Sensitivity analysis of the plastic hinge region in the wall pier of reinforced concrete bridges

As the bridges are an integral part of the transportation network, their function as one of the most important vital arteries during an earthquake is fundamental. In a design point of view, the bridges piers, and in particular the wall piers, are considered as effective structural elements in the seismic response of bridge structures due to their cantilever performance. Owing to reduced seismic load during design procedure, the response of these structural components should be ductile. This ductile behavior has a direct and decisive correlation to the development of plastic hinge region at the base of the wall pier. Several international seismic design codes and guidelines have suggested special detailing to assure ductile response in this region. In this paper, the parameters which affect the length of plastic hinge region in the reinforced concrete bridge with wall piers were examined and the sensitivity of these parameters was evaluated on the length of the plastic hinge region. Sensitivity analysis was accomplished by independently variable parameters with one standard deviation away from their means. For this aim, the Monte Carlo simulation, tornado diagram analysis, and first order second moment method were used to determine the uncertainties associated with analysis parameters. The results showed that, among the considered design variables, the aspect ratio of the pier wall (length to width ratio) and axial load level were the most important design parameters in the plastic hinge region, while the yield strength of transverse reinforcements had the least effect on determining the length of this region.