A new scheme for the seismic retrofit of multi-span simply supported bridges

There are two alternative strategies that a designer may adopt and combine when faced with the retrofitting of a bridge: (a) the increase in the capacity or (b) the reduction in the actions of the structure. In this article, a new scheme, based on the second strategy, is proposed for the retrofit of existing multi-span simply supported (MSSS) bridges. The reduction in the actions of the bridge was mainly achieved by utilising an external restraining system consisting of I-shaped steel piles driven in the backfill soil and a slab that is the pile-cap of the piles. The restraining system was preliminarily designed and assessed in an existing MSSS bridge system, whose deck slab was made continuous. The existing and the retrofitted bridge were analysed by means of non-linear dynamic time history analysis and their response was compared in terms of serviceability and earthquake resistance performance. The study showed that the retrofitting scheme enhanced effectively the earthquake resistance of the existing bridge. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC