Dynamic Behaviors and CFRP Strengthening of Double-Column RC Bridge Piers

This chapter experimentally and numerically examines the dynamic responses of double-column RC piers subjected to horizontal impacts. Firstly, a series of scaled-down horizontal impact tests were performed on five specimens of double-column RC piers, encompassing the impacted pier, its adjacent pier, and the bent cap. These tests varied in terms of the impactor’s velocity and mass, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the collision process, impact forces, lateral displacements, and failure modes. Then, using validated material models and FE analysis approach, numerical simulations of the five impact test cases as well as an additional twelve collision scenarios are conducted to reveal the whole impact process. Furthermore, based on the pier shear resistance and the energy conversion, the ESF is deduced, and a novel ESF-based performance design or evaluation method for double-column RC pier resisting horizontal impact is further proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of CFRP shear-strengthening of double-column RC bridge piers to resist the lateral consecutive impact is studied. The present work can provide the benchmark test data for validating the FE models, and the determination approach for the ESF-based performance design of bridge piers under vehicular collisions.