Damage Estimation of a Concrete Pier When Exposed to Extreme Flood and Debris Loading

Abstract

The structural safety and serviceability during extreme weather, such as floods and storms, is critical. Due to global warming in the last decades, the increase in the intensity of natural disasters, i.e., flood loading and the durability of the road structures and infrastructures, is becoming critical. Bridges and structures lose their capacity because of ageing over time. On the other hand, the load intensity is another reason for the structural damage. Debris loading due to the flooding on bridges is one of the reasons for the increase in flood loading and eventually structural damage. Measuring the level of structural damage under extreme events is vital in determining the vulnerability and resilience of structures during a disaster. A damage index (DI) can be defined as a measurement tool for the levels of structural damage. Oftentimes, damage indices are developed to measure the deterioration of the system under earthquake loading. Little work has been published on damage indices (DIs) under flood loading, where a uniform pressure is applied to a structure. This paper presents a comprehensive review of DIs published in the literature and compares two approaches to assess the system’s damage utilising finite element methodologies. The structure model developed in the ABAQUS software package is used to predict the failure of a concrete component under applied lateral loading. The model is validated using published experimental work. The model is verified, and then it is used to compute the damage indicators using two primary techniques, including a deflection-based method and an energy loss-based approach. Using the two offered DIs, the change in damage levels is displayed underwater flow uniform loading. A comparison of the two methods is conducted. In this paper, differences between the two concepts are analysed and presented.