The creation of analytical models to simulate the structures behavior.
Published in Chapter:
Numerical Modeling of RC Bridges for Seismic Risk Analysis
Pedro Silva Delgado (Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Portugal), António Arêde (Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal, Portugal), Nelson Vila Pouca (Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal, Portugal), and Aníbal Costa (RISCO, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal)
Copyright: © 2016
|Pages: 25
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8823-0.ch015
Abstract
The main purpose of this chapter is to present numerical methodologies with different complexities in order to simulate the seismic response of bridges and then use the results for the safety assessment with one probabilistic approach. The numerical simulations are carried out using three different methodologies: (i) plastic hinge model, (ii) fiber model and (iii) damage model. Seismic response of bridges is based on a simplified plane model, with easy practical application and involving reduced calculation efforts while maintaining adequate accuracy. The evaluation of seismic vulnerability is carried out through the failure probability quantification involving a non-linear transformation of the seismic action in its structural effects. The applicability of the proposed methodologies is then illustrated in the seismic analysis of two reinforced concrete bridges, involving a series of experimental tests and numerical analysis, providing an excellent set of results for comparison and global calibration.