Shear Performance Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Piers Subjected to Vehicle Collision

Abstract

In this study, finite element (FE) simulation is conducted to analyze the dynamic response and damage/failure characteristics of typical three-column reinforced concrete (RC) piers under vehicle collision, taking into account key variables such as vehicular kinetic energy, diameter of piers and hoops, axial compression ratio, foundation depth and engine mass, and others. Based on the simulation results, an improved formula is proposed for calculating the axial force increment of RC piers during impact. An analytical approach for evaluating the shear performance of RC piers under vehicle collision is developed by combining a formerly established truck collision model. Furthermore, a new type of equivalent static force regarding the shear failure of RC piers under vehicle collision is also proposed and used to criticize the effectiveness of the AASHTO code.