Joint Design Optimization for Accelerated Construction of Slab Beam Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 7
Abstract
The Florida Slab Beam (FSB) has been developed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to be used for short-span bridges [less than about 19.8 m (65 ft) long]. The FSB system consists of shallow precast, prestressed concrete inverted-tee beams that are placed adjacent to each other and then involve reinforcement and concrete being placed in the inner joints and deck all in one single cast. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is becoming more widely used in bridge construction applications as a result of its remarkable structural performance. Many departments of transportation have tested and deployed the use of UHPC in bridges around the United States. Most of these applications have been to connect precast members (e.g., slabs to beams and slabs, adjacent beams, caps to columns, etc.). A modified FSB design is desired to eliminate the cast-in-place (CIP) deck and allow for UHPC to be used in the joint region, which will allow for accelerated construction and decrease the impact of construction on traffic. Different joint details and cross-section geometries were analyzed and experimentally evaluated to determine feasible joint details with UHPC for slab beam bridges used in accelerated construction. Results from numerical modeling, strength, and fatigue experimental testing of the transverse joint performance of four different UHPC joints in two different depth slab beam bridges are presented. Straight-side and shear-key UHPC joint details were found to behave similar to or better than the current FSB joint detail.
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Acknowledgments
The research presented in this project was supported by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The authors would like to thank FDOT for their financial support and the team of engineers and staff at the Structures Research Center for their assistance in constructing and testing the specimens. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of FDOT or the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Notations
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- db
- diameter of joint reinforcement;
- E
- modulus of elasticity;
- compressive strength of concrete;
- ft
- tensile strength of concrete;
- fy
- yield strength of steel reinforcement;
- GF
- fracture energy;
- ld
- required development or embedment length; and
- ls
- required lap splice length.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 7 • July 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 10, 2019
Accepted: Dec 30, 2019
Published online: Apr 17, 2020
Published in print: Jul 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Sep 17, 2020
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