Experimental Study on Longitudinal Joints with Accelerated Construction Features in Precast Multibox Girder Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 1
Abstract
To accelerate bridge construction, U-bar details were proposed to connect the adjacent precast box girders and replace the original welded-loop details in longitudinal joint design. Static loading tests were conducted, and the failure mode, flexural strength, and cracking behavior of the specimens with welded-loop details and U-bar details were compared. The influence of the U-bar longitudinal spacing, the joint concrete strength, and U-bar lap length on joint performance was also considered. The test results show that although the specimen with U-bar details had the same strength as that of specimen with welded-loop details, it cracked earlier and faster, but it still met the code requirement on maximum crack width. Longitudinal spacing of U-bars has a significant influence on joint performance. Interface cracking occurred for all specimens, considering the actual construction sequence. The tested flexural capacities of specimens with U-bar details were compared with theoretical predictions based on two existing strut-and-tie (STM) models, and the accuracy of these two models was evaluated.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the financial support provided by Shen Zuyan Special Fund with Grant No. 2013CPCCE-K03 from the National Structural Prefabrication Technology Research Center (in construction) of Tongji University and by the National Natural Science Foundation of China with Grant Nos. 51408359 and 51378384. We appreciate the guidance from the Shanghai Urban Construction Design & Research Institute (SUCDRI) and Shanghai City Investment on Highway Co. Ltd. and the help from the field personnel in preparing the members for testing.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 23 • Issue 1 • January 2018
Copyright
© 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 30, 2016
Accepted: Jul 25, 2017
Published online: Oct 26, 2017
Published in print: Jan 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Mar 26, 2018
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