A Proposal to Research Seismic Safety Features Efficiency in

Bridge Design


Earthquakes can be destructive. When they compromise the stability of structures such as
bridges, they can interfere with many aspects of society. Civil Engineers have been attempting
to design structures with safety features which protect against failure caused by earthquakes.
In this research project, I hope to evaluate a few of these safety features and assess their
structural and civic efficiency to expand my knowledge in the field of civil engineering.

University of Idaho






For:
National Science Foundation

Submitted By:
Abigail Messegee
Department of Civil Engineering
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Overview of Project Topic and Objective
Purpose
Earthquakes bring a new load force to bridges which civil engineers must be concerned with in
fault areas. All bridges experience compression and tension forces due to the nature of the
bridge. They also experience dead and live loads from the weight of the bridge and the cars,
people, or freight moving across the bridge. In an area known to experience earthquakes, civil
engineers must also account for seismic force. This is the force brought by the seismic
movement of earthquakes. Civil engineers have recently designed a number of safety features
which are believed to counteract seismic force and protect against earthquake damage.
Examples can be found in Japan and the San Francisco Bay Bridge. With this project I hope to
expand my knowledge in the field of civil engineering.
Goal
In this research project, I hope to evaluate a few of these safety features and assess their
structural and civic efficiency. The question that will guide my research is -Which seismic safety
feature has the most structural and civic efficiency in bridge design? This project will observe
the structural effects earthquakes take on bridges with different seismic safety features. This
will include the physical damage and interference. Although structural stability is important,
this project will take into account civic efficiency. This will include the time of failure and
amount of reconstruction needed. The time of failure is important because if there are civilians
on the bridge, the amount of time to evacuate before dangerous destruction is crucial. The
amount of reconstruction is important because transportation will be compromised for the
length of the reconstruction, disrupting the lives of the civilians.
Components
There has been a lot of recent development in seismic safety. The seismic safety features I plan
to research are elastomeric bearings, ductile materials, expansion joints, and shear links.
Elastomeric bearings are plastic or rubber sheets surrounded by two steel plates on the pier of
the bridge. They absorb the side-to-side vibrations of an earthquake before they can move up
the piers and reach the bridge deck. Ductile materials are materials such as steel, which will
bend before they break. These materials can absorb shaking without breaking or buckling. Steel
bars can be constructed inside materials such as concrete to reinforce the concrete. Expansion
joints function similarly to shock absorbers in cars. They are large steel tubes which connect
bridge segments, allowing them to slide together and apart without breaking. This also protects
against the expansion and contraction from change in temperature, and pounding. Shear links
are cross beams which connect individual towers of the bridge. They can absorb shaking and
should fail in place of the tower legs.

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Hypothesis
Although these safety features are all important and protect against different stages of an
earthquake, I hypothesize that the elastomeric bearings will be the most structurally and
civically efficient. Structurally, they will protect the foundation of the bridge the pier. Civically,
they will stop the seismic vibrations from reaching the bridge deck, protecting the bridge deck
and the civilians on it. If the bearings experience the failure in place of the bridge pier, the
reconstruction will be mainly on the bearings, instead of the bridge itself.
Literature Review
The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District was forced to undergo a similar
project in 1989. The Loma Prieta Earthquake compromised the San Francisco Bay Bridge with its
7.2 Richter magnitude. The civil engineers on the project decided not to reconstruct the entire
bridge and instead retrofit the existing one. Retrofitting is cheaper since it only adds safety
components to the structure. Since this was such a large project, it was carried out in three
phases. Each phase required separate contracts and funding. In order for the project to begin
and assist in returning transportation to its normal state as soon as possible, the engineers on
the project needed to evaluate the efficiency of each seismic safety feature. The San Francisco
Bay Bridge project has a similar concept as this proposed project. This project will analyze
different seismic safety features at a higher Richter magnitude. The seismic safety features used
in this project will then be ranked in efficiency, contributing to the body of knowledge of
seismic safety features.
Design and Methodology
Modelling and Preparation
This project will include five physical model bridges. One bridge without seismic safety feature
reinforcements. The remaining four bridges will be built with one seismic safety feature each,
using the same main bridge design. This will ensure consistency. Using computer modelling and
AutoCAD Civil 3D, the main bridge will be designed first to confirm it is a structurally stable
bridge design. Then, each model bridge will be designed and virtually tested inside the
computer programs. Depending on the area of construction, a bridge with seismic safety
features would need to be designed based on the predicted magnitude estimated by historical
earthquakes in the area. For this project, the simulated earthquake will be equivalent to about
an 8.2 Richter magnitude earthquake. An 8.2 earthquake is the magnitude at which areas will
experience building and bridge failures. Next, the physical model bridges will be constructed
according to the computer-aided designs.

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Analysis and Observation
Using a machine which will work as an earthquake simulator in the civil engineering lab at the
University of Idaho, each model bridge will experience the same magnitude similar to the one
in the computer program. Most earthquakes last for a few seconds to a few minutes. However,
in this test, the earthquake will be simulated for two hours at a consistent frequency. This will
allow the bridge to be observed throughout the entire process of failure. Based on examination,
an evaluation on the amount of damage and of amount of reconstruction will be made. After
each bridge is tested and examined, the remaining strength will be tested. Using the
compression machine in the civil engineering lab at the University of Idaho, each bridge will be
put under compression until it breaks. This will show how much the structural stability of each
bridge was compromised in the earthquake simulation.
Role and Timeline
This research project will be carried out individually, it will not be done as a part of a team. The
project will start August 1, 2014. The entire research project will be a process lasting one
month. The modelling and construction will be completed by August 15, 2014. The
experimentation and observation will be completed by August 21, 2014. The project analysis
will be ultimately completed by August 31, 2014.
Preparation
There is no human training or field study preparation needed for this project since it will be
carried out individually in the University of Idaho civil engineering lab. I am familiar with a
virtual bridge analysis tool provided by Dr. Michael Dixon, the professor of the civil engineering
course Analysis and Design, which will be used to analyze the virtual bridge before it is built.
With the coursework in Civil Engineering Analysis and Design, I am able to apply my knowledge
in bridge construction and strength testing.
Budget
As a student at the University of Idaho, I will be allowed to take advantage of the labs,
computer programs, and equipment with the time approval of the department for free. This
cuts the cost of this project immensely. The cost of materials is all that remains. The materials
used in this will be as follows: wood, steel plates, steel tubes, rubber, plastic sheets, nails, U-
bolts and eye-bolts. The total estimated price of the materials is $300.



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Work Cited
"Bridge to Classroom: Engineering for Earthquakes." Bridge to Classroom: Engineering for Earthquakes.
N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2014.
Goel, Tarun. "Bridge Building for Earthquake Areas - Design Considerations." Brighthub Engineering.
N.p., 18 May 2011. Web. 19 July 2014.
"Overview of Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Construction Project.". Golden Gate BridgeHighway
and Transportation District, Feb. 2013. Web. 17 July 2014.
"Shakin' All Over- Europe Researches Quake-proof Bridges." EuroNews. European Commission, Oct.
2003. Web. 16 July 2014.