Study on the performance of energy absorption structure of bridge piers against vehicle collision

Anti-collision structures are generally adopted to provide the protection of overpass bridge piers and reduce the damage of errant vehicles. The present paper introduces a new energy absorption device into the design of these systems, which consists of 'U' shape thin-walled steel plate with GFRP (Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic) honeycomb-filled. A horizontal impact testing with guide system was conducted to examine the performance of the designed energy absorption structure against trolley collision. The experimental results are used to validate the FE model, which is also utilised to the parametric studies for higher impact kinetic energy and different constructions of the protection structure. It is found that the designed protection structure with thin-walled steel plate and fibre composite provide good crashworthiness and functioned well for protecting the bridge pier.