Design, Analysis, and Seismic Performance of a Hypothetical Seismically Isolated Bridge on Legacy Highway




Report No. UT- 11.01

DESIGN, ANALYSIS, AND SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF A

HYPOTHETICAL SEISMICALLY ISOLATED BRIDGE ON LEGACY

HIGHWAY

Prepared For:

Utah Department of Transportation Research Division


Submitted By: Utah State University

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Authored By:

Keri L. Ryan, Ph.D. Brian Richins January 2011


1. Introduction
Seismic isolation is a method of improving a structure’s performance during seismic events by changing the way it responds. By isolating a structure from the ground’s motion, the forces transferred to the structure are reduced, with a corresponding reduction in the demand placed on members of the structure. This reduction in force is due to the nature of seismic response. Under random excitation, such as an earthquake, a structure tends to be excited at its natural frequencies, which depend on the mass and stiffness distribution of the structure.


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