PERFORMANCE OF SUSPENSION BRIDGES SUBJECTED TO STRONG EARTHQUAKES

A modern suspension bridge, the Vincent-Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles Harbor, was strongly shaken by the October 1, 1987 Whittier earthquake. The earthquake generated the most comprehensive and unique set of data on the structural response and the multiple support excitation of the bridge yet recorded from a damaging earthquake anywhere in the world. In this paper, strong motion records taken from the 26 accelerographs located on and in the vicinity of the bridge, in conjunction with results of both analytical and experimental studies on the same bridge are used to shed more light on the salient features of the performance of suspension bridges to strong earthquakes.