Monitored Incoherency Patterns of Seismic Ground Motion and Dynamic Response of A Long Cable-Stayed Bridge
Monitored Incoherency Patterns of Seismic Ground Motion and Dynamic Response of A Long Cable-Stayed Bridge
Monitored Incoherency Patterns of Seismic Ground Motion and Dynamic Response of A Long Cable-Stayed Bridge
Abstract The Evripos bridge in central Greece, connects the island of Evia to the
mainland. The cable-stayed section of the bridge is 395 m in length, with a central
span of 215 m and side-spans of 90 m each. The deck, 13.5 m in width, is at 40 m
above sea-level, suspended by cables from two, 90 m high pylons. A permanent accelerometer special array of 43 sensors was installed on the bridge in 1994 by the
Institute of Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering. Two triaxial sensors have been monitoring the free-field (near pier M4) and pier M5 base response
on the mainland (Boeotean) coast and two others the respective locations (pier base
M6 and free-field near pier M7) on the Euboean coast. Since then the bridges behavior to seismic excitations has been continuously monitored and investigated. From
various earthquake events recorded at the site, it became obvious that the excitation
at each of the aforementioned locations differs, with the lowest peak acceleration
values observed at site M7 for all three components, independently of magnitude,
azimuth and epicentral distance of the earthquake, a fact that can be attributed to
local site conditions. In the present research effort, an investigation of the dynamic
response of the Evripos bridge due to the asynchronous base excitations along its
supports is carried out. Comparisons are made with the conventional design procedure of assuming a common (synchronous) base excitation at all supports and
interesting conclusions are drawn regarding the impact of spatially variable ground
motion on the seismic response of the particular bridge.
V. Lekidis C. Karakostas
Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (EPPO-ITSAK), 5 Agiou Georgiou Str.,
Patriarchika Pylaias, GR55535 Thessaloniki, Greece
V. Lekidis
e-mail: lekidis@itsak.gr
C. Karakostas
e-mail: christos@itsak.gr
S. Papadopoulos A. Sextos (B)
Department of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
e-mail: asextos@civil.auth.gr
S. Papadopoulos
e-mail: savvaspp@civil.auth.gr
M. Papadrakakis et al. (eds.), Computational Methods in Earthquake Engineering,
Computational Methods in Applied Sciences 30, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6573-3_2,
Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
33
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V. Lekidis et al.
1 Introduction
During the last decade, time history analyses have become increasingly popular both
for design and research purposes, especially for the case of complex and/or important bridges. This trend has significantly improved the analysis rigor and facilitated
the consideration of various physical phenomena that were too complicated to be
taken into account in the past. One of those issues, is the identification of a realistic,
spatially variable earthquake ground motion (SVEGM) which can be used for the
excitation of the bridge for design or assessment purposes. As it is well known, this
phenomenon may affect the seismic response of long bridges, or of bridges crossing abruptly changing soil profiles; however, its potentially beneficial or detrimental
impact on the final bridge performance cannot be easily assessed in advance [15].
One major difficulty in assessing the spatially variable patterns of earthquake
ground motion is the complex wave reflections, refractions and superpositions that
take place as seismic waves travel through inhomogeneous soil media. Different
analytical formulations have been proposed in the past, but the inherent multiparametric nature of wave propagation and soil-structure interaction makes it practically impossible to predict the spatially varying earthquake input along the bridge
length in a deterministic manner. Dense seismograph arrays, primarily in Taiwan,
Japan and the U.S., have contributed in shedding some light into this problem which
can be primarily attributed to four major factors that take place simultaneously, i.e.,
wave passage effect, the extended source effect, wave scattering and attenuation effect [6]. The operation of these arrays, also led to the development of numerous
empirical, semi-empirical and analytical coherency models, fit to represent the decaying signal correlation with distance and frequency.
Despite the significant impact of the aforementioned analytical approaches and
experimental evidence, a reliable and simple methodology for the prediction of
the effects of asynchronous motion on bridges is still lacking. Even modern seismic codes like Eurocode 8 deal with the problem through either simplified codebased calculations or indirect preventive measures involving larger seating deck
lengths [7].
An interesting case for the study of this phenomenon using recorded data is
the Evripos cable-stayed bridge, which has been permanently monitored by an accelerometer network since 1994 [8, 9]. A series of minor to moderate intensity seismic events have been recorded by this network, providing a useful set of motions
recorded both in the vicinity of the structure and on specific locations on the structure and its foundation. The scope of this study therefore, is to:
Investigate the impact of spatial variable ground motion by processing specific
input motions recorded on site as the bridge, due to its overall length, is sensitive
to asynchronous motion.
35
Make use of the recorded data in order to investigate the nature of earthquake
ground motion and the effects of its spatial variation on the dynamic response (in
terms of forces and displacements) of the particular cable-stayed bridge.
The description of the bridge, its monitoring system as well as its response under
various asynchronous ground motion records, is presented in the following.
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V. Lekidis et al.
M
|S j k ()|
() =
jk
M
M
S jj ()S kk ()
(1)
where S jj and S kk are the smoothed power spectral densities at the stations j and k
and are given by:
S jj (n ) =
+M
W (m)Sjj (n + m)
(2)
m=M
where n is the discrete frequency, W (m) the (Hamming) spectral window and
Sjj the unsmoothed power spectra. S j k is the smoothed cross spectral densities
between the stations j and k expressed as:
S j k (n ) =
+M
2
W (m)j (n + m)k (n + m)
T
m=M
exp i k (n + m) k (n + m)
(3)
where j and k are the Fourier amplitudes in stations j and k respectively and j
and k are the corresponding phases. An 11-point Hamming window was used for
smoothing as proposed by Abrahamson for 5 % structural damping [10, 11]. The
described process was written as a GUI-based, Matlab script.
37
Fig. 3 Horizontal and vertical components of the strong ground motions recorded at the base of
piers M4, M5, M6 and M7 due to the 1999 Ms = 5.9 Athens earthquake
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V. Lekidis et al.
Fig. 4 Lagged coherency of motions between piers M4-M5 (90 m), M4-M6 (305 m), M4-M7
(395 m), M5-M6 (215 m), M5-M7 (90 m) and M6-M7 (90 m)
H
(, f ) = tanh
c1H ( )
1 + c2H ( )f + c4H ( )f 2
H
H
+ 4.80 c1 ( ) exp c2 ( )f + 0.35
(4)
39
Fig. 5 Comparison between observed and predicted coherency loss for different empirical and
semi-empirical models
where:
c1H ( ) =
3.95
+ 0.85 exp[0.00013 ]
1 + 0.0077 + 0.000023 2
0.4[1 (1 + (/5)3 )1 ]
[1 + (/190)8 ][1 + (/180)3 ]
c3H ( ) = 3 exp [0.05 ] 1 0.0018
c2H ( ) =
(5)
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V. Lekidis et al.
Fig. 6 5 % damped elastic response spectra of the longitudinal components of the records at piers
M4-M7 compared to the scaled ones (on the right) at the average spectrum for T = 1.64 sec
where the coherency drop parameter controls the exponential decay and is the
distance between two stations examined. The drop parameter is usually taken equal
to 2.5 104 sec/m, but in this specific case, the results are not satisfactory. On the
other hand, the model of Abrahamson can predict the loss of coherency much better
than Luco and Wong as illustrated in Fig. 5.
4 Analyses Performed
Most analytical or numerical studies investigating the effects of spatial variability of earthquake ground motion on the response of bridges compare the results of
multiple-support excitation analysis with those of a reference condition which typically assumes synchronous excitation among all bridge supports. The comparison
can then be made in terms of a ratio of the action effects (forces or displacements)
of specific structural components over the response under synchronous conditions.
In the case examined herein though, the fact that the ground motions have been
recorded at the bases of the four bridge piers gives the actual asynchronous excitations due to the existing seismo-tectonic and soil conditions of the site under
study, but at the same time makes it difficult to the corresponding compatible synchronous excitation conditions. One option would have been to select one of the
recorded motions and apply it synchronously at all pier supports; however, this option is limited by the fact that the available records show significant discrepancy
in terms of both their PGA and spectral amplification, primarily due to local site
effects at the location of pier M5 (Fig. 6).
In order to overcome this difficulty, it was decided to adopt the following procedure: strongest component of the motions recorded is in the longitudinal direction,
all records (in all components) are scaled (Table 1) to the average spectral acceleration of all records at period T = 1.64 sec, which is the period of the highest contributing mode, activating 76 % of the mass in the longitudinal direction (Table 2).
41
Table 1 The scaling factors for the records at M4, M5, M6, M7 compared to the average response
spectrum for T = 1.64 sec
Pier
M4
M5
M6
M7
Scale factor
0.977
0.947
1.069
1.014
Period
UX
UY
#1
#2
#3
UZ
RX
RY
RZ
2.712
6.7
1.2
2.3
2.385
20.2
2.061
58.3
3.4
47.2
#4
1.645
76.3
#5
1.298
6.2
1.4
5.5
#9
1.065
37.4
7.3
28.8
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V. Lekidis et al.
Fig. 7 Comparison of the computed seismic moments at the base of pier M6 using the Athens 1999
(asynchronous) recorded motions, with those computed through the four synchronous excitation
scenarios (uniform application of records M4, M5, M6, M7). On the left the moment vector M2
is parallel to the bridge (transverse bending) while on the right it is normal to the bridge (M3,
longitudinal bending)
those computed through the four synchronous excitation scenarios, that is, by the
uniform application of records M4, M5, M6, and M7 respectively. The comparison
of the maxima among all cases are summarized in Table 3.
43
Case studied
Synch M4
Synch M5
Synch M6
Synch M7
Pier M5
Pier M6
M2 [kNm]
M3 [kNm]
M2 [kNm]
M3 [kNm]
Synch
1350.70
798.54
1338.30
759.11
Asynch
833.53
743.05
949.48
943.70
Asynch/Synch-1
38 %
7 %
29 %
+24 %
Synch
1510.39
1008.53
1403.31
919.10
Asynch
833.53
743.05
949.48
943.70
Asynch/Synch-1
45 %
26 %
32 %
+3 %
Synch
1401.33
981.36
1345.28
815.00
Asynch
833.53
743.05
949.48
943.70
Asynch/Synch-1
41 %
24 %
29 %
+16 %
Synch
1314.49
849.06
1335.77
658.05
Asynch
833.53
743.05
949.48
943.70
Asynch/Synch-1
37 %
13 %
29 %
+43 %
It can be seen that the moments M2 developed at the base of pier M6 transversely to the bridge plane, due to the asynchronous recorded ground motions is
systematically lower regardless of the synchronous excitation pattern adopted. As
anticipated, this is more intense (approximately 32 %) for the synchronous case involving the uniform application of record M5, which, despite of the scaling to a
common level of spectral amplification, still corresponds to the highest PGA among
the records at all locations. On the other hand, the situation reverses for the bending moments M3 within the bridge plane and the asynchronous excitation results in
higher levels of stress in all cases, reaching 43 % increase in the extreme case of
applying record M7 uniformly at all support points. The respective results for pier
M5 are also summarized in Table 3. It can be seen that seismically-induced bending
moments in both directions are decreased when assuming non-uniform excitation
conditions independently of the scenario adopted.
As far as the displacements are concerned, the corresponding time histories are
plotted in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 for the top of pylons M5 and M6 respectively, while
the maximum in time displacements for all directions are compared in Table 4 and
Table 5. The respective magnitudes at the middle of the deck are summarized in
Table 6. More specifically, asynchronous excitation is systematically favorable for
the span middle deck displacements which are decreased up to 36 %, 45 % and 63 %
along the three principal directions Ux , Uy and Uz .
The same trend is also observed for the case of the top of pylon M5though
to a lesser degreeand with the exception of a minor (6 %) increase in longitudinal displacements for one of the scenarios studied. In contrast to the above, the
transverse displacements at the top of pylon M6 derived under the asynchronous
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V. Lekidis et al.
Fig. 8 Comparison of the seismic displacements at the top of pylon M5 using the Athens 1999
(asynchronous) recorded motions, with those computed through the four synchronous excitation
scenarios (uniform application of records M4, M5, M6, M7). On the left displacements are in the
longitudinal bridge direction while on the right are in transverse direction
recorded ground motions are increased compared to the synchronous case and are
almost double (increased by 82 %) when compared to the uniform application of
record M4. As for the vertical displacements in both pylons can either decrease or
increase depending on the assumed synchronous scenario.
45
Fig. 9 Comparison of the seismic displacements at the top of pylon M6 using the Athens 1999
(asynchronous) recorded motions, with those computed through the four synchronous excitation
scenarios (uniform application of records M4, M5, M6, M7). On the left displacements are in the
longitudinal bridge direction while on the right are in the transverse direction
These results indicate that the inherently complex nature of ground motion incoherency is strongly correlated to the dynamic characteristics of the excited structure
and does not systematically lead to a uniform increase or decrease of the corresponding action effects.
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V. Lekidis et al.
Case studied
Ux [cm]
Uy [cm]
Uz [cm]
Synch M4
Synch
0.09
0.18
0.05
Asynch
0.07
0.16
0.05
Asynch/Synch-1
22 %
12 %
+7 %
Synch
0.067
0.23
0.05
Asynch
0.071
0.16
0.05
Asynch/Synch-1
+6 %
34 %
0%
Synch
0.09
0.27
0.06
Asynch
0.07
0.16
0.05
Asynch/Synch-1
20 %
42 %
14 %
Synch
0.09
0.25
0.05
Asynch
0.07
0.16
0.05
Asynch/Synch-1
23 %
37 %
6 %
Synch M5
Synch M6
Synch M7
Case studied
Ux [cm]
Uy [cm]
Uz [cm]
Synch M4
Synch
0.09
0.16
0.04
Asynch
0.07
0.29
0.05
Asynch/Synch-1
20 %
+82 %
+11 %
Synch
0.08
0.19
0.047
Asynch
0.07
0.29
0.049
Asynch/Synch-1
10 %
+49 %
+4 %
Synch
0.11
0.23
0.054
Asynch
0.07
0.29
0.049
Asynch/Synch-1
36 %
+28 %
9 %
Synch
0.11
0.21
0.050
Asynch
0.07
0.29
0.049
Asynch/Synch-1
35 %
+38 %
2 %
Synch M5
Synch M6
Synch M7
47
Case studied
Ux [cm]
Uy [cm]
Uz [cm]
Synch M4
Synch
0.11
0.14
0.16
Asynch
0.08
0.10
0.07
Asynch/Synch-1
28 %
25 %
56 %
Synch
0.09
0.14
0.17
Asynch
0.08
0.10
0.07
Asynch/Synch-1
15 %
29 %
58 %
Synch
0.12
0.18
0.20
Asynch
0.08
0.10
0.07
Asynch/Synch-1
36 %
45 %
63 %
Synch
0.12
0.16
0.18
Asynch
0.08
0.10
0.07
Asynch/Synch-1
36 %
41 %
60 %
Synch M5
Synch M6
Synch M7
5 Conclusions
The scope of this study was to examine the effects of asynchronous excitation on the
Evripos cable-stayed bridge, utilizing the recorded time histories at four locations
of the accelerometer network maintained by EPPO-ITSAK, due to the Ms = 5.9,
7/9/1999 Athens earthquake. Initially the records were filtered to remove inertial interaction effects and after that their coherency was computed for all available record
pairs. Comparison of these results with two different coherency models presented
in literature proved that there was a significant difference in the accuracy of the
predictions of the two models, and hence the selection of a coherency model for
the investigation of spatial variability of earthquake ground motion should be done
with caution. A detailed finite element model of the cable-stayed bridge was developed and its response was computed using both the recorded motions and four
synchronous excitation scenarios. The comparative study of the results indicates
that:
For the particular bridge studied, spatial variability of seismic ground motion has
a generally favorable effect, at least on the pier base bending moments and the
displacements middle of the central span deck. Apparently, the extent of this beneficial phenomenon is very much dependent on the assumptions made regarding
the definition of the synchronous excitation, which, in contrast to the actual,
recorded asynchronous case, is not obvious.
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V. Lekidis et al.
There are specific cases (i.e., out-of-plane bending moments and displacements at
the top of the two bridge pylons) where the asynchronous excitation has a clearly
critical effect.
The results of the investigations of the present study indicate that the complex
nature of ground motion incoherency is strongly correlated to the dynamic characteristics of the excited structure and does not systematically lead to a uniform
increase or decrease of the corresponding action effects.
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