Live-Load Distribution Factors for Concrete Box-Girder Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 8, Issue 5
Abstract
The current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Specifications impose fairly strict limits on the use of its live-load distribution factor for design of highway bridges. These limits include requirements for a prismatic cross section, a large span-length-to-width ratio, and a small plan curvature. Refined analyses using 3D models are required for bridges outside of these limits. These limits place severe restrictions on the routine design of bridges in California, as box-girder bridges outside of these limits are frequently constructed. This paper presents the results of a study investigating the live-load distribution characteristics of box-girder bridges and the limits imposed by the LRFD specifications. Distribution factors determined from a set of bridges with parameters outside of the LRFD limits are compared with the distribution factors suggested by the LRFD specifications. For the range of parameters investigated, results indicated that the current LRFD distribution factor formulas generally provide a conservative estimate of the design bending moment and shear force.
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References
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). (1998). AASHTO bridge design specifications, 2nd Ed., Washington, D.C.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 8 • Issue 5 • September 2003
Pages: 273 - 280
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 6, 2001
Accepted: Sep 23, 2002
Published online: Aug 15, 2003
Published in print: Sep 2003
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