Seismic Performance of Prefabricated Continuous Girder Bridge

Abstract

Bearings are the weak link in the seismic design of bridges. Using a continuous girder bridge as an example, it is demonstrated that bearing damage should be considered under large earthquake conditions. The bearing, acting as a fuse-type unit, can be designed to be preferentially damaged to effectively control the displacement of the beam and the response at the base of the pier during an earthquake.