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Bridges are lifeline structures. They act, as an important page link in surface transportation network and failure of bridges during a seismic event will seriously hamper the relief and rehabilitation work. There are many cases of damage of bridges in the past earthquakes all over the world. Due to their structural simplicity, bridges are particularly vulnerable to damage and even collapse when subjected to earthquakes. The fundamental period of vibration of a majority of bridges is in the range of 0.2 to 1.2 second. In this range, the structural response is high because it is close to the predominant periods of earthquake-induced ground motions. The seismic forces on the bridges can be reduced if the fundamental period of the bridge is lengthened or the energy dissipating capability is increased. Therefore, the seismic isolation is a promising alternative for earthquake-resistant design of bridges. Considerable efforts have been made in the past two decades to develop improved seismic isolation design procedure for new bridges and comprehensive retrofit guidelines for existing bridges. One of the goals of the seismic isolation is to shift the fundamental frequency of a structure away from the dominant frequencies of earthquake ground motion and fundamental frequency of the fixed base superstructure. The other purpose of an isolation system is to provide an additional means of energy dissipation, thereby reducing the transmitted acceleration into the superstructure. The suitability of a particular arrangement and type of isolation system will depend on many factors including the span, number of continuous spans, and seismicity of the region, frequencies of vibration of the relatively severe components of the earthquake, maintenance and replacement facilities.
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Bridges are lifeline structures. They act, as an important page link in surface transportation network and failure of bridges during a seismic event will seriously hamper the relief and rehabilitation work. There are many cases of damage of bridges in the past earthquakes all over the world. Due to their structural simplicity, bridges are particularly vulnerable to damage and even collapse when subjected to earthquakes. The fundamental period of vibration of a majority of bridges is in the range of 0.2 to 1.2 second. In this range, the structural response is high because it is close to the predominant periods of earthquake-induced ground motions. The seismic forces on the bridges can be reduced if the fundamental period of the bridge is lengthened or the energy dissipating capability is increased. Therefore, the seismic isolation is a promising alternative for earthquake-resistant design of bridges. Considerable efforts have been made in the past two decades to develop improved seismic isolation design procedure for new bridges and comprehensive retrofit guidelines for existing bridges. One of the goals of the seismic isolation is to shift the fundamental frequency of a structure away from the dominant frequencies of earthquake ground motion and fundamental frequency of the fixed base superstructure. The other purpose of an isolation system is to provide an additional means of energy dissipation, thereby reducing the transmitted acceleration into the superstructure. The suitability of a particular arrangement and type of isolation system will depend on many factors including the span, number of continuous spans, and seismicity of the region, frequencies of vibration of the relatively severe components of the earthquake, maintenance and replacement facilities
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please send more details about seismic behaviour of isolated bridges
