U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
Project Information | ||
Project ID: | FHWA-PROJ-07-0016 | |
Project Name: | Improving the Seismic Resilience of the Federal-Aid Highway System | |
Project Status: | Active | |
Start Date: | August 1, 2007 | |
End Date: | April 14, 2014 | |
Contact Information | ||
Last Name: | Yen | |
First Name: | Fred | |
Telephone: | 202-493-3076 | |
E-mail: | fred.faridazar@dot.gov | |
Office: | Office of Infrastructure Research and Development | |
Team: | Infrastructure Analysis and Construction Team [HRDI-20] | |
Program: | Seismic Research | |
Project detail | ||
Roadmap/Focus area(s): | Infrastructure Research and Technology Strategic Plan and Roadmap | |
Project Description: | Resilience is now expected by the traveling public as an integral component of any design strategy. Life-safety is also expected to ensure rapid recovery and minimal impact on the socioeconomic fabric of modern society. This realization has led to the concept of performance-based seismic design, which is a relatively new development in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure. This research is to study the seismic resilience of highway systems with a view to improving the performance of transportation systems subject to major earthquakes. Under this project, a comprehensive assessment tool to measure highway resilience shall be developed by improving current loss estimation technologies, such as the Risks from Earthquake Damage to Roadway System; factors affecting system resilience will be identified, such as damage-tolerant bridge structures and network redundancy; design aids for curved bridges and those structures in near-fault regions will be developed; and new technologies will be developed for improving the seismic performance of bridges. | |
Goals: | The objective of this project is to study bridge seismic resilience and develop the necessary technology to improve the seismic safety of the highway system. | |
Product Type: | Research report | |
Test Methodology: | The study will include the enhancement of loss estimation technology for highway systems, which will encompass the customization of resilience studies of the Risks from Earthquake Damage to Roadway System; development of design guidelines for curved bridges and fragility functions for highway systems due to earthquake hazard; experimental studies on bridge model dynamic tests; a large-scale curved-girder bridge model will be tested using four portable shake tables; near-fault effects of bridge dynamic response will be studied using bridge model tests; a joint study of a full-scale bridge column will be tested to determine seismic performance by using a shake table (the goal of this task is to understand the scale effects of bridges under dynamic testing); and system resilience studies, which will involve the development of performance measures that quantify system resilience. | |
Other Information: | This study is a Congressionally mandated research project under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. | |
Expected Benefits: | Improve seismic safety and resilience of bridges. | |
Deliverables: | Name: General Recommendations. Product Type(s): Research report Description: Guidelines, specifications, and examples for seismic design and retrofitting of bridges (December 2012). | |
FHWA Topics: | Roads and Bridges--Design | |
TRT Terms: | Earthquake Resistant Design Resilience Bridge Construction Infrastructure Research Highways Retrofitting |
|
FHWA Disciplines: | Design Structures |
|
Subject Areas: | Bridges and other structures Design Research |
|