FORENSIC STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

CASE STUDIES
CASE N° 32
HANSHIN VIADUCT (KOBE)

MARTIN POLIMENI
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
EEPP SA
eeppsaingenieria@gmail.com
 HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE
On January 17, 1995, the Hanshin viaduct, HANSHIN, Japan, collapsed
during an earthquake.
HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE

Principal cause:
• Shear failure of the reinforced
concrete columns, along 600 m
length, due to a severe earthquake.
Consequences:
o 6400 people dead and 41500 people
injured (total amount, consequence
of the earthquake). Great number of
structures destroyed.
HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE
 HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE

Principal structural system.

Length span: 36.0 m
11 m hammerhead supported
25 m drop in span.
Multiple beam concrete deck,
Width: 20.25 m Height: 1.80 m
Single column pier: Diam. 3.1 m.
Height ~ 10 to 13 m.
Monolithic connection deck/pier.
Group pile foundation.
 HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE

Poor anchorage of the circular

hoop reinforcement. The columns
failed by shear before the plastic
moment, Mp, was reached.
 HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE

Equal displacement rule.

Displacement ductility factor:
m = Du/Dy = 2.20. fu/fy = 5.42
T = 0.64 s
 HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE
Crushing and spalling of the
cover concrete in the region of
the column above the pile cap.

Brittle fracture butt weld

Columns after collapse. The shear

resistant was not sufficient to
prevent the collapse.
 HANSHIN VIADUCT COLLAPSE
Lessons learned:
 The main causes of the columns failure by seismic inertia forces were:
 Lack of adequate transverse reinforcement for shear resistance.
 Lack confinement of concrete.
 Lack restraint of buckling of longitudinal reinforcement.
 Small quantity of the circular hoop reinforcement.
 Poor anchorage of the ends of circular hoop reinforcement due to crushing
and spalling of the cover concrete .
 Poor performance of the longitudinal reinforcement due to:
 Poor anchorage.
 Brittle fracture of butt welds.
 Early finish of one-third of it.
 The Kobe earthquake was one of the most severe in the recent history. The
structural performance of the Hanshin viaduct during the earthquake was
totally undesirable. The current seismic codes requires a ductile response of
the piers by the imposition of plastic hinge fuses at some critical connections
(columns/caps and columns/footings) and self-centering systems, to prevent
the collapse of the structure, designing capacity-protected elements and
enabling the retrofitting of the fuse sections after de earthquake.