Shaking table test of a high-speed railway bridge with a new isolation system

Abstract

With the rapid development of high-speed railway bridge construction in seismic areas, it is necessary to investigate the seismic performance of these bridge structures. A new type of seismic isolation system with function separation is presented in this study. By considering an actual high-speed railway bridge as a representative example, the performance parameters of the new type of isolation system were numerically optimized. Based on the results of optimization design, a shaking table test was performed on a reduced scale high-speed railway bridge specimen employing the new isolation system. The comprehensive optimization design and the experimental results demonstrate that the new isolation system can minimize the bending moment of pier while ensuring that the pier’s seismic response in terms of acceleration and displacement is within the allowable range of normal operation of high-speed railway bridges. The proposed new isolation system is expected to offer a cost effective and safe solution in the design of high-speed railway bridges.