Seismic Behavior of Composite Simply Supported Bridge Decks supported on Elastomeric Bearings

Abstract

This paper studies the behavior of bridges’ superstructure under seismic action. The bridge under investigation is one of the typical bridges usually used in overpasses in Iraq, which is made of simply supported steel built up girders and reinforced concrete deck slab isolated from the substructure by elastomeric bearing pads. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed using CSI Bridge Software. Time history analysis was carried out using true-recorded earthquake took place in Iraq near the city of Halabja in 2017. The results of the analysis show that the displacements of the elastomeric bearing pads under transverse seismic loading are much higher than the permissible displacements’ limit which will produce failure of these bearings and potential failure of the bridge superstructure.