Displacement‐based design of RC bridge columns in seismic regions

Abstract This paper presents a seismic design philosophy based on displacements rather than forces. By inverting the seismic design process, a rational method is established where member strength and stiffness depend on the target displacement. A comprehensive procedure for displacement‐based design of cantilever bridge columns is presented and verified by dynamic inelastic time history analysis. Parameter studies are used to examine the influence of several variables within the possible design solution space.