Numerical hybrid simulation modeling verification for a curved 3-pier bridge (Investigation of Combined Actions on Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers (CABER) Project)

Reinforced concrete bridge piers are subjected to complex loading conditions under earthquake ground motions. Bridge geometric irregularities and asymmetries result in combined actions imposed on the piers as a combination of displacements and rotations in all six degrees of freedom at the pier-deck juncture. Existing analytical tools have proven their inadequacy in representing the actual behavior of piers under these combined actions, particularly in their inelastic range. The objective of this investigation is to develop a fundamental understanding of the effects of these combined actions on the performance of RC piers and the resulting system response. This paper describes a part of the CABER project that verifies the numerical hybrid simulation of the curved bridge. In this part two models were introduced, a whole model and a sub-structured hybrid model. The whole model was established using the Zeus-NL analysis platform, which is capable of performing inelastic nonlinear response history analysis of the whole curved bridge. The hybrid model was divided into three modules which comprised the deck, left and right piers, and the middle pier of the bridge. The three modules were modeled by Zeus-NL as a static analysis module interface. The simulation coordinator (SimCor) software was utilized to communicate between these modules using a Pseudo-Dynamic time integration scheme. Results obtained from both models were compared and conclusions were drawn.