Some open issues in the seismic design of bridges to Eurocode 8-2

This paper summarises the ongoing research on the seismic design of isolated and integral bridges at the University of Surrey. The first part of the paper focuses on the tensile stresses of elastomeric bearings that might be developed under seismic excitations, due to the rotations of the pier cap. The problem is described analytically and a multi-level performance criterion is proposed to limit the tensile stresses on the isolators. The second part of the paper sheds light on the response of integral bridges and the interaction with the backfill soil. A method for the estimation of the equivalent damping ratio of short-span integral bridges is presented to enable the seismic design of short period bridges based on Eurocode 8-2. For long-span integral bridges, a novel isolation scheme is proposed for the abutment. The isolator is a compressible inclusion comprises tyre derived aggregates (TDA) and is placed between the abutment and a mechanically stabilised backfill. The analysis of the isolated abutment showed that the compressible inclusion achieves to decouple the response of the bridge from the backfill. The analyses showed that both the pressures on the abutment and the settlements of the backfill soil were significantly reduced under the thermal and the seismic movements of the abutment. Thus, the proposed decoupling of the bridge from the abutment enables designs of long-span integral bridges based on ductility and reduces both construction and maintenance costs.