Temperature Effects on a Box-Girder Integral-Abutment Bridge
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 28, Issue 3
Abstract
As part of a study to quantify temperature effects on integral-abutment box-girder bridges, field instrumentation was monitored continuously for one year on a bridge near Sacramento, California. Thermocouples were installed throughout the deck as well as over the height of the superstructure. Temperature changes were used to obtain maximum and minimum average temperatures as well as positive and negative thermal gradients. These values were compared with recommended respective temperature ranges. Strain changes at various locations were obtained by driving trucks along five load paths. These data, along with strain changes resulting from daily temperature variations, were used to validate a finite-element model using solid elements for the superstructure and springs at the abutments, in order to replicate the partial fixity of the bridge. The validated finite-element model was used to evaluate the effects that the partial fixity and temperature gradients have on the temperature stress for a typical integral-abutment bridge.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This publication was supported by a subcontract from Rutgers University, Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), under grant No. DTFH61-08-C-00005 from the DOT–Federal Highway Administration. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rutgers University or those of the DOT–Federal Highway Administration. The researchers thank CALTRANS for their help and cooperation with the testing of the California bridge at Lambert Road and I5. The authors also thank Bridge Diagnostics, Inc., for the assistance during the live-load test as well as Dereck Hodson for assistance with the finite-element model.
References
AASHTO. (1994). AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications, 1st Ed., Washington, DC.
AASHTO. (2010). AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications, 4th Ed., Washington, DC.
Barr, P. J., Stanton, J., and Eberhard, M. (2005). “Effects of temperature variations on precast, prestressed concrete bridge girders.” J. Bridge Eng., 186–194.
Branco, F., and Mendes, P. (1993). “Thermal actions for concrete bridge design.” J. Struct. Eng., 2313–2331.
Cai, J., Xu, Y., Feng, F., and Zhang, J. (2012). “Effects of temperature variations on the in-plane stability of steel arch bridges.” J. Bridge Eng., 232–240.
Emerson, M. (1982). Thermal movements of concrete bridges: Field measurements, Transport and Road Research Laboratory, Crowthorne, U.K.
Imbsen, R. (1985). “Thermal effects in concrete bridge superstructures.” NCHRP Rep. 276, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Lee, J. (2012). “Investigation of extreme environmental conditions and design thermal gradients during construction for prestressed concrete bridge girders.” J. Bridge Eng., 547–556.
Moorty, S., and Roeder, C. W. (1990). “Thermal response of skewed bridges.” Developments in short and medium span bridge engineering, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), Toronto, 343–353.
Newhouse, C., Roberts-Wollmann, C., Cousins, T., and Davis, R. (2008). “Modeling early-age bridge restraint moments: Creep, shrinkage, and temperature effects.” J. Bridge Eng., 431–438.
Priestley, M. (1978). “Design of concrete bridges for temperature gradients.” American Concrete Institute (ACI), 75(5), 209–217.
Priestley, M., Thurston, S., and Cooke, N. (1984). “Influence of cracking on thermal response reinforced concrete bridges.” Concr. Int., 6(8), 36–43.
Rodriguez, L. E. (2012). “Temperature effects on integral abutment bridges for the long-term bridge performance program.” M.S. thesis, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT.
Roeder, C. (2003). “Proposed design method for thermal bridge movements.” J. Bridge Eng., 12–19.
SAP2000 15 [Computer software]. Berkeley, CA, Computers and Structures, Inc.
Thepchatri, T., and Johnson, C. P. (1977). “Prediction of temperature and stresses in highway bridges by a numerical procedure using daily weather reports.” FHWATX-77-23-1, Center for Highway Research, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 28 • Issue 3 • June 2014
Pages: 583 - 591
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 15, 2012
Accepted: Jan 14, 2013
Published online: Jan 16, 2013
Published in print: Jun 1, 2014
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.