Overview of Potential and Existing Applications of Shape Memory Alloys in Bridges

Bridges are the backbones of transportation lines for modern cities. Damage to bridges could disrupt the flow of traffic and be disastrous for the communities they serve, especially when reconstruction and recovery activities are needed, such as after strong earthquakes and hurricanes. Recent earthquake and hurricane damage has exposed the vulnerability of existing bridges under strong ground motions and unexpected wave loads. In recent decades, several kinds of smart materials have been investigated to improve the performance of bridge structures during extreme events such as earthquakes and strong winds. Among these materials, shape memory alloys (SMAs) have exhibited great potential in enhancing the performance of bridge structures because of their unique properties, such as the shape memory effect and superelasticity effect. This paper, for the first time, systematically reviews and summarizes the applications of SMAs in bridge structures. The unique properties of SMAs are presented first, and several simplified one-dimensional constitutive material models of superelastic SMAs are introduced. Finally, applications of SMAs in five areas of bridge engineering are discussed. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0000145. (C) 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.