Behavior of Segmental Precast Posttensioned Bridge Piers under Lateral Loads

AbstractA segmental precast posttensioned (SPPT) bridge pier is an economic recentering structural system. Understanding the seismic behavior of a SPPT system is an important step toward its application in high seismic zones. This paper presents a detailed three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model that was developed using the ABAQUS platform. A brief description and discussion of cyclic tests on eight large-scale SPPT piers is also presented. Four of the piers were constructed and tested to a predefined degree of damage. Then, these piers were retrofitted and retested. The FE models developed and presented in this paper predicted the backbone curves of the piers that were tested directly after construction with an average error of 7% for drift angles smaller than 2.5%. For drift angles greater than 2.5%, the average error reached 13%. For piers that were retrofitted and retested, the error in predicting the backbone curve depended on the state of damage before the retest. When preexistent microcracks we...