The limb-inspired bridges are of high earthquake resistance at low cost

Today’s bridge columns are usually formed from large, monolithic concrete structures that provide them with great strength, but call for the possibility of cracking in the event of an earthquake. There are other options, including building these load-bearing structures from joints and sections inspired by the ends, which a new study indicates that not only provide greater durability under seismic activity, but can also be repaired cheaply if cracks appear.

The new bridge design examined in this research is known as the sliding hybrid bridge, which engineers at Texas A&M University have been researching as a more earthquake-resistant alternative to traditional designs.

These columns offer the same support as typical concrete bridge poles but are able to absorb more energy from the ground vibration thanks to the movable joints and human-inspired parts. In the event of an earthquake, the individual parts slip on top of each other rather than crack, at least that’s the idea. But there is a lot to learn about how this happens in the real world.

“Our bridge design is relatively new, so there is very little scientific literature that we can refer to,” says study author Dr. Petrus Sideris. “Thus, we took an unconventional approach to filling our knowledge gap by hiring a team of experts in bridge damage and repair.”

This team of experts conducted a series of experiments in which sliding, oscillating hybrid plumes were subjected to motion mimicking seismic activity. This allowed them to monitor the damage being done and come up with techniques and cost estimates to fix it. Using this information, they then repaired the plumes before exposing them to more of the same simulated seismic activity that damaged them in the first place.

The hybrid slide-bridge design, which engineers at Texas A&M University are looking for as a more earthquake-resistant alternative to traditional designs

Texas A&M University

These repeated experiments enabled the team to compare the performance of the repaired columns with the columns in their original condition, along with the columns built in the traditional way. Engineers found that the sliding hybrid poles suffered less damage than conventional designs and very little damage in general, even when exposed to forces equivalent to earthquakes that occur only once in a few thousand years. When damaged, engineers found it could be easily patched with plaster and carbon fibers.

“Bridging the bridges is a slow and costly process, which indirectly affects society,” Sideris says. “New bridge designs that may have a higher initial cost of construction could be more beneficial in the long run because they are more stable. The money saved can then be used to help the community rather than repair the infrastructure.”

The research has been published in the Journal of Structural Engineering, and Dr. Petros Sidis provides an overview of sliding hybrid bridges in the video below.

Hybrid sliding jumper bridges

Source: Texas A&M University

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