• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.39-48
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• 2010

Improved seismic performances of RC bridges can be attained by sufficient ductilities of piers, which can be obtained by providing sufficient lateral confinements to the plastic hinge regions of piers. The cross sectional shape and the amount of lateral reinforcements are key parameters in the determination of effective confinements. Even though identical amounts of lateral reinforcement are provided, the effective confinement differs due to different spacing, arrangements, hook details and so on. Unlike circular sections in which confinement is exerted by mere hoop reinforcements, cross-ties are arranged in square or rectangular sections to enhance the effective confinements. The stress-strain relationship of confined concrete is varied by how to consider these cross-ties. In this study, the stress-strain relationships of confined concrete with cross-ties are investigated experimentally and their mechanical characteristics are estimated by comparison with other empirical equations.