Seismic performance of double-skin steel-concrete composite box piers: Part Ⅱ—Nonlinear finite element analysis

An accurate finite element （ FE） model was constructed to examine the hysteretic behavior of double-skin steel-concrete composite box （ DSCB） piers for further understanding the seismic performance of DSCB piers; where the local buckling behavior of steel tubes, the confinement of the in-filled concrete and the interface action between steel tube and in-filled concrete were considered. The accuracy of the proposed FE model was verified by the bidirectional cyclic loading test results. Based on the validated FE model, the effects of some key parameters, such as section width to steel thickness ratio, slenderness ratio, aspect ratio and axial load ratio on the hysteretic behavior of DSCB piers were investigated. Finally, the skeleton curve model of DSCB piers was proposed. The numerical simulation results reveal that the peak strength and elastic stiffness decrease with the increase of the section width to steel thickness ratio. Moreover, the increase of the slenderness ratio may result in a significant reduction in the peak strength and elastic stiffness while the ultimate displacement increases. The proposed skeleton curve model can be taken as a reference for seismic performance analyses of the DSCB piers.

Seismic performance of double- skin steel- concrete composite box piers: Part Ⅰ——Bidirectional quasi-static testing

To study the seismic performance of double-skin steelconcrete composite box（ DSCB） piers, a total of 11 DSCB pier specimens were tested under bidirectional cyclic loading. The effects of the loading pattern, the steel plate thickness, the axial load ratio, the slenderness ratio and the aspect ratio were taken into consideration. The damage evolution process and failure modes of the tested specimens are presented in detail. Test results are also discussed in terms of the hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of DSCB pier specimens. It can be concluded that the hysteretic performance of DSCB piers in one direction is affected and weakened by the cyclic loading in the other direction. DSCB piers under bidirectional cyclic loading exhibit good performance in terms of load carrying capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. Overall, DSCB piers can meet the basic aseismic requirements. The research results can be taken as a reference for using DSCB piers as high piers in bridges in strong earthquakeprone areas.