Performance-Based Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete Bridges

Dear Colleagues,

Reinforced concrete bridges in seismic regions are critical components of transportation infrastructure, and their performance during earthquakes has profound implications for public safety, economic continuity, and post-event recovery. Traditional code-based seismic design methods focus primarily on strength and life safety under a single design event, but they may not consistently ensure acceptable performance across multiple hazard levels or in the face of complex ground motions. Performance-Based Seismic Design (PBSD) provides a modern framework for designing and assessing bridges through explicit performance objectives such as damage limits, functional continuity, and repairability using advanced analytical and evaluation techniques.

This Special Issue seeks original research, methodological advances, analytical and experimental studies, and rigorous case studies that advance PBSD for reinforced concrete bridges. We invite contributions that integrate design innovation, computational and experimental modeling, and performance evaluation under seismic excitations. Submissions should emphasize technical rigor, practical relevance, and clear pathways toward improving design practices, codes, standards, and resilience frameworks.

We welcome papers on, but not limited to, the following topics:

1. Performance Targets and Seismic Metrics

• Definition and calibration of performance levels (e.g., Immediate Occupancy, Life Safety, Collapse Prevention) for bridge elements and systems.
• Seismic hazard characterization, ground motion selection, and scaling for PBSD.
• Limit states tied to deformation, damage indices, and reparability criteria.

2. Analytical and Computational Methods

• Nonlinear static (pushover) methodologies for bridges, capacity spectrum methods, and target displacement approaches.
• Nonlinear time-history analysis for seismic demand assessment.
• Soil-structure interaction, dynamic amplification effects, and multi-mode response considerations.

3. Design Innovations and Detailing

• Performance-based design strategies for bridge piers, columns, bent caps, and superstructures.
• Material and reinforcement innovations for enhanced ductility and energy dissipation.
• Seismic design and detailing provisions aligned with PBSD objectives.

4. Retrofitting and Seismic Rehabilitation

• Performance-based assessment and retrofitting of seismically deficient bridges.
• Use of advanced composites, CFRP, shape memory alloys, and innovative retrofit techniques.
• Evaluation of retrofit effectiveness through analytical and experimental studies.

5. Experimental and Field Studies

• Full-scale tests, shaking table experiments, and hybrid simulation for reinforced concrete bridge components and systems.
• Instrumentation and performance monitoring data from bridges exposed to seismic events.

6. Codes, Guidelines, and Implementation Challenges

• Comparative studies of performance-based provisions in international codes and guidelines.
• Case studies illustrating PBSD adoption in design practice and policy implications.
• Tools, software workflows, and best practices for PBSD implementation.

(Contributions focused solely on methodological developments without a clear connection to seismic performance of reinforced concrete bridges are considered outside the scope.)

Dr. Abobakr Al-Sakkaf
Prof. Dr. Ashutosh Bagchi
Dr. Ghasan Alfalah
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• performance-based seismic design (PBSD)
• reinforced concrete bridges
• sustainability assessment
• nonlinear time-history analysis
• seismic demand and capacity assessment
• bridge ductility and damage states
• seismic retrofitting and rehabilitation
• soil–structure interaction