Influence of Multiple-Support Excitation on Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Arch Bridges

Abstract

Although post-earthquake observations identified spatial variation of ground motion (i.e., multiple-support excitation) as a frequent cause of the unfavorable response of long-span bridges, this phenomenon is often not taken into account in seismic design to simplify the calculation procedure. This study investigates the influence of multiple-support excitation accounting for coherency loss and wave-passage effects on the seismic response of reinforced concrete deck arch bridges of long spans founded on rock sites. Parametric numerical study was conducted using the time-history method, the response spectrum method, and a simplified procedure according to the European seismic standards. Results showed that multiple-support excitation had a detrimental influence on response of almost all analyzed bridges regardless of considered arch span. Both considered spatial variation effects, acting separately or simultaneously, proved to be very important, with their relative significance depending on the response values and arch locations analyzed and seismic records used. Therefore, it is suggested that all spatially variable ground-motion effects are taken into account in seismic analysis of similar bridges.