Conceptual Design of Seismic Retrofit of Existing Bridges by Deck Isolation: Assessment of Effectiveness

Featured Application: A simple and fast tool is proposed for assessing the rehabilitation needs of bridges and the effectiveness of implementing the seismic isolation of decks to reduce the vulnerability of bridges. The creation of an isolation layer between decks and substructures has turned out to be a viable method for reducing the seismic vulnerability of existing bridges. However, to the Authors’ knowledge, a practical approach for a preliminary verification of the effectiveness of this intervention is lacking. The paper introduces a practical tool for a preliminary assessment of the needs of the rehabilitation of the bridge and of the effectiveness of the deck isolation to improve its seismic performance by comparing the demands of the as-built structure and of the piers alone, expressed in terms of equivalent accelerations, to the maximum seismic acceleration allowed to maintain the substructure behavior in the elastic range. A practical implementation of the criterion is illustrated in a parametric study, considering prototypes of simply supported and continuous deck bridges with features common to the bridges of the Italian stock. The results of the study provide some indications about the inherent weaknesses of the examined pier typologies and the positive effect of the dead load of the deck on the effectiveness of deck isolation.