Seismic behavior of precast segmental column bridges under near-fault forward-directivity ground motions

Precast segmental column bridges exhibit various construction advantages in comparison to traditional monolithic column bridges. However, the lack of cognitions on seismic behaviors has seriously restricted their applications and developments. In this paper, comprehensive investigations are conducted to analyze the dynamic characteristics of precast segmental column bridges under near-fault, forward-directivity ground motions. First, the finite-element models of two comparable bridges with precast segmental columns and monolithic columns are constructed by using OpenSees software, and the nonlinearities of the bridges are considered. Next, three different earthquake loadings are meticulously set up to handle engineering problems, namely recorded near- and far-field ground motions, parameterized pulses, and pulse and residual components extracted from real records. Finally, based on the models and earthquake sets, extensive explorations are carried out. The results show that near-fault forward-directivity ground motions are more threatening than far-field ones; precast segmental column bridges may suffer more pounding impacts than monolithic bridges; the “narrow band” effect caused by near-fault, forward-directivity ground motions may occur in bridges with shorter periods than pulse periods; and pulse and residual components play different roles in seismic responses.