Seismic Performance of Composite Simply Supported Bridge Decks during Real Earthquake

This study investigates the overall response of traditional bridge decks in Iraq under real earthquake excitation already happened in the area. The bridge deck under investigation is of Al Bathah overpass expressway located in the south of Iraq at Al Nasiriya city. Al Bathah Bridge deck is a composite simply supported consist of seven built-up steel girders and reinforced concrete slab. Three-dimensional finite element models of composite simply supported bridge deck was created using CSI Bridge and ABAQUS software. Time history analysis conducted using the Halabja earthquake hit the Iraq-Iran border on 12 Nov. 2017. The finding of this study revealed that the typical bridge deck in Iraq will fail to withstand the transverse earthquake excitation under intensity already happened. The connection epoxy layers between the elastomeric bearing pads and girders will fail due to the excessive transverse displacement at bearings. Consequently, the girders slip from their position and the deck will fail.