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

This paper investigates the effects of the fuse damper on the cyclic performance of the self-centering bridge pier. In this regard, a three-dimensional finite element model of a self-centering concrete column with a fuse damper was developed. The model has three main components consisting of a support block, concrete column and fuse damper. The fuse damper includes a fuse plate, steel jacket and bolt. The column was subjected to axial dead load and lateral cyclic load. The response of the column was obtained through a nonlinear static analysis. The results obtained from the model developed in this study were compared with those available in the literature to show the validity of the model. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the effects of several parameters such, as plate thickness, bolt diameter, ultimate strengths of plate and bolt, etc. on the cyclic response of the self-centering column. The results obtained from the parametric study indicate that the fuse damper improves the cyclic response of the column. As the fuse plate thickness, bolt diameter, and the height of the base segment were increased, the dissipated energy by the column and lateral strength of the column were increased.