Seismic Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers Based on Ductile Reinforcement

The reinforced concrete (RC) piers were often damaged at the plastic hinge area by earthquake, therefore, it is necessary to strength the plastic area to resist seismic load. In this study, four RC piers were cast whose dimension was 1/10-scale to the practical one and the main reinforcement ratio was consistent with the practical one. Three of specimens were strengthened by three different materials, such as glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP), aramid fiber-reinforced polymer (AFRP), and hoop stirrup, which were easier to acquire and cost friendly compared with other strengthening methods. These four piers were loaded by a quasi-static test and finite element analysis (FEA) were also conducted. From the experimental results, specimen strengthened by AFRP had best performance, which the lateral resistance, ductility, and energy dissipation of specimens were 16.33%, 34.32%, and 60.58%. GFRP strengthening pier, however, had poor performance in lateral resistance increase of 8.09%, ductility and energy dissipation capacity which the increases were 19.44% and 22%, respectively. The results of FEA are consistent with the experimental results. AFRP had a best performance, which the lateral resistance, ductility, and energy dissipation of specimens were 8.07%, 32.32%, and 45.61%. Compared with the control one, seismic behavior of three strengthened piers had considerable improvement which can be referred to the practical strengthening piers.