Effects of Live Load on Seismic Response of Bridges: A Preliminary Study
Abstract: Although live load
is well known to have a dynamic effect on bridge response in addition to its
self-weight, the significance of these effects on seismic response is unclear.
In addition, most bridge design specifications have few requirements concerning
the inclusion of live load in their seismic design provisions. The main
objective of this study is therefore to investigate and obtain insight into the
effect of vehicle-bridge interaction during earthquake shaking. The study
consists of both experimental and analytical investigations. This paper focuses
on the experimental work, which includes shake table testing of a 2/5-scale
model of a horizontally curved steel girder bridge loaded with a series of
representative vehicles. Preliminary experimental results show that the
presence of the live load had a clear beneficial effect on performance for
small amplitude motions, but that this improvement diminished with increasing
amplitude of shaking. Parameters used to measure performance include column
displacements, abutment shear forces, abutment uplift, and concrete spalling.
Keywords: Live load, seismic
response, large-scale, multiple shake tables, horizontally curved bridges
Author: Wibowo, H., Sanford,
D.M., Buckle, I.G., Sanders, D.H
Journal Code: jptsipilgg120035
