The results showed that WRFVD can effectively reduce the internal force of the fixed pier and the deck displacement. In addition, the experimental results verified that the simplified numerical model can be used effectively to simulate the seismic response of multi-span CGB equipped with WRFVD. The verified numerical model was used in a parameter study to examine the influence of damping coefficient, damping index, number and rope pre-tension of WRFVD on the seismic response of a five-span CGB. The parameter study shows that the seismic response of multi-span CGB equipped with WRFVD decreases with the increasing damping coefficient, the increasing number of WRFVD and the decreasing damping index. The influence of the pre-tension of winding ropes is more efficient for the near-fault ground motions. The results demonstrate WRFVD can be used effectively to reduce the seismic response of CGB.