Analysis and Design of Link Slabs in Jointless Bridges With Fibre-Reinforced Concrete

Analysis and Design of Link Slabs in Jointless Bridges With Fibre-Reinforced Concrete
Author: Yu Hong
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:

Many transportation agencies in Canada and the United States have explored alternatives to expansion joints in bridges due to high maintenance costs and poor joint durability. One of the alternatives is the use of link slab in a jointless bridge, which connects the adjacent bridge deck slabs at the pier, forming a continuous slab across the bridge spans. While the link slab system can provide the benefits of a continuous bridge deck, refinement of the design and detailing of the link slab itself is needed to optimize this bridge deck system and ensure long-term performance. Materials with high tensile strain capacity, such as fibre reinforced concrete (FRC), can be used for application in the link slab to improve the strength, durability and cracking characteristics of the link slab. In this study, four steps are used to address the research objectives. The first step of this research is to establish a computational model of an existing bridge (Camlachie Road Underpass). It is found that the model and modelling approach in SAP2000 closely predicted the field test results obtained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO). Additionally, it is established that the horizontal stiffness of the elastomeric bearings is very low and therefore the supports are representative of roller supports. Therefore, axial forces are not generated when there are no horizontal restraints in the supports. The second step is to examine the properties of FRC from experimental tests. Four-point bending tests are used to estimate the ultimate and service stresses of FRC using procedures from the fib Model Code (2010). It is found that the results from the fib Model Code are in agreement with the experimental beam tests by Cameron. Therefore, it is concluded that the fib Model Code procedures are valid for calculating the ultimate and service stresses in FRC, and are used in the computational and analytical models. The third step is to conduct a parametric study to provide a better understanding of link slab bridge behaviour to assess the impact of design decisions on the bridge response. It is found that the use of hooked steel fibres minimized the crack width of the link slab, and a debonded length a 5% to 7.5% is found to be optimal based on cost and serviceability. Moreover, it is found that fibres are more effective when less steel reinforcements are used in the link slab. Lastly, a parametric study is conducted on the computational model using non-linear analysis by including FRC in the computational model in the form of plastic hinges. It is concluded that the computational model has shown signs of cracking at the pier supports, which is consistent with the site observations during the MTO field test for the Camlachie Road Underpass. The final step is developing an analytical model (i.e., design guideline) on the analysis and design of link slab bridges with FRC. It is found that the proposed analytical model is able to closely represent the link slab bridge behaviour with very small difference (2-3%), whereas the current method of analysis using Caner and Zia's approach shows a larger prediction error (16%). For the link slab design with FRC, it is found that fibres in reinforced concrete helped increase the bending moment capacity of the link slab by more than 10% compared to normal reinforced concrete (without fibres). The use of polypropylene fibres and hooked steel fibres in the link slab reduces the required steel reinforcement by 3.5% and 21%, respectively, and the crack width of the link slab reduces by more than 3 times with the addition of fibres.

Engineered Fibre-reinforced Concrete Systems for Bridge Deck Link Slab Applications

Engineered Fibre-reinforced Concrete Systems for Bridge Deck Link Slab Applications
Author: James F. Cameron
Publisher:
Total Pages: 133
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:

Rehabilitation and maintenance of the aging transportation infrastructure are of major concern in the Province of Ontario. A large portion of this work is related to the durability of highway bridges around the province. One of the weakest points in a bridge structure from a durability aspect is the expansion joints that can allow harmful elements, such as road salts and contaminants to leak down from the road surface and attack the supporting structure of the bridge. Although expansion joints can be eliminated in the design of a new bridge, such as in an integral abutment bridge, this requires major changes to the supports and structure of the bridge, making it impractical for retrofitting existing bridges. One effective alternative is the replacement of a traditional expansion joint with a link slab. A link slab is a concrete slab used in place of an expansion joint to make the bridge deck continuous while keeping the supporting girders simply supported. Link slabs must be able to resist large force effects both in bending and direct tension while minimizing cracking, one solution is to use the high tensile and flexural strength properties of an ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). The UHPFRC mixtures are often proprietary and expensive. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the potential of using common fibre types with standard concrete ingredients in a fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) as an alternative to UHPFRC in a link slab.

Advances in Engineered Cementitious Composite

Advances in Engineered Cementitious Composite
Author: Y. X. Zhang
Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2022-02-26
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0323851681

Advances in Engineered Cementitious Composite: Materials, Structures and Numerical Modelling focuses on recent research developments in high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites, covering three key aspects, i.e., materials, structures and numerical modeling. Sections discuss the development of materials to achieve high-performance by using different type of fibers, including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene (PE) polypropylene (PP) and hybrid fibers. Other chapters look at experimental studies on the application of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites on structures and the performance of structural components, including beams, slabs and columns, and recent development of numerical methods and modeling techniques for modeling material properties and structural behavior. This book will be an essential reference resource for materials scientists, civil and structural engineers and all those working in the field of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites and structures. Features up-to-date research on [HPFRCC], from materials development to structural application Includes recent experimental studies and advanced numerical modeling analysis Covers methods for modeling material properties and structural performance Explains how different types of fibers can affect structural performance

High Skew Link Slab Bridge System with Deck Sliding Over Backwall Or Backwall Sliding Over Abutments

High Skew Link Slab Bridge System with Deck Sliding Over Backwall Or Backwall Sliding Over Abutments
Author: Haluk Aktan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Concrete bridges
ISBN:

A new bridge design and construction trend to help improve durability and rideability is to remove expansion joints over piers and abutments. One approach to achieve this is to make the deck continuous over the piers by means of a link slab while the girders remain simply supported. The need to implement link slabs is indicated by AASHTO LRFD section 2.5.2.4 which requires using a minimum number of expansion joints to improve rideability. Further, due to durability concerns associated with bridge deck joints, it is preferred to have a least number of joints or develop jointless decks. The expansion joints over the abutments can be removed by one of three methods: deck sliding over back wall, semi-integral abutments, and integral abutments. This results in expansion joints at either or both ends of the approaches. The design concerns other than link slab include backwall and wing-wall design and bearing movement. The behavior of a jointless bridge brings about many challenges to bridge designers. The complexity is augmented when skew is involved. This report complements an earlier report based on previous research on Combining Link Slab, Deck Sliding Over Backwall and Revising Bearings (Aktan et al., 2008) where the behavior of straight and moderately skew (skew 200) link slab bridges were investigated and design recommendations were developed. This report describes the behavior and performance of high skew (skew 200) jointless bridges with link slabs and two abutment configurations. These abutment configurations are deck sliding over backwall and backwall sliding over abutments (i.e. semi-integral abutments). Four tasks were performed in this project. The first task was to review and synthesize information related to the behavior, performance, design, and analysis of skew bridges. The second task was field assessment of skew bridge behavior under static truck loads and thermal loads. The third task was analytical and numerical analysis of skew link slabs. The final task was analytical and numerical analysis of skew sliding deck over backwall systems and semi-integral abutments. Design recommendations are developed based on literature, field assessment data analysis, finite element modeling, and subsequent simulations of the numerous models developed in this project. One recommendation deals with the skew link slab design and the remaining recommendations are for bearing selection and selection and design of a transverse restraint system at abutments of skew link slab bridges.

Jointless Bridge Decks

Jointless Bridge Decks
Author: Paul Zia
Publisher:
Total Pages: 152
Release: 1995
Genre: Bridges
ISBN:

The major focus of this research was to validate the concept of connecting two adjacent simple-span girders with a link slab to form a jointless bridge deck so as to eliminate the standard deck joint between the girders. Laboratory tests were conducted on two large-scale specimens to study the performance of the link slab and the girders. The test results indicated that the contribution of link slab to structural continuity is negligible since the stiffness of the link slab is much less than that of the beams with composite decks. Therefore the beams can be treated as simply supported structures without considering the link slab. Furthermore, the stresses in the link slab are controlled primarily by the predominant bending effect due to the end rotations of the beams rather than the axial load effect. A simplified method of analysis is proposed in which the end rotations of the two adjacent girders under a given loading are determined first. Then the end rotations are imposed on the ends of the link slab and the induced moment in the link slab is thus calculated. A design guideline for the link slab is also proposed and illustrated by a design example. The reinforcement for the link slab is designed to control the crack width in the link slab according to the AASHTO criterion.

Bridge Safety, Maintenance, Management, Life-Cycle, Resilience and Sustainability

Bridge Safety, Maintenance, Management, Life-Cycle, Resilience and Sustainability
Author: Joan Ramon Casas
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 5491
Release: 2022-06-26
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1000798771

Bridge Safety, Maintenance, Management, Life-Cycle, Resilience and Sustainability contains lectures and papers presented at the Eleventh International Conference on Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management (IABMAS 2022, Barcelona, Spain, 11–15 July, 2022). This e-book contains the full papers of 322 contributions presented at IABMAS 2022, including the T.Y. Lin Lecture, 4 Keynote Lectures, and 317 technical papers from 36 countries all around the world. The contributions deal with the state-of-the-art as well as emerging concepts and innovative applications related to the main aspects of safety, maintenance, management, life-cycle, resilience, sustainability and technological innovations of bridges. Major topics include: advanced bridge design, construction and maintenance approaches, safety, reliability and risk evaluation, life-cycle management, life-cycle, resilience, sustainability, standardization, analytical models, bridge management systems, service life prediction, structural health monitoring, non-destructive testing and field testing, robustness and redundancy, durability enhancement, repair and rehabilitation, fatigue and corrosion, extreme loads, needs of bridge owners, whole life costing and investment for the future, financial planning and application of information and computer technology, big data analysis and artificial intelligence for bridges, among others. This volume provides both an up-to-date overview of the field of bridge engineering and significant contributions to the process of making more rational decisions on bridge safety, maintenance, management, life-cycle, resilience and sustainability of bridges for the purpose of enhancing the welfare of society. The volume serves as a valuable reference to all concerned with and/or involved in bridge structure and infrastructure systems, including students, researchers and practitioners from all areas of bridge engineering.

Durability of Strain-Hardening Fibre-Reinforced Cement-Based Composites (SHCC)

Durability of Strain-Hardening Fibre-Reinforced Cement-Based Composites (SHCC)
Author: G.P.A.G. Van Zijl
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2010-12-06
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9400703384

Strain-Hardening Fibre-Reinforced Cement-Based Composites (SHCC) were named after their ability to resist increased tensile force after crack formation, over a significant tensile deformation range. The increased resistance is achieved through effective crack bridging by fibres, across multiple cracks of widths in the micro-range. Whether these small crack widths are maintained under sustained, cyclic or other load paths, and whether the crack width limitation translates into durability through retardation of ingress of moisture, gas and other deleterious matter, are scrutinized in this book by evaluation of test results from several laboratories internationally. The durability of SHCC under mechanical, chemical, thermal and combined actions is considered, both for the composite and the fibre types typically used in SHCC. The compilation of this state-of-the-art report has been an activity of the RILEM TC 208-HFC, Subcommittee 2: Durability, during the committee life 2005-2009.

Bridge Maintenance, Safety, Management, Life-Cycle Sustainability and Innovations

Bridge Maintenance, Safety, Management, Life-Cycle Sustainability and Innovations
Author: Hiroshi Yokota
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 926
Release: 2021-04-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1000173755

Bridge Maintenance, Safety, Management, Life-Cycle Sustainability and Innovations contains lectures and papers presented at the Tenth International Conference on Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management (IABMAS 2020), held in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, April 11–15, 2021. This volume consists of a book of extended abstracts and a USB card containing the full papers of 571 contributions presented at IABMAS 2020, including the T.Y. Lin Lecture, 9 Keynote Lectures, and 561 technical papers from 40 countries. The contributions presented at IABMAS 2020 deal with the state of the art as well as emerging concepts and innovative applications related to the main aspects of maintenance, safety, management, life-cycle sustainability and technological innovations of bridges. Major topics include: advanced bridge design, construction and maintenance approaches, safety, reliability and risk evaluation, life-cycle management, life-cycle sustainability, standardization, analytical models, bridge management systems, service life prediction, maintenance and management strategies, structural health monitoring, non-destructive testing and field testing, safety, resilience, robustness and redundancy, durability enhancement, repair and rehabilitation, fatigue and corrosion, extreme loads, and application of information and computer technology and artificial intelligence for bridges, among others. This volume provides both an up-to-date overview of the field of bridge engineering and significant contributions to the process of making more rational decisions on maintenance, safety, management, life-cycle sustainability and technological innovations of bridges for the purpose of enhancing the welfare of society. The Editors hope that these Proceedings will serve as a valuable reference to all concerned with bridge structure and infrastructure systems, including engineers, researchers, academics and students from all areas of bridge engineering.