Journal of Bridge Engineering

Compression tests were conducted on two reduced-scale orthotropic plates to verify the design strength of steel box girders for the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. The first specimen was composed of three longitudinal closed ribs and a top deck plate. It failed in global buckling, followed by local buckling in the deck plate and ribs. The second specimen, which was composed of four longitudinal T-shaped ribs and a bottom deck plate, experienced global buckling as well as local buckling in the ribs and the deck plate. The ultimate strength and failure mode of both specimens were evaluated by two bridge design specifications: the 1998 AASHTO load and resistance factor design specification and the 2002 Japanese JRA specification. Findings from code comparisons showed that: (1) Sufficient flexural rigidity of ribs were provided for both specimens; (2) the JRA specification slightly overestimated the ultimate strength of both specimens; and (3) neither specifications predicted the observed buckling sequence in Specimen 2. A general-purpose nonlinear finite element analysis program (ABAQUS) was used to perform correlation study. The analysis showed that the ultimate strength and postbuckling behavior of the specimens could be reliably predicted when both the effects of residual stresses and initial geometric imperfections were considered in the model.

To investigate the seismic behavior of bridge pile-to-pile-cap connections, five full-scale H-shaped steel pile-to-pile-cap connection subassemblies representing a portion of a typical bridge pile foundation were tested. Two of the full-scale subassembly specimens were subjected to a vertical cyclic load simulating axial forces in a pile caused by footing overturning during an earthquake attack. Two others were loaded with cyclic lateral force and constant vertical load. One specimen was tested under proportionally varied vertical and horizontal forces. It was found that, although it was designed as a pinned connection following the current design standard, the pile-to-pile-cap connection can sustain a significant amount of moment. Localized brittle failure was observed in the vicinity of the pile-to-pile-cap connection, as the results of unexpected moment resistance. Test results also showed that the anchorage details using two V-shape bars could not develop the full-design ultimate tensile capacity. Analytical methods are developed and found adequate to evaluate the strength of the pile-to-pile-cap connection.

To evaluate the accuracy of different levels of analysis used to predict horizontally curved steel I-girder bridge response, a field test was performed on a three-span structure. Collected strain data were reduced to determine girder vertical and bottom flange lateral bending moments. Experimental moments were compared to numerical moments obtained from three commonly employed levels of analysis. Level 1 analysis includes two manual calculation methods: a line girder analysis method described in the AASHTO Guide Specification for Horizontally Curved Highway Bridges, and the V-load method. Grillage models represent Level 2 and were created using three commercially available computer programs: SAP2000, MDX, and DESCUS. Level 3 consists of three-dimensional (3D) finite element models created using SAP2000 and the BSDI 3D system. Responses obtained from each level are compared and discussed for a single radial cross section of the structure, and the compared results involve truck loads and placement schemes that do not represent those used for bridge design. The field test and numerical data presented are used solely to determine the accuracy of each level of analysis for predicting structure response to a specific live load at a specific cross section. Results showed that Level 2 and Level 3 analyses predict girder vertical bending moment distributions more accurately than Level 1 analyses throughout the tested cross section. The comparisons indicate that Level 3 girder vertical bending moment distributions offered no appreciable increase in accuracy over Level 2 analyses. The study also indicates that both Level 1 and Level 3 analyses provide bottom flange lateral bending moment distributions that do not correlate well with field test results for the studied bridge cross section.

The prevalence of fatigue cracking in steel bridge girders due to out-of-plane web distortion motivates development of procedures to evaluate the effects of distortional fatigue. In a previous study sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) the frequency and magnitude of distortional stresses on a typical skewed, steel bridge with staggered, bent-plate diaphragms were assessed. The results revealed a diaphragm deformation mechanism that causes distortional fatigue in the girder web gap, leading to simple, accurate estimates of fatigue stress if bridge properties and differential vertical deflection between girders are known. In the present study, linear finite element models are used to represent composite steel bridges and identify bridge parameters that influence relative deflection of adjacent girders. Parameters found to have a significant effect on differential deflection include girder spacing, angle of skew, span length, and deck thickness. These results are incorporated in a simple procedure that is intended for use in management schemes for skewed, steel-girder bridges, with staggered, bent-plate diaphragms, susceptible to web gap distortional fatigue.

The AASHTO LRFD load distribution factor equation was developed based on elastic finite element analysis considering only primary members, i.e., the effects of secondary elements such as lateral bracing and parapets were not considered. Meanwhile, many bridges have been identified as having significant cracking in the concrete deck. Even though deck cracking is a well-known phenomenon, the significance of pre-existing cracks on the live load distribution has not yet been assessed. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of secondary elements and deck cracking on the lateral load distribution of girder bridges. First, secondary elements such as diaphragms and parapets were modeled using the finite element method, and the calculated load distribution factors were compared with the code-specified values. Second, the effects of typical deck cracking and crack types that have a major effect on load distribution were identified through a number of nonlinear finite element analyses. It was established that the presence of secondary elements may produce load distribution factors up to 40% lower than the AASHTO LRFD values. Longitudinal cracking was found to increase the load distribution factor by up to 17% when compared to the LRFD value while the transverse cracking was found to not significantly influence the transverse distribution of moment.

Significant discrepancies in girder distribution factors have been observed between actual bridge field-testing results and AASHTO code predictions. One of the reasons for the discrepancies is that code methods fail to account for the existence of secondary members such as parapets in bridges. This research investigates the effects of parapets and bridge aspect ratio on live-load moment distribution for bridge girders. The influence on distribution factors of parapets with varying overhang lengths and of aspect ratio with varying roadway width is investigated. To study the effects of parapets and aspect ratios, 34 two-span continuous bridges with a 0° or a 45° skew angle and with varied structure parameters are analyzed using the finite element method. The distribution factors obtained from these analyses are compared with those from the AASHTO methods. The presence of parapets is shown to reduce distribution factors by as much as 36 and 13% for exterior and interior girders, respectively. The effect of parapets is slightly less for skewed bridges. Aspect ratio is shown to have very little effect on distribution factors until the ratio exceeds 1.8.

A full scale, single lane test bridge was used to evaluate a typical slab-on-girder bridge’s response to shear. The results of the shear load test provided the means to evaluate the level of detail for a finite element model that is required to accurately replicate the behavior of bridges subject to shear loads. This finite element modeling scheme was then used to evaluate more than 200 finite element bridge models. The bridge models investigated the effects of girder spacing, span length, overhang distance and skew angle on the shear live-load distribution factor. The finite element shear distribution factors were compared with those calculated according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials load and resistance factor design (AASHTO LRFD) specifications. It was found that the AASHTO LRFD procedure accurately predicted the shear distribution factor for changes in girder spacing and span length. However, the LRFD shear distribution factor for the exterior girder was found to be unconservative for certain overhang distances and overly conservative for the interior girder for higher skew angles. Alternative equations are provided for the single and multilane exterior girder correction factor.

Destructive and nondestructive techniques were employed to evaluate the long-term durability of the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite and externally CFRP-reinforced concrete of the State Street Bridge. Nondestructive evaluation was conducted through strain gauges, tiltmeters, thermocouples, and humidity sensors installed on the bridge bents for real-time health monitoring. Destructive tests were performed to determine the ultimate tensile strength, hoop strength, concrete confinement enhancement, and bond-to-concrete capacity of the CFRP composite for 3 years of exposure. Thermographic imaging was used for detection of voids between CFRP composite and concrete. Although environmental conditions were found to have an effect on the durability of the CFRP composite and CFRP-reinforced concrete substrate, no evidence of steel reinforcement corrosion was observed, and the CFRP composite retrofit is still effective after 3 years.

In addition to their high strength and light weight, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite reinforcing bars offer corrosion resistance, making them a promising alternative to traditional steel reinforcing bars in concrete bridge decks. FRP reinforcement has been used in several bridge decks recently constructed in North America. The Morristown Bridge, which is located in Vermont, United States, is a single span steel girder bridge with integral abutments spanning 43.90 m. The deck is a 230 mm thick concrete continuous slab over girders spaced at 2.36 m. The entire concrete deck slab was reinforced with glass FRP (GFRP) bars in two identical layers at the top and the bottom. The bridge is well instrumented at critical locations for internal temperature and strain data collection with fiber-optic sensors. The bridge was tested for service performance using standard truck loads. The construction procedure and field test results under actual service conditions revealed that GFRP rebar provides very good and promising performance.

This paper is a study of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Othmar Ammann’s bridge, completed in 1939, has strong similarities to the ill-fated Tacoma Narrows, sharing many structural characteristics. While the New York bridge has served well for two-thirds of a century, the deck has oscillated noticeably for most of its lifetime; in attempts to calm these motions, the Whitestone has undergone an unusual number of retrofits—in 1940, 1946, 1988, and a new retrofit begun in 2003. From a historical perspective, these retrofits have kept pace with the development of suspension bridge technology, each representing the state of the art at the time they were implemented. We can therefore view the Whitestone as a valuable physical record of developments in the profession’s understanding of structural vibrations and aerodynamics. The goal of this paper is to place these retrofits in context, as well as to evaluate them on technical and aesthetic levels.

Many writers, using both experimental tests and complex numerical models, have examined the effect of vehicle velocity on a highway bridge’s dynamic amplification. Although these tests and models give valuable quantitative information on dynamic amplification, they give little insight into how amplification is affected by individual vehicle/bridge parameters. This paper uses relatively simple numerical models to investigate the effect of vehicle velocity on a bridge’s dynamic amplification. A single vehicle crossing a simply supported bridge is modeled as a constant point force. A set of critical velocities are determined associated with peaks of dynamic amplification for all beams. The reasons for these large amplifications are discussed. A more complex finite element model, validated with field tests, is used to test the applicability of the conclusions obtained from the simple models to a realistic bridge/vehicle system.

The effect of multiple vehicles on a bridge’s dynamic amplification is a complex problem. Previously writers have examined multiple vehicle presence by constructing elaborate finite element models or undertaking field tests. Although both these methods give valuable information regarding the magnitude of dynamic amplification, the results tend to be site specific and give limited insight into how large amplifications occur. This paper examines the dynamic amplification factor of a simply supported bridge being crossed by two loads traveling in both the same and opposing directions. Simple numerical point load models are used to determine the critical load velocities and load positions that result in high amplifications. An experimentally validated finite element model is used to examine the applicability of the conclusions to real bridge/vehicle systems.