Influence of Vertical Earthquake Motion and Pre-earthquake Stress on Joint Response of Precast Concrete Segmental Bridges

This paper investigates the seismic response of precast concrete segmental bridges using detailed, 2-D nonlinear time-history analyses and focuses on the behavior of segment-to-segment joints constructed using the balanced-cantilever method. Analytical models of full-scale precast concrete segmental bridges with geometries and characteristics similar to the Otay River Bridge in California were used in this study. 20 near-field earthquake records were used to determine the median joint response as well as to quantify the effect of vertical motion on the joint response. Four different pre-earthquake stress conditions were studied to determine whether the effects of creep, shrinkage, and temperature affect the seismic response of segment joints. Results indicated that vertical earthquake motions and the pre-earthquake stress state can significantly alter the response of segment joints.