ENERGY DISSIPATION CAPABILITY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGE PIERS THAT FAIL IN FLEXURE AT BOTTOM

Abstract

A method for evaluating seismic damage of reinforced concrete piers is proposed on based on the energy concept. The energy dissipation capability of ten reinforced concrete pier models was evaluated from load-displacement hysteresis loops. Effect of the number of loading cycles, shear span ratio, hoop reinforcement ratio and axial compressive stress on the energy dissipation capability was investigated.
An empirical equation to estimate the energy dissipation capability was proposed. This provides a reasonable estimation for the energy dissipation capability of the test specimens.