Effect of Frozen Ground on Seismic Response of Pile-Supported Bridge

With the rapid development of China's economy, the linear traffic infrastructure in the permafrost region has also developed rapidly. Many engineering problems in pile-supported bridges are caused by the freeze-thaw cycles and seismic activity on the roadbed when linear traffic passes over the frozen ground. Therefore, this study focused on the seismic response of a pile-supported bridge in frozen ground. A three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear finite-element (FE) model was established based on a pile-supported bridge, and various modeling techniques and methods were presented in detail. Specifically, the p-y curves in the frozen or unfrozen soil were calculated based on the experimental results from modeling the soil-pile interactions. Based on the computed results, the seismic response of a pile-supported bridge structure in the frozen ground was comprehensively investigated and compared with that in the unfrozen ground. The effect of the frozen ground on the seismic response of a bridge structure was systematically explored. The modeling technique and the derived insights could be significant for pile-supported bridges in frozen ground.