Real-time Hybrid Experimental-numerical Simulation of Bridge Infrastructure Subject to Cascading Earthquake-tsunami Hazards

Abstract

While real-time hybrid simulation has been utilized for structures subjected to seismic events for decades, its use in fluid-structure interaction problems is still a novel endeavor. Gathering data for cascading seismic and tsunami events is difficult because of space constraints in existing experimental facilities, complications regarding the application of scaling laws for both the fluid and structure, and limitations of computational software in simulating multiple hazards within the same analysis. To alleviate these constraints, this study demonstrated the feasibility of using a real-time hybrid simulation testing method to enhance fluid-structure interaction simulations. A cylindrical bridge pier specimen and three-dimensional numerical bridge model were subjected to cascading seismic and tsunami events within a three-tier, real-time hybrid simulation architecture. The domain was partitioned such that the wave-structure interaction was physically simulated and coupled to a numerical model of the remaining bridge. To simulate existing damage, seismic loading was applied in the structural model before the wave loading. Textbook short pulse response was exhibited by the specimen, and the results illustrated that a real-time hybrid simulation approach is both feasible and economical for future investigations.