Vehicle Collision Impact Response of Bridge Pier Strengthened with Composites

Abstract

Shortening delays for immediate access to essential public infrastructures when subjected to rare extreme loadings are critical to promptly normalize socioeconomic activities. Public infrastructure networks contain numbers of bridges prone to accidental vehicular impact loading. This paper investigates the response of as-built and carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP)-strengthened bridge piers struck with lightweight and medium-weight vehicles at a city speed limit of 56 km/h, a highway speed limit of 100 km/h, and a police chase speed of 150 km/h. The present study involves the development of three-dimensional (3D) complex nonlinear finite element analysis models of a 13.4 m 3-lane-wide and 7.9 m high AASHTO-LRDF-designed single hammerhead bridge pier. Two publicly available vehicle finite element models representing lightweight and medium-weight trucks were used in the study. An explicit 3D nonlinear finite element software program LS-DYNA was used to simulate vehicle pier collisions. The complete vehicle and single hammerhead bridge pier finite element model had a total of 140,577 elements and finite element analysis was performed at the Ohio Supercomputer Center. Full-scale experimental head-on collision data reported in literature and principles of energy conservation were used to validate the accuracy of the proposed finite element analysis models. Finite element analysis results revealed that CFRP composites contained impact-induced localized damages and peak dynamic impact force surpassed AASHTO design impact force.