Shaking Table Tests and Simulations of Grouting Sleeve Connecting Prefabricated Bridge Piers

Abstract

To investigate the seismic performance of prefabricated piers with a grouting sleeve connection, two scaled model specimens of symmetrical prefabricated piers with different reinforcement anchorage lengths, and two cast-in-place (CIP) comparison symmetrical specimens, were designed and manufactured. The fabricated specimens were connected by a grouting sleeve, which was in the column of the pier. The height of the pier column of the test piece was 1.425 m, the diameter of the pier column was 0.25 m, and the size of the bearing platform was 0.85 m × 0.85 m × 0.5 m. Shake table tests were performed on the specimens to evaluate crack development, dynamic characteristics, acceleration response and relative displacement of the pier tops, as well as strain in the plastic hinge area. The results revealed the dominant failure mode of the test piers was bending failure, while the cracks were generally horizontal through-cracks. The failure location of the prefabricated specimens with the grouting sleeve was concentrated within one diameter of the pier in the upper sleeve region. Compared with the CIP specimens, the plastic hinge exhibited an obvious upward movement. Under a maximum test loading condition, the peak acceleration at the pier top of the fabricated pier was 11.0% smaller than that of the CIP specimen, the peak relative displacement was 34.2% smaller than that of the CIP specimen, and the peak tensile strain of the pier body was 46.8% smaller. The seismic performance of the prefabricated pier connected via the grouting sleeves was barely affected by changing the anchoring length of the reinforcements in the grouting sleeves. An ABAQUS finite element model was established for the specimens, with good agreement between the model and experimental results. When the seismic load was 0.65 g, the difference between the peak acceleration of the pier top in the X direction and the Y direction of the numerical simulation and the experimental data was less than 15%.