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Chapter Six

The local ductility demand, L, for the weak link spring and the
global ductility demand, G, for the system are defined by:
L =

y ,max
w,y

and

G =

max
y

(6.18)

Using these equations, for the case G 1, the following relationship between local and global ductility can be derived (Alfawakhiri
and Bruneau 2001):
L = G + ( G + 1)

p
w,y

= G + ( G + 1)

Kw
Kp

(6.19)

Figure 6.14 shows plots of the normalized local ductility demands,

L/G, for several values of G. It illustrates that the local ductility
demand is larger than the global ductility demand for any nonzero
positive finite value of Kp. If the protected spring is infinitely rigid
(Kp = ), then L= G. Similar equations to accommodate any number
of protected springs in series, with or without strain-hardening of
the yielding spring have been also presented by Alfawakhiri and
Bruneau (2001).
The above relationship between local and global ductility is integral to the design requirements for ductile end-diaphragms in slab-ongirder bridges (AASHTO 2009), in which yielding diaphragms inserted
in the steel superstructure of a slab-on-girder bridge are designed to
exhibit ductile behavior and dissipate energy during earthquakes while
protecting a stiff but nonductile substructure (Zahrai and Bruneau
1999a, 1999b). A similar concept relying on ductile cross-frames along
the two load-paths traveled by seismic forces in deck-trusses bridges
(Sarraf and Bruneau 1998a, 1998b) has been implemented as part of the
seismic retrofit of the third-longest cantilever truss span in the world,
located in Osaka in Japan (Kanaji et al. 2005).
Similar relationships between local and global ductility in slabon-girder bridges also have been derived for the case when considerable superstructure flexibility in the horizontal transverse
direction is encountered, such as in relatively narrow (slender in
plan view) spans of highway or railroad bridges for which the
assumption of infinitely rigid superstructure cannot be justified
(Alfawakhiri and Bruneau 2001).

6.6 Displacement Compatibility of Nonductile Systems

When ductile and nonductile structural systems are configured to act
like springs in parallel (rather than springs in series as was the case in
Figures 6.3 and 6.14), the nonductile structural elements will undergo

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