Considerations for Opening New Access Holes in Curved Box Girders
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 7, Issue 1
Abstract
Access hatches (holes) in curved-box-girder bridges are usually provided in the bottom flange immediately before or after an expansion joint. If additional access hatches are required after the bridge is built, they must be placed in such a way that (1) they satisfy such important practical constraints as feasibility, accessibility, water leakage, traffic impact, and unauthorized access, and (2) they do not adversely affect the structural behavior of the bridge—i.e., their installation should not impair serviceability or decrease ultimate strength or fatigue life. This paper discusses both of these issues and proposes approaches that are suitable for identifying appropriate locations for access hole placement. The proposed approaches are used to investigate seven curved-box-girder bridges located in the state of Florida. One of the bridges is chosen for further study using a detailed finite-element model. The numerical model is used to confirm the proposed methods and to further investigate the effects of adding access holes.
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References
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Published In
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 7 • Issue 1 • February 2002
Pages: 26 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 20, 2001
Accepted: Mar 5, 2001
Published online: Feb 1, 2002
Published in print: Feb 2002
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