| Principal Investigator and Institution
George C. Lee & Zach Liang, University at Buffalo
Objective
Research Year 3 will continue the refinement of a second-generation
roller bearing isolation device which was conceived and developed in
Research Years 1 and 2, and the validation of the device performance.
Specifically, this will involve the addition of a fail-safe feature to the
bearing using a semi-active scheme, and full-scale field testing of the
upgraded roller bearing system.
Approach
This task is a continuation of work conducted in Research Year 2 to
pursue a second generation seismic isolation bearing. It was conceived and
developed based on theoretical formulations of bridges with isolators by
using a multiple degree-of-freedom model. This new bridge isolation
bearing system is constructed of steel rollers capable of reducing column
base shears while limiting differential displacements between the super-
and substructure.
A prototype bearing is under design and construction at the University
at Buffalo. The primary goals during Research Year 3 are to complete
fabrication of the bearing, and conduct evaluation tests in the
laboratory; at this time, it is expected that the laboratory testing will
be conducted at the University of Nevada, Reno. Other laboratory and field
tests on in-service bridges may also be arranged, as demonstration
projects.
Two states will be contacted for possible demonstration projects -
Illinois DOT and New York State DOT. Funding for the field demonstration
projects will be requested from the State DOTs and from the FHWA
innovative project funds.
Products
- Several bridge isolation bearings for laboratory evaluations capable
of supporting loads of 20 k vertical 3 k horizontal.
- Preliminary design guidelines for this bridge isolation bearing.
- Proposals to selected State DOTs for field demonstration
applications.
Technical Challenges
The major challenges are primarily related to the limited task budget;
this includes concerns about shipping to and testing costs at the
University of Nevada, and the need for funding to support the field
demonstrations that may be conducted in conjunction with the State DOTs. |