Numerical investigation of the impact of nonuniform corrosion on dynamic characteristics and nonlinear cyclic behaviour of circular RC bridge piers
Numerical investigation of the impact of nonuniform corrosion on dynamic characteristics and nonlinear cyclic behaviour of circular RC bridge piers
Insufficient detail in the numerical modelling of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers can lead to oversimplification between simulated and real column behaviour under seismic loading. This paper describes the development and validation of an advanced and computationally efficient numerical model for circular RC bridge columns. First, the lateral stiffnesses, natural frequencies and damping ratios of three differently configured RC columns at various stages of degradation were evaluated by means of quasi-static cyclic and sledgehammer tests in loading cycles of increasing lateral drift amplitude. Normalised column lateral stiffness and first mode natural frequency were found to reduce nonlinearly with increasing column drift ratio. The two variables were also correlated to link RC column degradation with natural frequency reduction, which could allow rapid post-earthquake assessment of residual capacity. RC columns suffering from heavy corrosion were found to have a higher natural frequency and a tendency to fail prematurely under cyclic loading, whereas the damping ratio was generally unchanged. A set of nonlinear beam-element models employing fibre-discretised cross-sections was then developed and validated against experimental measurements. The model simulates buckling, fracturing, low-cycle fatigue, and bond-slip of vertical reinforcements, as well as nonuniform geometrical and mechanical deterioration of critical column sections. Individual fibre responses in the numerical model offered explanations for specific features of the experimental column stiffness and natural frequency reduction curves. Underlying mechanisms included the redistribution of compressive stress between concrete and rebars during cyclic loading, crushing of cover concrete, and yield of vertical reinforcements. Overall, the model accurately simulates the hysteresis response of the differently configured RC columns, without the need for column-specific adjustments.
Cyclic degradation, Earthquake engineering, Nonuniform corrosion, RC bridge piers, Sledgehammer test
2233-2264
Zhang, Ziliang
1fca0696-ebe9-4ea3-913b-a7ae0888783b
Aminulai, Hammed O.
b2512804-1ab8-41c4-8e6b-f1f0bfb8d7bc
Powrie, William
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Kashani, Mohammad M.
d1074b3a-5853-4eb5-a4ef-7d741b1c025d
March 2025
Zhang, Ziliang
1fca0696-ebe9-4ea3-913b-a7ae0888783b
Aminulai, Hammed O.
b2512804-1ab8-41c4-8e6b-f1f0bfb8d7bc
Powrie, William
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Kashani, Mohammad M.
d1074b3a-5853-4eb5-a4ef-7d741b1c025d
Zhang, Ziliang, Aminulai, Hammed O., Powrie, William and Kashani, Mohammad M.
(2025)
Numerical investigation of the impact of nonuniform corrosion on dynamic characteristics and nonlinear cyclic behaviour of circular RC bridge piers.
Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 23, .
(doi:10.1007/s10518-025-02131-y).
Abstract
Insufficient detail in the numerical modelling of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers can lead to oversimplification between simulated and real column behaviour under seismic loading. This paper describes the development and validation of an advanced and computationally efficient numerical model for circular RC bridge columns. First, the lateral stiffnesses, natural frequencies and damping ratios of three differently configured RC columns at various stages of degradation were evaluated by means of quasi-static cyclic and sledgehammer tests in loading cycles of increasing lateral drift amplitude. Normalised column lateral stiffness and first mode natural frequency were found to reduce nonlinearly with increasing column drift ratio. The two variables were also correlated to link RC column degradation with natural frequency reduction, which could allow rapid post-earthquake assessment of residual capacity. RC columns suffering from heavy corrosion were found to have a higher natural frequency and a tendency to fail prematurely under cyclic loading, whereas the damping ratio was generally unchanged. A set of nonlinear beam-element models employing fibre-discretised cross-sections was then developed and validated against experimental measurements. The model simulates buckling, fracturing, low-cycle fatigue, and bond-slip of vertical reinforcements, as well as nonuniform geometrical and mechanical deterioration of critical column sections. Individual fibre responses in the numerical model offered explanations for specific features of the experimental column stiffness and natural frequency reduction curves. Underlying mechanisms included the redistribution of compressive stress between concrete and rebars during cyclic loading, crushing of cover concrete, and yield of vertical reinforcements. Overall, the model accurately simulates the hysteresis response of the differently configured RC columns, without the need for column-specific adjustments.
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s10518-025-02131-y (1)
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s10518-025-02131-y
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Accepted/In Press date: 18 February 2025
Published date: March 2025
Keywords:
Cyclic degradation, Earthquake engineering, Nonuniform corrosion, RC bridge piers, Sledgehammer test
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 500584
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500584
ISSN: 1570-761X
PURE UUID: eb40cc95-0bc7-4ee9-b827-f4d96447085f
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Date deposited: 06 May 2025 16:53
Last modified: 17 Oct 2025 01:58
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Author:
Ziliang Zhang
Author:
Hammed O. Aminulai
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