Time-Dependent Seismic Fragility of Corroded Bridge Piers Subjected to Sulfate-Chloride Attack Based on an Energy ​

Time-Dependent Seismic Fragility of Corroded Bridge Piers Subjected to Sulfate-Chloride Attack Based on an Energy ​ | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Time-Dependent Seismic Fragility of Corroded Bridge Piers Subjected to Sulfate-Chloride Attack Based on an Energy ​ Shengqiang Ma, Wenjie Ma, Shenwei Chen, Gangfeng Wang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9553409/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the time-dependent seismic fragility of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers exposed to the harsh saline-alkali environments of Northwest China. A comprehensive analytical framework was developed by integrating quasi-static cyclic tests, nonlinear finite element modeling, and incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). Four pier specimens were subjected to accelerated corrosion in a composite sulfate-chloride solution for up to 90 days. Experimental results reveal a critical threshold: once the mass loss ratio of transverse stirrups exceeds 12.05%, the severe loss of core confinement triggers a fundamental failure mode transition from ductile flexural yielding to brittle flexural-shear failure. Traditional displacement-based parameters are fundamentally inadequate for capturing this brittle shift; therefore, the Krätzig hysteretic energy dissipation index was adopted to rigorously quantify structural damage. Subsequently, a time-dependent Probabilistic Seismic Demand Model (PSDM) was constructed, explicitly incorporating the experimentally calibrated reinforcement degradation laws. The fragility analysis demonstrates a distinct biphasic degradation mechanism: while short-term sulfate attack temporarily enhances initial stiffness via a "pore-filling effect," prolonged composite exposure drastically amplifies seismic vulnerability. Notably, under a severe earthquake intensity of 1.0 g (PGA), the exceedance probability for Severe Damage reaches 50.24% after 90 days of exposure, representing a 2.7-fold increase compared to the uncorroded baseline This research provides a robust, energy-based quantitative methodology for the lifecycle seismic evaluation and maintenance of transport infrastructure in aggressive composite environments. RC bridge piers Quasi-static test Sulfate-chloride attack Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) Time-dependent seismic fragility Energy damage index Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 09 May, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 04 May, 2026 Editor invited by journal 03 May, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 30 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 28 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9553409","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":633939774,"identity":"3938518d-c432-4757-8f03-82d275d86c7c","order_by":0,"name":"Shengqiang Ma","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAr0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCDwxsIMqAeB2MM0jWwswDoYnUott+/OFt2za+xAb25m0SDDV3CGsxO5NjbJ1zhi2xgedYmQTDsWdEaDmQwyadUwHUIpFjJsHYcJgILeefP5O2MABqkX9DrJYbCWbSDGBbeIjW8sbYsucMm3EbT1qxRcIxohyW/vDGz7Zjsv3shzfe+FBDhBYQkGBgOAaJzATiNIC11BCrdhSMglEwCkYiAAB47zXZj0K9DgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7910-435X","institution":"Xinjiang University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shengqiang","middleName":"","lastName":"Ma","suffix":""},{"id":633939775,"identity":"5c2d5622-2fb6-455f-80b1-17eb69344f9e","order_by":1,"name":"Wenjie Ma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Xinjiang University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Wenjie","middleName":"","lastName":"Ma","suffix":""},{"id":633939776,"identity":"ffb41323-3ba8-451b-8369-8ad57bbd7405","order_by":2,"name":"Shenwei Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Xinjiang University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shenwei","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""},{"id":633939777,"identity":"7f96a537-8865-4c87-97ad-213516fb9e62","order_by":3,"name":"Gangfeng Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chang'an University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gangfeng","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-28 11:25:30","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9553409/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9553409/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":109067965,"identity":"2856be07-ab69-4b75-ab11-5090db78dc7c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-12 10:02:54","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1856670,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript26.4.20.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9553409/v1_covered_8b02f6ba-1fc7-4238-bdf3-97a255623ecd.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Time-Dependent Seismic Fragility of Corroded Bridge Piers Subjected to Sulfate-Chloride Attack Based on an Energy ​","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bulletin-of-earthquake-engineering","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"beee","sideBox":"Learn more about [Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering](https://www.springer.com/journal/10518)","snPcode":"10518","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10518/3","title":"Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"RC bridge piers, Quasi-static test, Sulfate-chloride attack, Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA), Time-dependent seismic fragility, Energy damage index","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9553409/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9553409/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study investigates the time-dependent seismic fragility of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers exposed to the harsh saline-alkali environments of Northwest China. A comprehensive analytical framework was developed by integrating quasi-static cyclic tests, nonlinear finite element modeling, and incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). Four pier specimens were subjected to accelerated corrosion in a composite sulfate-chloride solution for up to 90 days. Experimental results reveal a critical threshold: once the mass loss ratio of transverse stirrups exceeds 12.05%, the severe loss of core confinement triggers a fundamental failure mode transition from ductile flexural yielding to brittle flexural-shear failure. Traditional displacement-based parameters are fundamentally inadequate for capturing this brittle shift; therefore, the Kr\u0026auml;tzig hysteretic energy dissipation index was adopted to rigorously quantify structural damage. Subsequently, a time-dependent Probabilistic Seismic Demand Model (PSDM) was constructed, explicitly incorporating the experimentally calibrated reinforcement degradation laws. 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