MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Earthquake Fragility Assessment of Curved and Skewed Bridges in Mountain West Region
Authors:	Luke Chen and Suren Chen
University:	Colorado State University
Publication Date:	Sep 2016
Report #:	MPC-16-312
Project #:	MPC-415
TRID #:	01616904
Keywords:	reinforced concrete bridges, risk assessment, seismic risk

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) bridges with both skew and curvature are common in areas with complex terrains. Skewed and/or curved bridges were found in existing studies to exhibit more complicated seismic performance than straight bridges, however the related seismic risk studies are still rare. These bridges have irregular and complex geometric designs, and comprehensive seismic analysis is not always required. As a result, little knowledge about actual seismic risks for these bridges in low-to-moderate regions is available. To provide more insightful understanding of the seismic risks, analytical fragility studies were carried out on four typical bridge designs with different geometric configurations (i.e. straight, curved, skewed, skewed and curved) in the mountain west region of the United States. Results show curved and skewed geometries can considerably affect the bridge seismic fragility in a complex manner. Conducting a detailed seismic risk assessment of skewed and curved bridges is needed in low-to-moderate seismic regions.

How to Cite

Chen, Luke, and Suren Chen. Earthquake Fragility Assessment of Curved and Skewed Bridges in Mountain West Region, MPC-16-312. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2016.