T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures

AASHTO

Updating the Guidelines for the Seismic Design of Highway Bridges

Status update for the Mid-America Ground Motion Workshop
February 2003

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Overview Current Provisions NCHRP Project 12-49 Status Issues Whats Next?

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Current Seismic Design Provisions

Based on ATC-6 seismic design guidelines developed in the late 1970s Based on 1988 national seismic hazard maps which are no longer considered adequate or correct Soil site factors which have been demonstrated in many recent earthquakes as being incorrect and inadequate
T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

NCHRP Project 12-49

Requested in 1997 by AASHTO
More experience gained during recent earthquakes. More research completed during the previous 10 years Current LFD/LRFD provisions 10-20 years out of date

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

NCHRP Project 12-49

Basic Research Tasks: Develop seismic design provisions that reflected: Latest design philosophies Latest design approaches New insight into ground motion and geotechnical effects Incorporate into LRFD Specification Focus: Designing new bridges rather than retrofitting existing ones.
T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Brief History on NCHRP 12-49

Requested in 1997 by AASHTO August 1998, NCHRP Project 12-49 work began Final Report completed, November 2001 December 2000, 3rd Draft Review,T-3 and NCHRP 12-49 Panel decide to move cut & paste LRFD recommendations to a stand-alone Guide Specification format. April 2001, Distributed proposed stand-alone Guide Specification November 2001, Refined Guide Specification distributed to states. December 2001, Trial Design program started.
T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Trial Designs completed, Feb/Mar 2002

Trial Designs 13 states & FHWA (19 trial designs)

Arkansas New Jersey Missouri Washington Alaska California Oregon South Carolina Tennessee Illinois Nevada Georgia New York FHWA-Federal Lands Hwy Div

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Trial Designs
Nationwide effort Broad range of seismic hazard Spans 46 ft to 216 ft Lengths 133 ft to 1320 ft

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Brief History on NCHRP 12-49

T-3 Committee and others involved in the trial designs met on April 28, 2002 to discuss the results .

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Brief History on NCHRP 12-49

Taken to the annual meeting of the AASHTO Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures as an agenda item. (May 2002)

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Operational vs. Life Safety levels of performance

Life Safety performance (MCE)
prevent collapse/loss of life significant damage

Operational performance (MCE)

immediate service minimal damage Owners Discretion

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures

AASHTO

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Agenda Item #3:

Proposal to adopt NCHRP Project 12-49 Recommendations as a stand-alone Guide Specification

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

AASHTO Subcommittee on Bridges & Structures Annual Meeting May 2002 Agenda Item #3
Implement the results of NCHRP Project 12-49 Adoption as a stand-alone Guide Specification for the Seismic Design of Highway Bridges

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Outstanding Issues/Concerns
May be forced to apply to existing bridges Return Period for Life Safety Event is too high (3% PE in 75 years) More design effort required

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

 May be forced to apply to existing bridges

Developed for new design Isnt it better to use specifications based on the most current scientific and engineering knowledge for our new structures? More pressing system needs do not support the expenditure of funds on a seismic retrofit program in most states.

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

 Return Period for Life Safety Event is too high (3% PE in 75 years)
Earth Science Community: Return period captures the ground motions possible for rare but scientifically credible earthquakes Looking for low probability of collapse from rare, credible earthquakes. Life Safety: ( Demand) < (Capacity)
T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

 More design effort required

As technology improves (enhanced methods for assessing demands, enhanced tools for developing capacity), design is becoming more complicated and is taking more effort. But in most states, seismic demands are adequately addressed by no analysis required provisions.

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Proposed Guide Specifications

1996 USGS Maps Improved/validated soil site factors Best scientific and engineering approaches and technologies currently used worldwide Reviewed by broad cross-section of State bridge engineers and consultants, earthquake engineers, experts from various industries and technologies

Comprehensive parameter study and trial design program produced bridge designs Provides a significantly higher level of performance
T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Adoption as a Guide Specification

Supports implementation of AASHTOsponsored research Supports fact that existing provisions are out of date Allows for guidelines to more effectively be improved and updated; states will be more serious about looking at the guidelines and providing input for changes As a Guide Specification, states will not be required to use it
T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

AASHTO Subcommittee on Bridges & Structures Annual Meeting May 2002 Agenda Item #3
The proposed guide specification was not adopted by the subcommittee; about 30% of the states voted for adoption.

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Issues
Return Period Complexity of the current draft guidelines Ground Motion Maps Area of Influence (more bridges to look at) Complexity
T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design

Whats Next
Ground motion workshop Address issues of states clearly not in favor of adoption as is. Future research efforts needed?

T-3 Technical Committee for Seismic Design