Dynamic response of bridge abutment to sand-rubber mixtures backfill under seismic loading conditions

Abstract

China is located between the Pacific Ocean seismic belt and the Eurasian seismic belt where the seismic activity is frequent. Bridge plays a key role in transportation lifeline, but its construction and maintenance face potential seismic hazard in China, which may lead to a huge economic loss. This study investigates the dynamic response of bridge abutment to sand-rubber mixtures backfill under seismic loading conditions by finite element method. Sand-rubber mixtures is composed of waste fibers, rubber particles, sand and water with a certain mixing ratio and dry density It has been used as an anti-seismic backfill material for slopes, retaining walls, bridge structures and other geo-structures. A series of numerical simulations was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of this new material as backfill material for bridge abutment. The seismic performance of bridge abutment with different backfill materials was analyzed with respect to settlements and accelerations of ground, foundation pile and bridge abutment. The results show that the sand-rubber mixture can be used as backfill material, and has a great potential in reducing the settlements and accelerations of ground and foundation pile.