Fatigue Evaluation of Longitudinal U-Bar Joint Details for Accelerated Bridge Construction
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 17, Issue 2
Abstract
Continuous longitudinal U-bar joint details for accelerated bridge construction are investigated. Four pairs of full-scale slabs connected by a U-bar detail with one of the selected closure-pour materials were tested under static and fatigue loadings. The loading demand necessary in the slab fatigue testing is determined on the basis of 3D finite-element (FE) parametric studies. Test results were evaluated on the basis of flexural capacity, curvature behavior, cracking, and steel strain. The fatigue loading was found to have little influence on the U-bar joint behavior. In general, crack widths were small at the service load level. No debonding between the slab and the joint was noticed. The joint moment capacity can be calculated on the basis of the assumption that U-bars were continuous reinforcement through the joint zone (i.e., not staggered as in actual specimens) reaching their yield strengths at ultimate. The actual moment capacity depends on the interaction between the closure-pour material and steel as well as the steel arrangement. Because the closure-pour material is cast-in-place and has a relative short curing time for the purpose of accelerated construction, it is very important to control its strength variation. On the basis of these tests, the U-bar joint detail is a viable connection system for the longitudinal joint in bridge decks.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The research reported in this paper has been performed under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) NCHRP10-71 project, “Cast-in-Place Reinforced Concrete Connections for Precast Deck Systems”. Other research team members include R. Eriksson, C. Prussack, A. Schultz, S. Seguirant, and C. Shield. Ross Prestressed Concrete, Inc. donated some of the concrete materials and helped with the casting of the specimens. Gerdau Ameristeel and Engineered Wire products provided the reinforcement. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this paper are those of the authors. They are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or the individual states participating in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. The authors would also like to acknowledge Ken Thomas and Larry Roberts of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) for their assistance with the lab testing.
References
AASHTO LRFD. (2010). Bridge Design Specifications, 5th Ed., American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials, WA, D.C.
Chapman, C. E. (2010). “Behavior of precast bridge deck joints with small bend diameter U-bars.” M.S. thesis, Univ. of TN, Knoxville, TN.
Lewis, S. (2009). “Experimental investigation of precast bridge deck joints with U-bar and headed bar joint details.” M.S. thesis, Univ. of TN, Knoxville, TN.
Li, L., Ma, Z., Griffey, M. E., and Oesterle, R. G. (2010a). “Improved longitudinal joint details in decked bulb tees for accelerated bridge construction: Concept development.” J. Bridge Eng., 15(3), 327–336.
Li, L., Ma, Z., and Oesterle, R. G. (2010b). “Improved longitudinal joint details in decked bulb tees for accelerated bridge construction: Fatigue evaluation.” J. Bridge Eng., 15(5), 511–522.
Ma, Z. et al. (2007). “Field test and 3D FE modeling of decked bulb-tee bridges.” J. Bridge Eng., 12(3), 306–314.
Martin, L. D., and Osborn, A. E. N. (1983). “Connections for modular precast concrete bridge decks.” Rep. No. FHWA/RD-82/106, US DOT, Federal Highway Administration.
Ralls, M. L. et al. (2005). “Prefabricated bridge elements and systems in Japan and Europe.” Rep. No. FHWA-PL-05-003, Federal Highway Administration.
Zhu, P., and Ma, Z. (2010). “Selection of durable closure pour materials for accelerated bridge construction.” J. Bridge Eng., 15(6), 695–704.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 17 • Issue 2 • March 2012
Pages: 201 - 210
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 9, 2010
Accepted: Apr 5, 2011
Published online: Apr 7, 2011
Published in print: Mar 1, 2012
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.