A Step-by-Step Probabilistic Seismic Soil–Structure Interaction Analysis with Ground Motion Incoherency for a Bridge Pier on Bored Pile Foundations

Abstract

In current design practice, typical seismic design of bridges tends to use simplified approaches. On the opposite side, the most advanced seismic analyses currently used in practice in all the fields of structural engineering are probably the ones used for the design of nuclear facilities, which include soil–structure interaction and motion incoherency effects. From that category, the most modern methodology is the probabilistic approach, which has been added to the new ASCE 4 standard. This type of state-of-the-art analysis is carried out in ACS SASSI software on a typical concrete bridge structure with deep foundations. A comparison of the results with the deterministic SSI approach and the typical Eurocode design from previous studies is presented at the end. Major differences in behavior are highlighted, which impact the overall safety of the structure.

Keywords

• soil–structure interaction
• SSI
• seismic bridge design
• probabilistic
• motion incoherency