Precast Concrete Segmental Bridge Piers under Ship Impact

Because of the convenience in construction and quality control, the precast segmental method has been increasingly used not only in bridge decks, but also in bridge piers. For example, this is being used in the bridge piers of the approaches in the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge currently under construction. As ship collision with bridge piers is one of the most frequent accidents that may lead to bridge failure, attention has been drawn to the safety of precast concrete segmental bridge piers under ship impact.

A numerical study was carried out to analyse the structural behaviour of typical bridge piers under ship impact. Two different designs of bridge pier were considered, namely the cast-in-place reinforced concrete and post-tensioned precast concrete segmental versions. Finite element analyses of the bridge piers under ship impact were conducted taking into account the joints, prestressing tendons, material nonlinearity, etc. The effects of location of ship impact were examined. Results of impact force and the displacement at pier top end were examined. In the light of the numerical results, the design impact loads prescribed by the Chinese bridge design code, Eurocode and AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications were evaluated.