Abstract
The purpose of this investigation is to clarify analytically the main mechanism of ruptures of elastomeric bearings used on the East viaduct due to the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake. We made reproduction analysis using the acceleration waveform that was observed in Sendai Higashi interchange near this viaduct. The response of the non-linear dynamic analysis with the general design model did not match the real situation of the damages. Therefore, the influences of the bridge accessories were incorporated into the design model. As a result, the elastomeric bearings were ruptured by the shear strain and the up-lift force exceeding the performance. We hypothesize the main factors of the ruptures are attributed to a mixture of different structural types of piers, a considerable change of the bridge width, the influence of enforced displacement.
