Numerical study of the self-centering prestressed concrete pier with external energy dissipators

A novel self-centering prestressed concrete (SCPC) pier with external energy dissipators (EDs) has been recently proposed to minimize the structural damage and residual deformations, and enhance the corrosion-resistant capability. In the SCPC pier with external EDs, internal post-tensioned basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) tendons are used to provide the self-centering ability, and the energy dissipation is realized through the external aluminum bars. Previous cyclic load tests of 1/3-scaled specimens showed that the SCPC pier with external EDs had desirable self-centering and energy dissipation capacities. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model is developed using the ANSYS software. The FE model can capture the complex behavior of the proposed pier, such as gap opening/closing at the pier-foundation interface, energy dissipation of EDs, and self-centering capacity. Good agreement is observed between the numerical and experimental results, demonstrating the accuracy of the developed FE model. This will enable the parametric studies on the seismic performance of the SCPC pier with external EDs in the future.