Experimental Stresses and Strains from Heat Curving

To obtain information on the heat curving process for the fabrication of horizontally curved highway bridges, an analytical and experimental investigation was conducted to determine the residual stresses, strains, and curvature in a typical heat-curved girder. The analytical results were reported separately. The 52-ft-long test girder was a typical welded, A36 steel, plate girder. Residual stresses before heat curving were determined by sectioning. The remaining 46-ft-long girder was curved to a radius of 397 ft in six successive runs by using a continuous heat-curving process. Strains and temperatures were recorded during each run, and the residual stress, strain, and curvature after each run were determined. The behavior of the girder was in agreement with the analytical investigation. When compared with the experimental values, the analytical solution satisfactorily predicted the residual stresses but under-estimated the residual curvature.