Performance of Bridges in Liquefied Deposits during the 2010–2011 Christchurch, New Zealand, Earthquakes

Abstract

AbstractThe performance of road bridges undergoing liquefaction in the foundation soils and substantial lateral spreading during the 2010–2011 Christchurch earthquakes is discussed in this paper. Three, well-documented case studies are presented in detail to illustrate the performance of bridges and their typical damage associated with lateral spreading. The short-span bridges on pile foundations have a very stiff superstructure (deck), which was a key factor in the seismic response of the bridges. It led to a characteristic deformation mechanism for all bridges involving lateral spreading-deck pinning-abutment backrotation with consequent damage to the abutment piles and slumping of the approaches. Overall, road bridges performed relatively well in the 2010–2011 earthquakes compared to other engineering structures, despite the high seismic demands including substantial liquefaction and large kinematic and inertial loads due to spreading and strong ground shaking, respectively.