Performance-based life-cycle assessments of a resilient bridge system equipped with smart bearings

Abstract

A resilient bridge system with smart bearings, that is, shape memory alloy (SMA)-cable-based bearings, is proposed. Its superior resilience property over the conventional bridge system still lacks a practical assessment approach. This paper aims to conduct a comparative performance assessment of both resilient and conventional bridge systems regarding fragility and life-cycle loss aspects. The quasi-static test on the smart bearing prototype is firstly conducted. The cloud method is subsequently utilized to carry out a fragility assessment on the bridge system with uncertainties (e.g. damping, mass, friction factor, and length of slack cable). The result shows that the damage probabilities of the smart bearing at component level and the resilient bridge at system level are both dramatically alleviated although there is a moderate increase of the reinforced concrete pier at component level. Additionally, the analysis result reveals that the life-cycle economic loss of the resilient bridge system is remarkably reduced only at the cost of a slight increment in construction. This study tries to provide decision-makers with a more comprehensive understanding of the seismic superiority of the proposed resilient bridge system with smart bearings and to promote its application in engineering practice for resilience enhancement.