Bridges with Limb-Inspired Architecture Can Withstand Earthquakes, Cut Repair Costs
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Bridges with limb-inspired architecture can withstand earthquakes, cut repair costs:
In a study published in the journal Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, Texas A&M University and the University of Colorado Boulder researchers have conducted a comprehensive damage and repair assessment of a still-to-be-implemented bridge design using a panel of experts from academia and industry. The researchers said the expert feedback method offers a unique and robust technique for evaluating the feasibility of bridge designs that are still at an early research and development phase.
"Bridges, particularly those in high-seismic regions, are vulnerable to damage and will need repairs at some point. But now the question is what kind of repairs should be used for different types and levels of damage, what will be the cost of these repairs and how long will the repairs take -- these are all unknowns for new bridge designs," said Dr. Petros Sideris, assistant professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "We have answered these questions for a novel bridge design using an approach that is seldomly used in structural engineering."
[...] "Fixing bridges is a slow process and costs a significant amount of money, which then indirectly affects the community," said Sideris. "Novel bridge designs that may have a bigger initial cost for construction can be more beneficial in the long run because they are sturdier. The money saved can then be used for helping the community rather than repairing infrastructure."
Journal Reference:
Jakub Valigura, Mohammad Salehi, Abbie B. Liel, et al. Seismic Repair Assessment of Hybrid Sliding-Rocking Bridge Columns through Integrated Experimentation and Expert Panel Solicitation, Journal of Structural Engineering (DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0002776)
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