Title: Structural Testing of New East Bay Skyway Piers

Author(s): Eric M. Hines, Alessandro Dazio, and Frieder Seible

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 103

Issue: 1

Appears on pages(s): 103-112

Keywords: inelastic deformations; pier; plastic hinge.

DOI: 10.14359/15091

Date: 1/1/2006

Abstract:
This paper discusses two proof-of-concept tests conducted at 1/4 scale on a typical hollow, rectangular, reinforced concrete pier designed to support the new East Bay Skyway Structures of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The test units were loaded according to quasi-static, fully-reversed, cyclic loading histories to simulate the force-displacement response of the prototype pier under seismic forces. Both tests withstood inelastic deformations greater than those expected in response to the 1500-year governing design earthquake for the Bay Bridge. Based on results from both tests, structural details such as the architectural concrete and transverse reinforcement were improved to enhance constructibility and service-level performance. This paper discusses three different approaches to evaluating experimental plastic hinge lengths and demonstrates the ambiguity inherent in evaluating the force-displacement behavior of such piers according to strain-based seismic performance criteria.