Seismic Performance Assessment of Girder Bridges with Composite Rubber Bearings

Abstract The objective of this study is to analytically assess the effectiveness a novel composite rubber bearing (CRB), which proposed enhance both displacement and damping capacities laminated natural (LNB), in improving seismic performance girder bridges. Four numerical bridge models respectively with unbonded bonded LNBs CRBs (i.e. ULNB, BLNB, UCRB, BCRB) are established based on restoring force models. Then, incremental dynamic analyses (IDAs) performed obtain fragility functions estimated economic costs. results show that fragilities two CRB bridges between those LNB ones, but pier damage obviously mitigated by CRBs, leading lower system vulnerabilities Allowing sliding can further reduce probability piers, enlarge bearings especially for collapse limit state.