NEHRP Clearinghouse

Title
Micro-CAD System for Seismic Design of Regular Highway Bridges.
File
PB90121369.pdf
Author(s)
Saiidi, M.; Orie, D.; Douglas, B.
Source
National Science Foundation, Washington, DC. Directorate for Engineering., June 1988, 165 p.
Identifying Number(s)
CCEER-88-2
Abstract
A microcomputer model for implementing a seismic analysis procedure for bridges is presented. The method is applicable to bridges with 'regular' geometry and stiffness along their length. The input portion of the program was enhanced by interfacing the program with the AutoCAD drafting package. AutoCAD is used to create points and lines which represent nodes and elements. A parameter study examining the effects of varying the abutment and pier base spring stiffness properties was performed on a five-span reinforced concrete bridge. The limits of applicability of the computer model are established through a sensitivity study examining the effect of skew angle and curvature in a two-span bridge. The program, named MicroSARB, can run on an IBM PC, PC-XT, PC-AT, or compatible with a minimum of 256K of memory.
Keywords
Earthquake resistant structures; Elasticity; Structural design; Flexural strength; Earthquake engineering; Bridge piers; Highway bridges; Stiffness; Stress analysis; Computer programs; Mechanical properties; Dynamic structural analysis