Study of Circular Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers Subjected to Vehicular Collisions

Vehicle collisions with bridge piers are one of the leading causes of bridge failures throughout the United States. The damage in a bridge pier caused by a vehicle collision can result in loss of axial capacity in the pier, fracturing of the longitudinal reinforcement, and failure of the bridge. Different performance levels can be established based on the various levels of damage the pier experiences. For this paper, a detailed finite element model was developed. The model consisted of a single, circular, reinforced concrete bridge pier with an elastic foundation and a vehicle model representing a Ford F800 single-unit truck. Various validation studies were conducted to assure the accuracy and to provide confidence in the analytical results. A detailed study was conducted to observe the effects of transverse hoop reinforcement spacing on the performance level of a bridge pier subjected to vehicle collision.

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