An efficient and accurate method of added mass for evaluating the seismic hydrodynamic effect of deep-water piers

Abstract

Due to the effects of complex fluid-structure interaction, deep-water bridges are more prone to damage under strong earthquakes. Quantification of seismic fluid-structure interaction can be crucial for evaluating the seismic performance of deep-water bridges. Currently, there is a lack of suitable methods for rapidly calculating hydrodynamic added mass for deep-water piers with complex cross-sectional shapes in the seismic performance assessment of deep-water bridges. In light of this, the present paper proposed an efficient and accurate method for calculating the hydrodynamic added mass of piers with different cross-sectional shapes. Taking circular, rectangular, and dumbbell-shaped piers as examples, the proposed method was employed to calculate the hydrodynamic added mass for deep-water bridge piers. Comparison of the seismic responses obtained from the analytical formula, fluid-structure coupling refined numerical model and the proposed method in this paper validated the accuracy of the proposed method. Finally, the hydrodynamic coupling effects of deep-water bridge piers were also investigated. It was concluded that the proposed method can be efficient and accurate for obtaining the added mass of deep-water piers.