Seismic Retrofit of Bridge Steel Truss Piers Using a Controlled Rocking Approach

Keywords: Retrofitting.  Bridges.  Steel.  Trusses.  Piers.  Bridge steel truss piers.  Controlled rocking approaches.  Passive control.  Energy dissipation devices.  Pier rocking.  Buckling-restrained braces (BRB).  Hysteretic responses.  Anchorage connections.  Designs.

Abstract: This report investigates a seismic retrofit technique for steel truss bridge piers that allows pier rocking by using passive energy dissipation devices implemented at the anchorage location to control the rocking response.  Sections of the report include an introduction to the problem, an outline of the work, and a literature review.  Chapter topics discuss a controlled rocking system for seismic retrofit of steel truss bridge piers, a proposed design procedure for controlled rocking system, and results of time history analysis and comparison to design predictions.  Tables, figures, notations, references and several appendices accompany this report.