Capacity Assessment of V-Shaped RC Bridge Bents

Abstract

Assessment of the flexural and shear capacity of two V-shaped RC bridge bents has been validated against experimental results from tests on 1:3-scale specimens. A numerical procedure based on iterative analyses taking into account the variation of vertical loads in the bents’ columns provides a satisfactory prediction of the bents’ overall performance. Based on its general agreement with the experimental data, the numerical model was also used to investigate the uneven distribution of axial load and shear force between the two columns of each bent. Three models were compared for the assessment of the shear capacity of the specimens. All the models identified the compression column as the most critical in terms of shear capacity, as confirmed by the experimental results. The University of California at San Diego (UCSD) model, which introduces an additional contribution due to the compression strut along the column length, appears to be less sensitive to axial load variations and to provide a reliable assessment of the shear capacity of the bents.