Enhancing earthquake resistance in Thailand’s railway viaduct using Lock-up device

Abstract

Transportation infrastructure has a crucial role in a country's development. In recent years, Thailand has various transportation projects, one of the interesting projects is the construction of railway viaduct. Although Thailand is not situated in a high-risk earthquake zone, seismic events could affect to structures and human life. This research focuses on the study of Lock-up device (LUD), which are designed to restrain structural movement during high velocity, such as seismic. It can effectively reduce damage from seismic. Simultaneously, these devices allow structures to move freely under low velocity, such as temperature and creep. The result from this study reveals that the installation of Lock-up device can effectively distribute seismic force from fixed pier to roller pier, enhancing the structure’s ability to resist seismic force. Additionally, these devices reduce displacement at pier head, resulting in less impact on the railway tracks. Furthermore, LUD help decrease the amount of reinforcement steel or the size of reinforcement steel in the pier, leading to reduced construction cost. Therefore, it is another option for equipment used to resist earthquakes that is efficient and cost-effective.