Experimental and analytical investigation of bridge timber piles under eccentric loads

Daniel J. Borello, Bassem Andrawes, Jerome F. Hajjar, Scott M. Olson, James Hansen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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 languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2237-2246
Number of pages10
JournalEngineering Structures
Volume32
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2010

Keywords

  • Bridges
  • Eccentric load
  • Nonlinear analysis
  • Timber piles

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering

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