ABSTRACT
To evaluate seismic performance of existing bridge footings accurately, it is necessary to understand the damage mechanism under earthquake loads correctly. In this paper, the effect of pile arrangement on the flexural performance of footing subjected to earthquake loads is investigated by finite element analysis. The results show that the pile arrangement can largely change the distribution of pile reaction forces to affect the bending moment acting on the footing sections in two directions, resulting in different flexural damage pattern. When the pile spacing is properly adjusted by pile arrangement, the flexural damage scope of footing can be restrained near the verification section specified in design stage.
