Precast bridge piers: Construction techniques, structural systems, and seismic response

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to make a comprehensive evaluation of existing works on precast bridge piers, considering several aspects including construction techniques, structural systems, and seismic response. The general classification of the construction techniques refers to five different construction systems, which can be fully precast (post-tensioned system, pre-tensioned system, non-prestressed system) or partially precast techniques (post-tensioned system, non-prestressed system). The details of columns, column-footing connection, and column-beam connection are carefully studied to provide a unified classification of the existing construction techniques. According to the available experimental research, the failure modes and seismic resisting mechanisms of the classified construction techniques are fully addressed. In the light of a new proposed mechanical model, the seismic response of 50 experimentally tested precast bridge piers (covering the five construction techniques) is evaluated to ensure the required resiliency under anticipated seismic hazards. The evaluation of the seismic response of the studied systems indicated that the fully precast post-tensioned system is a promising construction technique, which can ensure the resilience performance of bridge piers. Finally, performance levels of the five construction systems were extracted in view of the possibility to realize robust, redundant, and recoverable structure systems that can be a motivation for application in the construction of modern sustainable cities.