Large–Scale Laboratory Observations of Wave Forces on a Highway Bridge Superstructure

Abstract

Type of Report and Period CoveredFinal Report 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Supplementary Notes AbstractThe experimental setup and data are presented for a laboratory experiment conducted to examine realistic wave forcing on a highway bridge superstructure. The experiments measure wave conditions along with the resulting forces, pressures, and structural response of a 1:5 scale, reinforced concrete model of a typical section of the I-10 Bridge over Escambia Bay, Florida that failed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. A unique feature of this model is its roller and rail system which allowed the specimen to move freely along the axis of wave propagation to simulate the dynamic response of the structure. The data are analyzed to study the relative importance of the impulse load versus the sustained wave load, the magnitudes of the horizontal to vertical forces, and their time histories to identify the modes of failure. The thesis examines the relationship between measured forces and wave momentum flux. The measured forces are also compared to recently published AASHTO guidelines. The author evaluates the distribution of forces under random wave conditions and proposes a method that calculates design loads based on exceedance probabilities.17.

Numerical simulations of lateral restraining stiffness effect on bridge deck–wave interaction under solitary waves

“…To verify the capabilities of the mass-spring-damper system, the general observations for the wave forces were compared with those from a laboratory experiment [33][34][35]15]. In the experimental study, a 1:5 scaled bridge deck model was tested in a large wave flume at the O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at the Oregon State University.…”

Analytical solution of hurricane wave forces acting on submerged bridge decks

“…unidirectional load cells in the horizontal direction. More details about the experimental setup and test results can been found in the reference studied by Bradner et al (2011).…”

“…7 shows the comparison of results from the analytical solution and the experimental data. In the study by Bradner et al (2011), the test results of the wave forces were given in statistics forms. In this figure, the test data are depicted using the same method, with the circle representing mean value and the short line meaning standard deviation.…”

“…Due to the complexity of wave action mechanisms, it is difficult to establish one specific method to cover all of the wave action process in the estimation of the wave force. However, the previous hydrodynamic experiment (Bradner et al, 2011) and numerical simulation (Jin and Meng, 2011) have demonstrated that the maximum wave force is generally applied on the bridge deck in the submerged case. Moreover, some empirical methods for estimating the wave force on bridge decks are also developed based on the submerged state (Jin and Meng, 2011).…”

“…The effects of trapped air were also comprehensively investigated in this study. Bradner et al (2011) designed a 1:5 scale reinforced concrete model based on the damaged I-10 Bridge over the Escambia Bay in Hurricane Katrina. The characteristics of the wave forces were investigated for structures with different clearances subjected to regular and random waves.…”