Seismic Study on Bridge Piers Reinforced with SFRC in Local Region
According to the ductility design principle of the seismic design for bridges, the reinforced concrete bridge piers are usually designed as ductile components, while other structural members are designed as elastic components. However, from the perspective of practical application, the result of using more stirrups to improve member ductility is far from satisfactory. This paper aims at improving the seismic behavior of bridge piers and several tests have been conducted to examine the mechanical properties of the Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete(SFRC). By analyzing the existing research results, we obtain the curve of the constitutive relationship of SFRC which could be applied to bridge piers. Aided by finite element analysis software, we establish the non-linear material model of the bridge pier and calculate in the push-over analysis way. The conclusion is that applying SFRC can effectively improve the ductility of bridge piers. Besides, there is proof demonstrated that adopting SFRC in the proper location of the pier would yield similar behavior as that of the pier reinforced with SFRC in the whole structure. At last, we provide some suggestions about the application of this new form of bridge piers.