Seismic Response Analysis of a Highway Overcrossing Equipped with Elastomeric Bearings and Fluid Dampers

Abstract

This paper presents a case study on the seismic response of a recently constructed freeway overcrossing located in southern California, which is equipped with elastomeric bearings and fluid dampers at its end abutments. The analysis employs the substructure method and a reduced order stick model. The macroscopic constitutive laws of the springs and dashpots that approximate the mechanical behavior of approach embankments, pile foundations, center bent, abutments, elastomeric bearings, and fluid dampers are established in the companion paper. The paper presents an in-depth analysis of the seismic response of the bridge equipped with the response modification devices accounting for the effects of soil–structure interaction. The various response quantities presented are compared with the corresponding response quantities of a hypothetical bridge with integral abutments. Advantages and challenges in the two design configurations are identified and discussed.