Preliminary seismic evaluation of highway bridges in Istanbul

Abstract

In spite of the considerable developments in bridge engineering in recent years, substantial damages of highway bridges in recent earthquakes, have lead to an increasing awareness on the seismic performance of bridges. Seismic vulnerability of a bridge can be defined as the potential of a bridge to sustain significant damage or collapse. The seismicity at the location of the bridge is essential in the determination of its vulnerability. Istanbul is one of the most crucial cities in Turkey due to its historical, industrial and commercial importance. The main objective of the current study is to establish an inventory for the highway bridges on the 01 and 02 peripheral routes and the corresponding link roads in Istanbul and evaluate their seismic vulnerabilities according to a certain screening procedure. Such a preliminary screening procedure contemplates only the technical aspects of the problem and does not include political and economic considerations. In the preliminary screening process, Structural characteristics of the bridge, Importance of the bridge as a vital transportation link, Foundation and site characteristics of the bridge, are taken into consideration. In addition to the above studies, truck loading testing and a detailed analysis on a typical representitive bridge are presented. The results of this investigation are to be considered as the essential and basic step for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the ,highway bridges in istanbul under a future seismic activity.