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Heavy Truck Collision With Bridge Piers, Ran Cao

Dissertations and Theses

Based on bridge failure data compiled by the New York State Department of Transportation, collision, both caused by vessels and vehicles, is the second leading cause of bridge failures after hydraulic. The current AASHTO-LRFD (2017) specification recommends designing a bridge pier vulnerable to vehicular impacts for an equivalent static force of 2,670-kN (600 kips) applied in a horizontal plane at a distance of 1.5 m (5.0 feet) above the ground level. The vast majority of research studies on vehicular collision with bridge piers have been carried out with single-unit trucks, which are typically classified as medium-duty vehicles weighing about 89 …