Seismic-induced poundings in highway and high-speed railway bridges: a state-of-the-art review

Abstract

Seismic-induced bridge poundings have been observed in almost all of the previous major earthquakes. Poundings can occur along both the longitudinal and transversal directions of bridges. The former usually happens between the adjacent girders and/or between the abutment and girder, whereas the latter happens at shear keys used to prevent girder unseating. Pounding has been identified as a crucial factor affecting bridge seismic performance, which may cause localized damage and even collapse. This work systematically reviews previous research on seismic-induced poundings in both the highway and high-speed railway (HSR) bridges aiming to better understand the pounding phenomenon. The reasons for pounding occurrence, pounding effects on bridges, and mitigation measures are discussed, and some directions for future studies are recommended.

Keywords:

• Earthquakes
• high-speed railway bridges
• highway bridges
• seismic-induced pounding
• seismic performance
• shear keys

Acknowledgments

The authors would also like to thank the reviewers’ efforts in providing constructive suggestions that enhance the clarity of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work is part of the projects [Nos. 51978667 and 52278232] supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and project [No. 2021-Special-04-2] supported by the Science and Technology Research and Development Program Project of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. These supports are greatly appreciated.