Abstract
This paper presents the effect of steel finger-type expansion joints on the overall seismic response of a bridge. For this purpose, two nonlinear hysteretic models are developed for finger expansion joints. Complex interaction of longitudinal and transverse hysteretic behavior such as slip-out, collision, and failure of fingers is included in the models. The models are implemented to seismic response analysis of a three-span simply supported bridge. It is found from the analysis that the effect of expansion joints is significant in the plastic curvature of columns at their plastic hinge and the response displacement and residual displacement of decks and columns.
