Numerical Study on Influence of Mass on Dynamic Performance of Piles with Pre-hole Seismic Isolation System in IABs

Integral abutment bridges (IABs) could fundamentally resolve the durability problems of expansion joints. The concrete piles beneath the abutments are the most vulnerable components in IABs. To improve the seismic performance of IABs, the pile with pre-hole filled by damping materials (called pre-hole seismic isolation system) has been proposed. In this paper, the shaking table test of the pre-hole seismic isolation system under sine wave load is simulated by using the finite element software ABAQUS/Explicit. The influence of the mass on the pile top and the pre-hole dimension on the dynamic performance of the pre-hole seismic isolation system was analysed. It can be concluded that with an increase in the mass or pre-hole dimension, the fundamental frequency of the pile-soil system decreased. With an increase in the input wave’s frequency, the pile with a pre-hole seismic isolation system could have a better seismic performance by reducing the mass or pre-hole dimension.