Large scale testing of nitinol shape memory alloy devices for retrofitting of bridges

A large scale testing program was conducted to determine the effects of shape memory alloy (SMA) restrainer cables on the seismic performance of in-span hinges of a representative multiple-frame concrete box girder bridge subjected to earthquake excitations. Another objective of the study was to com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Smart materials and structures 2008-06, Vol.17 (3), p.035018-035018 (10)
Main Authors: Johnson, Rita, Padgett, Jamie E, Emmanuel Maragakis, M, DesRoches, Reginald, Saiid Saiidi, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Bridges
Buildings. Public works
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Geotechnics
Measurements. Technique of testing
Physics
Soil mechanics. Rocks mechanics
Solid mechanics
Structural and continuum mechanics
Vibration, mechanical wave, dynamic stability (aeroelasticity, vibration control...)
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Summary:A large scale testing program was conducted to determine the effects of shape memory alloy (SMA) restrainer cables on the seismic performance of in-span hinges of a representative multiple-frame concrete box girder bridge subjected to earthquake excitations. Another objective of the study was to compare the performance of SMA restrainers to that of traditional steel restrainers as restraining devices for reducing hinge displacement and the likelihood of collapse during earthquakes. The results of the tests show that SMA restrainers performed very well as restraining devices. The forces in the SMA and steel restrainers were comparable. However, the SMA restrainer cables had minimal residual strain after repeated loading and exhibited the ability to undergo many cycles with little strength and stiffness degradation. In addition, the hysteretic damping that was observed in the larger ground accelerations demonstrated the ability of the materials to dissipate energy. An analytical study was conducted to assess the anticipated seismic response of the test setup and evaluate the accuracy of the analytical model. The results of the analytical simulation illustrate that the analytical model was able to match the responses from the experimental tests, including peak stresses, strains, forces, and hinge openings.
ISSN:0964-1726
1361-665X
DOI:10.1088/0964-1726/17/3/035018