Date of Award

12-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Civil Engineering

Committee Member

Dr. Sez Atamturktur, Committee Chair

Committee Member

Dr. Nadarajah Ravichandran

Committee Member

Dr. Mohammad Javanbarg

Committee Member

Dr. Saurabh Prabhu

Abstract

Over 1600 masonry arch bridges serve as part of the U.S. transportation infrastructure system. The preservation of these bridges is important due not only to their role in transportation network, but also to their cultural, architectural, and historic value to the nation. For successful preservation, the stewards of these historic bridges must be equipped with tools to make risk-aware decisions, considering both the susceptibility of the region to an extreme seismic event and the vulnerability of the bridge to undergo structural damage. To aid the stewards of these bridges, this master's thesis develops Infrastructure Risk Indices (i.e. the probability of failure for local seismic hazard) for the masonry arch bridge inventory of the nation through non-linear finite element modeling coupled with fragility analysis under site-appropriate seismic excitation. The risk indices presented herein can aid the development of retrofitting strategies to help minimize risk and in turn, minimize financial loss, as well as loss of cultural heritage of the structures.

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