The Montana Department of Transportation has found concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) piles connected at the top by a concrete pile cap to be a very cost-effective support system for short and medium span bridges. This type of system offers low initial cost, short construction time, low maintenance requirements, and a long service life. While the gravity load performance of these systems is well understood, their strength and ductility under extreme lateral loads (e.g., seismic events) is more difficult to reliably predict using conventional design procedures. The proposed research aims to further develop newly established design and analysis methodologies, and to ultimately ensure the desired bridge performance.
Phase I: Preliminary Investigation
Phase II: Lateral Load and Lateral Displacement
Phase III: Confirmation of Connection Performance
Phase IV: Further Evaluation/Improvement of Analysis/Design Methodologies
Technical Brief
MDT Research Technical Brief: Enhancing Montana’s Bridge Pile Connection Designs