Steel and Composite Structures

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Coupled effects of corrosion and fault-crossing ground motions on continuous rigid frame bridges: Nonlinear dynamic response and failure mechanisms

  • Hongyu Jia (State Key Laboratory of Bridge Intelligent and Green Construction, Southwest Jiaotong University) ;
  • Jiahao Hou (School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University) ;
  • Hao Bai (Sichuan Expressway Construction & Development Group Co., Ltd.) ;
  • Zhi Xu (Shudao Investment Group Co., Ltd.) ;
  • Kang Jia (Sichuan Chengdu Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd.) ;
  • Shixiong Zheng (State Key Laboratory of Bridge Intelligent and Green Construction, Southwest Jiaotong University)
  • Received : 2026.02.04
  • Accepted : 2026.05.01
  • Published : 2026.06.10
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Abstract

Bridges traversing active faults in aggressive environments (such as coastal or reservoir regions) face the coupled risks of chloride-induced corrosion and fault-crossing seismic excitations. The failure mechanisms governing continuous rigid frame bridges (CRFBs) under such coupled degradation-seismic conditions remain poorly understood. This study develops an integrated analytical framework comprising: (i) time-dependent deterioration models accounting for chloride-induced reinforcement section loss, yield-strength reduction, and concrete cover softening; and (ii) a refined 3D nonlinear finite element model (FEM) incorporating fiber beam-column elements, a soil-structure interaction system (SSIS), bearings, and pounding effects. (iii) Synthetic fault-crossing ground motions are generated by superimposing low-frequency fling-step pulses onto spectrum-matched high-frequency records. These synthetic motions are then applied to the bridge model via multi-support excitation. Comparative analyses demonstrate that fault-crossing motions shift the structural response from an inertia-dominated amplification mode to a quasi-static forced displacement mode. This mode shift imposes significantly larger and more asymmetric kinematic demands compared to standard near-fault scenarios. Structural responses exhibit a nonlinear dependence on permanent ground rupture displacement (PGRD), typically plateauing at an observed peak of 0. 6 m for the examined cases. This phenomenon is attributed to a force-limiting mechanism: the yielding of foundation soil and the premature plastic hinging of corroded piers restrict the inertial force transmission to the superstructure. Furthermore, the fault-crossing angle (FCA) governs the demand distribution, exhibiting an 'M-shaped' sensitivity; deviation from orthogonality amplifies pier-base curvature by up to three orders of magnitude due to longitudinal locking effects. A frequency-decoupling mechanism is also identified: low-frequency pulses dictate global pier drifts and permanent bearing offsets, whereas high-frequency components control local cyclic damage. Crucially, corrosion accelerates pier yielding and exacerbates the accumulation of plastic damage, thereby substantially amplifying the collapse probability under the extreme forced displacements induced by fault rupture.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The research for this paper was supported partially by Sichuan Science and Technology Program (No. 2026YFHZ0008), National Science Foundation of China (No. 52178169, No. U21A20154, and No. 2021YFB1600300) and the Scientific Research and Development Project of China Railway Group Limited (2022-Special-01). The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to all the sponsors for the financial support.

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