Bridge for Seismically Hazardous Areas

Authors:  
Rubric:     Seismic safety and seismic isolation of buildings   
Annotation:

The article represents the developed construction of antiseismic bridge, designed for operating in terms of considerable longitudinal and transverse horizontal seismic vibrations. The article also gives the results of the laboratory tests of such a bridge.

The antiseismic effect is achieved due to point contacts in the form of metal balls between span and mainstay of the bridge. These balls are free to move in horizontal plane since they are located in separate coaxial metal bowls of the span and bowls of the mainstay. These balls form the required construction gap between the span and the mainstay. The diameter of the bowls should exceed the magnitude of the seismic movements potential for this area. The laboratory tests of the bridge sample revealed that during the various rates imitation and horizonral vibrations’ accelerations they do not affect the bridge span. That means the bridge span stays still without any deformations or cavings during the free moving of the interim and coastal mainstays.

The proposed construction can be used during either new constructions or existing bridges reconstruction.