Seismic fragility assessment of SMA-bar restrained multi-span continuous highway bridge isolated by different laminated rubber bearings in medium to strong seismic risk zones

This study analytically determines the seismic fragility of a three-span continuous highway bridge fitted with laminated rubber bearings and shape memory alloy (SMA) restrainers. Fragility function, which expresses the likelihood of exceeding a damage state conditioned at a given earthquake intensity, has been derived based on SeismoStruct’s nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis results of the bridge subjected to medium to strong earthquake excitation records. A total of 20 excitation records with peak ground acceleration values ranging from 0.45 to 1.07 g, are used in the nonlinear dynamic analysis of the bridge. A 2-D finite element model scheme is used in this study considering nonlinearity in the bridge piers and the isolation bearings. Two types of laminated rubber bearings are used in the bridge system in addition to the SMA restrainers: high damping rubber bearings and lead rubber bearings. The fragility curves are constructed for two bridge components (i.e. piers and isolation bearings), and the system as well. The component fragility curves are combined to evaluate the fragility curves for the entire bridge system at different damage states. The bridge system, for simplicity, considers the bridge deck, isolation bearings with SMA restrainer and bridge piers but excluding the bridge foundations and the abutments. The numerical results show that the failure probability of the bridge system is dominated by the bridge piers over the isolation bearings. Moreover, the inclusion of SMA restrainers in the bridge system exhibits high probability of failure, especially, when the system is isolated with lead rubber bearings.