Damage estimation of girder end for pounding of girders and investigation of serviceability for the emergency car

In this paper, we carried out numerical analyses on pounding superstructures, which consist of expansion joint, concrete floor slab and steel girder, by using the 3-dimensional finite element method. To be more precise, the damage level of the expansion joint and concrete slab is simulated. From the numerical analyses, the finger part of the expansion joints is lifted up from about 20mm to 200mm. The serviceability for the emergency car is also investigated by using the vertical gap between the expansion joints. From the result, it is found that the emergency cars are necessary to traverse in low speed when the impact velocity is larger than 2.0m/sec.