Seismic performance of highway RC bridges with corroded piers

In this study, the seismic performance of typical multi-span simply supported deck bridges with single shaft Reinforced Concrete (RC) piers with corroded rebars is exam-ined through extensive NonLinear Static Analysis (NLSA). Six different bridge configur-ations, differing in pier layout (Constant, Ramp and V-type) and number of spans are investigated, considering different deterioration scenarios, characterized by different deterior-ation patterns (over the cross-section of the pier) and severity of corrosion of steel rebars. The influence of corrosion on the seismic vulnerability of the bridge is evaluated in terms of ratio between the maximum earthquake intensity level (from NLSA) that the structure can with-stand before collapse and the code-conforming (Italian Technical Standards) intensity level that would be used for the verification of the Collapse Limit State of a new structure.