Earthquakes and Structures

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Seismic performance and vulnerability analysis of ECC and HSREC bridge piers with high-strength steel bars

  • Syed Basit Ali (School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University) ;
  • Yan Liang (School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University) ;
  • Li Yan (School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University) ;
  • Pei Chen (School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University) ;
  • Jingxiao Shu (School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University) ;
  • Pinwu Guan (School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University)
  • Received : 2024.12.30
  • Accepted : 2025.05.30
  • Published : 2025.08.25
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Abstract

The reliability of bridge piers under seismic action is critical to the overall seismic performance of a bridge. RC piers, though cost-effective, are prone to damage due to self-weight, brittleness, and poor crack resistance, leading to steel corrosion and reduced load capacity. To address these limitations, this study introduces an HSREC (High-Strength Reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composite) pier system utilizing ECC materials and high-strength reinforcement to enhance seismic performance. Nonlinear seismic models were developed in OpenSees and validated experimentally to analyze the seismic responses of RC, REC, and HSREC piers under varying reinforcement strengths and replacement rates. The analysis reveals that HSREC piers exhibit improved bearing capacity and displacement compared to traditional RC piers, leading to enhanced seismic resilience. Additionally, the replacement rate of high-strength steel bars was found to be a critical factor in improving energy dissipation and reducing vulnerability. The study further demonstrates that under high-intensity earthquakes, the top displacement of REC and HSREC piers was notably lower than that of RC piers. For rare seismic, the probability of severe damage was significantly reduced for both REC and HSREC piers, underscoring the substantial improvements in seismic resilience. These findings underscore the potential of integrating ECC and high-strength steel reinforcement as a promising strategy to enhance the safety, durability, and seismic performance of bridge piers in seismic-prone regions.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by Key Science and Technology Research Project of Henan Province, China (Grant No. 252102321144), National Science Foundation of Henan Province, China (Grant No. 242300420001), Henan Province highway transportation power construction and maintenance pilot project of scientific and technological research, China (Grant No. 2023-QGYH-KG10), Zhengzhou University's 2024 Annual Demonstration Project on Ideological and Political Education in Postgraduate Courses (Grant No. ZZUYJS2024KC47).

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