COLLAPSE MODES OF CONCRETE REINFORCED SQUARE BRIDGE PIERS UNDER VEHICLE COLLISION

In the field of engineering protection, there is a structural disaster named heavy vehicles impacting column structures. When a heavy truck collides with a reinforced concrete (RC) column at a high velocity, a large impact force generated makes perhaps the column fail and even collapse. Therefore, it is necessary to study the dynamic characteristics during such a disaster, which can provide some reference for structural design, optimization and protection. The RC column impacted by a vehicle could be simplified as a beam fixed at the bottom loaded by a concentrated force, whose deformation is controlled by shearing and bending. In the present work, the ultimate static forces corresponding to shearing and bending collapse are proposed based on theoretical analyses. The model validation is performed using the finite element approach and the theoretical analytical results are in good agreement with the finite element simulation results, which validates the present analytical model. Three cases are simulated by utilizing finite element code ABAQUS, which reveals that the approximate plateau collapse force keeps a long stage beyond the peak failure one. In addition, three collapse modes are observed based on the static force and deformation analysis, validating the present framework which can be used for routine pier design. The work can be extended to estimate collapse modes of building columns under a vehicle collision.