Damage Based Design Approach for Structures to Earthquake and Other Dynamic Loads

PI: George Lee, SUNY Buffalo This project is aimed to explore a new design concept on damage based design for highway bridges to resist earthquake ground motions and other dynamic loads. This is a jointly supported pilot study by NSF (Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems) and FHWA (Turner Fairbanks Highway Research Center) to develop new bridge design principles and criteria for future applications. In this pilot project, proof-of-concept study is carried out, both analytically and experimentally on a structural component by examining the damage initiation and accumulation process under selected input earthquake ground motions. The PI intends to show that seismic performance of bridges may not be satisfactorily described by using the quasi-static approach or based on behaviors under cyclic loading conditions. Many structural damages are results of combined failure modes (strength, deformation, stiffness, low cycle fatigue, etc.). They can only be understood based on principles of structural dynamics of M-DOF systems. Damage based performance criteria are important foundations for the Bridge of the Future.