In the United States, bridge design for waterway vessel collision typically involves static application of code prescribed impact loads. However, results from full scale experimental impact tests have revealed that significant mass-related inertial forces can develop in impacted piers due to the effect of the overlying superstructure. Based in part on these findings,a dynamic (time-history) analysis technique has previously been developedthat predicts both impact load and structural response. In the present paper, this dynamic analysis technique is combined with recently developed barge force-deformation relationships and a simplified bridge modeling technique to conduct a detailed investigation of collision induced dynamic amplification phenomena. Design forces are quantified for a wide range of bridge types using dynamic and static analyses. For each bridge considered, dynamic amplifications are numerically quantified by comparing dynamic to static predictions of pier column demand. Significant amplification effectsare consistently found among the barge bridge collision simulations conducted, indicating that dynamic phenomena should be accounted for in bridge design.
Abstract