PI: Yunfeng Zhang
Because bearings are very difficult to replace, they must work well over a long design life with minimal care. One solution to reduce the maintenance costs associated with corrosion is the use of a more corrosion-resistant steel, such as stainless steel. While structural bearings of stainless steel are generally more expensive than carbon steel alternatives, their use may substantially reduce life cycle costs by minimizing the need to replace them as a result of a longer service life – especially when indirect costs such as traffic management and traffic disruption are considered. This study will address the question whether it is viable option to replace the standard metal bearings with stainless steel and eliminate any possibility of rusting.
The outcomes of this project include research survey results and literature search findings and the future adoption of stainless steel bearings or replacing conventional steel plates (masonry and sole plates, anchor rods and washers) in elastomeric bridge bearings has a strong potential of resulting in the elimination of maintenance efforts resulting from bearing replacements, which might substantially reduce the life-cycle cost of bridge bearings. This study will also compare the life cycle cost of a stainless steel bridge bearing (maintenance free) and that of elastomeric bridge bearing with maintenance over its life span. This life cycle cost analysis model can be used to justify the beneficial use of stainless steel bridge bearings (include pure stainless steel bridge bearings and elastomeric bearings with stainless steel sole and masonry plates).
PI: Yunfeng Zhang
This research is aimed to develop portable self-centering module panel with vertical rocking links that not only can be designed for new buildings but also can be used to retrofit pre-code or low-code structures. This portable panel could be prefabricated, transported to the site, and bolted to the existing steel or concrete frame members as well as timber structures. Moreover, providing the possibility to achieve the required system strength and energy dissipation capacity only by adjusting the number of PT rods and/ or initial post-tensioning level along with sizing the fuse plates, makes this system highly suitable for retrofitting purposes.
A digital twin framework with a python-based computational procedure was developed for performing an intensity-based seismic resilience assessment of self-centering module panel buildings on a regional scale. This digital twin model can also be extended to any other type of infrastructure system.