Seismic performance of Reinforced Concrete (RC) bridge piers can be improved when their deformation demands are partially alleviated at the cost of a limited amount of rotation in the pier foundation due to soil–pile interaction. Until recently, damage to the foundation was undesirable in the capacity design framework. However, with the advent of performance-based design, engaging the foundation in a controlled manner is now considered a desirable means by which to control damage to the piers at advanced performance levels. This approach is particularly relevant in the common highway overpass (usually short two span bridges) where embankment contributions determine the seismic demands to the central piers, as the embankment–abutment interaction dominates the lateral translation of the bridge superstructure. This paper explores this option as a design scenario, whereby, through the implementation of appropriate structural and geometrical configuration of the pier–foundation system, it may be feasible to improve the seismic performance of a bridge by engaging more components to distribute the deformation rather than relying on damage localization in a few critical elements. Concepts are illustrated through correlation of the calculated responses with field records obtained from an instrumented bridge overpass, used as benchmark example.
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