Seismic performance of round-end hollow RC tall bridge piers considering to higher-order vibration mode effect

Abstract Round-end hollow reinforced concrete (RC) tall piers have been widespreadly utilized for railway bridges in river valleys and mountainous regions. The post-earthquake damage state of such bridge piers differs significantly from that of traditional short-to-medium piers. To investigate the seismic performance and failure mode of RC round-end hollow tall piers, a finite element model was developed using the OpenSees platform and calibrated against previous test results. Subsequently, incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) and modal pushover analysis (MPA) were conducted to obtain bending moment and curvature distributions as well as damage ranges for piers subjected to different intensities of ground motion. The results indicate that: The RC round-end hollow tall piers subjected to strong ground motions can crack up to 75% and 80% of its height according to IDA and MPA, respectively. The MPA incorporating mode coupling up to the third order is capable of predicting crack distribution of the pier as demonstrated in this study. Furthermore, it is recommended that the damage range of the pier be considered as a primary control indicator in seismic design.