Abstract
This paper examines the structural behavior of bridge timber piles under eccentric compression loading. Samples of the piles were retrieved from a recently collapsed bridge and experimentally tested under compression and combined compression and flexure. The experimental timber pile response was used to calibrate a numerical model of full timber piles of a prototype bridge, including material and geometric nonlinearity as well as soil-structure interaction. The numerical results illustrated that the pile strength was significantly reduced under eccentric load compared to concentric load. Therefore, it was concluded that the effect of compression-flexure interaction on bridge timber piles must be checked during bridge design and/or rating, especially in the case of simply supported superstructures where loading on one span may lead to eccentric loading on a timber pile group.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 2237-2246 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Engineering Structures |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2010 |
Keywords
- Bridges
- Eccentric load
- Nonlinear analysis
- Timber piles
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering