Structural Design and Construction Issues of Approach Slabs
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 18, Issue 1
Abstract
Approach slabs have been used by many state transportation agencies as a means to prevent settlement problems on embankments leading to a bridge. However, many problems have reduced the effectiveness and life of the approach slabs or required excessive maintenance. Although the primary cause of approach slab problems is largely geotechnical in nature, the structural design of the approach slab is important to ensure that it performs its functions to an acceptable level over its service life and that said service life is reasonably long. A review of the literature reveals some of the approach slab problems and their causes, current design features, conclusions regarding design and maintenance, and recommendations that have been made to improve performance and service life. In this study, both the published literature and standard drawings available from state agencies are reviewed. This paper contains the results of this review, focusing on the structural design and construction issues of the approach slab. Currently, design guides are not available, requiring practicing engineers and state departments of transportation to rely upon experience and frequent maintenance. It is recommended that such a document be compiled to begin the process of standardizing the design of bridge approach slabs.
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Acknowledgments
The work presented in this paper was supported by the U.S. DOT–RITA and the Engineering Research Institute of Seoul National University. The authors would like to acknowledge Musharraf Zaman, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, for his helpful comments, and Walter L. Peters and Robert J. Rusch, ODOT Bridge Engineers, for their willing discussion. The conclusions in this paper are those of the writers of this paper or based on the referenced literature and do not necessarily represent those of the sponsor or discussants.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 18 • Issue 1 • February 2013
Pages: 12 - 20
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 23, 2011
Accepted: Jul 16, 2012
Published online: Nov 3, 2012
Published in print: Feb 1, 2013
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