Oklahoma Earthquakes and Their Effects on Highway Bridges
Abstract
Oklahoma is presently experiencing a higher rate of earthquake activity than historically
observed. Historical data on earthquake-induced damage to Oklahoma bridges is limited,
so the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is concerned about their
bridges. The first part of this research develops smart inspection radii for ODOT. These
radii incorporate both the demand on and capacity of Oklahoma bridges. Demand is
quantified by the ground-motion intensity, in this case spectral acceleration at a period
of 1.0 s (S 1). Capacity is characterized by HAZUS fragility curves for bridges. Then,
Oklahoma ground motions are compared to current attenuation models. Current models
tend to over predict Oklahoma shaking levels, so a bias factor was calibrated to better
represent Oklahoma earthquake attenuation. This is followed by performing a seismic
response analysis for the Interstate 35 bridge over the Cimarron River located approximately
40 miles north of Oklahoma City in Logan County, Oklahoma. The results from
this study can also be used to verify and adjust the fragility curve parameters needed
for the development of ShakeCast–OK. Seismic response analysis has shown that the
potential for structural damage is low under the considered loading conditions. Finally,
ShakeCast–OK is developed. This real-time program sends notifications to ODOT indicating
which bridges to inspect after an earthquake. This saves ODOT time and money
by reducing the number of unnecessary inspections.
Collections
- OU - Theses [2094]