Abstract:Curved bridges may bear earthquake disasters during service, resulting in structural damage or even collapse. To evaluate the seismic performance of existing bridges, a seismic performance evaluation method of curved girder bridges based on damage analysis was proposed in this paper. The finite element model of an old curved girder bridge was established, then based on the principle of damage analysis, the component damage model which can describe the seismic response characteristics of curved girder bridge was proposed. The damage indexes of each component of the bridge were calculated by inputting different ground motions into the finite element model. Combined with the checking coefficient of the old bridge, the whole damage index of the bridge was inferred from the damage index of each component. The results showed that: (1) Under different ground motions, the main girder will cause impact damage, the bearings at both ends of the bridge are prone to shift, and the piers will cause displacements both along the transverse and longitudinal direction of the bridge. (2) The damage degree of main girder, bearing, bridge pier, and other components caused by different ground motions is quite different; the seismic response of each component will affect the seismic performance of whole bridge, among which, the pier has the greatest impact, and the pier displacement exceeding the limit value may lead to collapse; (3) Repeated collision of the main girder will aggravate the damage degree of bridge, and the bearings at both ends of the bridge are more likely to be damaged under earthquake.
