Abstract
In this paper, the energy absorption performance of a steel bellows as one of the energy absorbing bridge girder connectors is examined by model experiments paying attention to not only the longitudinal but also transverse direction. The brittle fracture of the steel bellows is also investigated by an extremely low cycle fatigue test. The effectiveness of the steel bellows on the seismic behavior of a numerical model consisting of a three-span girder bridge is investigated by a non-linear time-history analysis. It is confirmed that the steel bellows possess the large energy absorption performance, and the displacements of the superstructure and bridge piers can be reduced substantially by using the steel bellows in both the longitudinal and transverse directions.
