Performance of a Prestressed Concrete Pedestrian Bridge System under Equivalent Static Lateral Impact Loads
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27, Issue 4
Abstract
The resistance of prestressed concrete through-girder (PCTG) pedestrian bridges to lateral loads was studied in response to the increasing number of vehicular impacts in the United States. This research was motivated by the lack of reported studies analyzing the behavior of such bridges to lateral impact loads, as well as their potential vulnerability in comparison with bridges that are better able to redistribute and transfer locally applied impact loads through alternate load paths. Pedestrian bridges are of lighter construction than highway bridges and they do not have the high degree of redundancy, making them more vulnerable to collapse in the event of vehicular impact. Results from static lateral load analyses using three-dimensional, geometrically nonlinear, full-scale finite element (FE) models of a typical bridge system and bridge subassemblages were used to evaluate the characteristics of the system. The FE models were calibrated with experimental test data on typical subassemblages and connection details for PCTG bridges. Results of the experimental part of the program have already been published elsewhere. This paper summarizes the observations obtained from nonlinear static FE analyses of a PCTG pedestrian bridge system subjected to lateral impact loads. The analyses indicated that the location of impact, the type of connector, and the flexibility of the end support details affected bridge performance. Improved connection details are suggested for enhanced PCTG pedestrian bridge performance.
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Acknowledgments
This research was sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), and the financial support is gratefully acknowledged. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsors. Appreciation is also expressed to Jihshya Lin, Kevin Western, and Erik Wolhowe of the Mn/DOT Office of Bridges and Structures for their input and assistance. The support provided by the University of Minnesota Graduate School in the form of a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for the first author is also acknowledged. The authors also wish to acknowledge the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute for the use of their resources.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27 • Issue 4 • August 2013
Pages: 450 - 459
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 27, 2011
Accepted: Jan 31, 2012
Published online: Feb 2, 2012
Published in print: Aug 1, 2013
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