Effect of fuse damper on cyclic performance of self-centring bridge pier

The effects of a fuse damper on the cyclic performance of a self-centring bridge pier were investigated. To this end, a three-dimensional finite-element model of a self-centring concrete column with a fuse damper was developed. The model has three main components – a support block, the concrete column and a fuse damper. The fuse damper includes a fuse plate, a steel jacket and a bolt. The column was subjected to axial dead load and lateral cyclic load. The response of the column was obtained through a non-linear static analysis. To check the validity of the model, the model results were compared with results reported in the literature. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the effects of several parameters (e.g. plate thickness, bolt diameter, ultimate strengths of plate and bolt) on the cyclic response of the self-centring column. The results obtained from the parametric study indicated that the fuse damper improved the cyclic response of the column. In addition, as the fuse plate thickness, bolt diameter and height of the base segment were increased, the energy dissipated by the column and the lateral strength of the column both increased.