Experimental investigation on prestressed precast bridge columns incorporating internal buckling‐restrained rods

Abstract The inelastic damage and residual deformation of reinforced concrete bridge columns (RCCs) under seismic excitation hinder the rapid post‐earthquake recovery of bridge functionality and lead to increased repair costs. To promote the application of bridge columns in seismic‐prone zones, this study proposed two types of prestressed precast bridge columns (PPCs) incorporating internal steel buckling‐restrained rods (SBRRs). SBRRs were placed into the precast column and foundation for the two PPCs. Quasi‐static tests were conducted on two PPC specimens and one RCC specimen to evaluate their seismic performance. The experimental results revealed that both PPCs exhibited stable hysteretic behavior and without significant degradation of the bearing capacity. The bearing capacity and stiffness of the PPCs at large drift ( θ ≥ 3%) were comparable to those of RCC. The residual drift of the PPCs was 57% lower than that of the RCC, indicating superior self‐centering ability. Moreover, the PPCs presented fewer cracks and better damage control capability. After being subjected to successive loading processes, the PPCs exhibited energy dissipation capacity and self‐centering performance comparable to those demonstrated during the first loading process, indicating excellent structural stability under repeated seismic simulation. Furthermore, a theoretical model was developed for predicting the force–displacement hysteresis envelope of the PPCs. The predicted results matched well with the test results, facilitating the seismic design proposal of the PPCs.