New Method for Prediction of Loads in Steel Reinforced Soil Walls

The paper describes a new working stress design methodology introduced by the writers for geosynthetic reinforced soil walls (K-Stiffness Method) that is now extended to steel reinforced soil walls. A large database of full-scale steel reinforced soil walls (a total of 20 fully instrumented wall sections) was used to develop the new design methodology. The effects of global wall stiffness, soil strength, reinforcement layer spacing, and wall height were investigated. Results of simple statistical analyses using the ratio of measured to predicted peak reinforcement loads (i.e., method bias) demonstrate the improved prediction accuracy. The AASHTO Simplified Method results in an average method bias of 1.1 with a coefficient of variation (COV) of 45%, whereas the proposed K-Stiffness Method results in an average bias of 0.95 and a COV of 32%. Soil strength was found to have limited influence on reinforcement loads for steel reinforced soil walls, especially for high shear strength soils, while global wall stiffness and wall height had a major influence on reinforcement loads.     

Effect of Live Load Surcharge on Retaining Walls and Abutments

In the conventional design of retaining walls and bridge abutments, the lateral earth pressure due to live load surcharge is estimated by replacing the actual highway loads with a 600 mm layer of backfill. This original recommendation was made several decades ago when the highway truck loads were much lighter. A number of researchers have shown that the pressure exerted on the wall due to live load surcharge is greater near the surface and is diminished nonlinearly throughout the height of the wall. The heavier highway loads and the demonstrated nonlinear earth pressure distribution require a need for a more rational method for obtaining the equivalent height of backfill. This paper discusses theoretical background, an analytical approach to estimation of actual earth pressure, a number of innovative approaches to obtain a simplified pressure distribution, an extensive parametric study, calibration procedures for the traditional method, and recommendations.     

Effect of Multilanes on Wheel Load Distribution in Steel Girder Bridges

This paper presents the results of a parametric study that investigated the effect of multilanes and continuity on wheel load distribution in steel girder bridges. Typical one- and two-span, two-, three-, and four-lane, straight, composite steel girder bridges were selected for this study. The major bridge parameters chosen for this study were the span length, girder spacing, one- versus two-spans, and the number of lanes. These parameters were varied within practical ranges to study their influence on the wheel load distribution factors. A total of 144 bridges were analyzed using the finite-element method. The computer program, SAP90, was used to model the concrete slab as quadrilateral shell elements and the steel girders as space frame members. Simple supports were used to model the boundary conditions. AASHTO HS20 design trucks were positioned in all lanes of the one- and two-span bridges to produce the maximum bending moments. The calculated finite-element wheel load distribution factors were compared with the AASHTO and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 12-26 formulas. The results of this parametric study agree with the newly developed NCHRP 12-26 formula and both were, in general, less than the empirical AASHTO formula (S∕5.5) for longer span lengths [>15.25 m (50 ft)] and girder spacing >1.8 m (6 ft). This paper demonstrates that the multiple lane reduction factors are built into the newly developed distribution factors for steel girder bridges that were presented in the NCHRP 12-26 final report. It should be noted that AASHTO LRFD contains a similar expression that results in a value that is 50% of the value in the equations developed as a part of NCHRP 12-26. This is due to the fact that AASHTO LRFD consider the entire design truck instead of half-truck (wheel loads) as the case in the NCHRP 12-26 report and the AASHTO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges. Therefore, this paper supports the use of the new distribution factors for steel girder bridges developed as a part of NCHRP 12-26 and consequently the distribution factors presented in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.     

Simplified Shear Design Method for Concrete Beams Strengthened with Fiber Reinforced Polymer Sheets

This paper presents a simplified shear design method for reinforced concrete beams strengthened externally with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets. This design method combines both the strip method and the shear friction approach. The background of the strip method is presented in detail, including the interface shear strength curve, which is compared with some available bond test data found in the literature. A parametric study is performed to propose two simplified equations, which describe the FRP sheet contribution. This contribution is added to the discrete shear friction formulation and, by derivation, a continuous and simplified design equation is proposed. This method well describes the interaction between the concrete, the stirrups, and the FRP sheets. A variable concrete crack angle is used, which enhances the accuracy of the model. No iteration is required. The proposed design formulation gives conservative predictions with 35 experimental test results found in the literature.     

Recommended Procedures for Simplified Inelastic Design of Steel I-Girder Bridges

This paper presents summary recommendations pertaining to new AASHTO procedures for simplified inelastic design of steel I-girder bridges. First, key developments are summarized that lead to the proposed inelastic design approach. The paper then outlines a set of equations that provide an improved characterization of the inelastic moment-rotation response for a wide range of I-beams and plate girders. Effective plastic moment predictions based on these equations are combined with the recently proposed design method, resulting in greater accuracy and simplicity of the proposed approach. The ease of use of the resulting procedure is illustrated by a design example.     

轴承钢热轧钢带的开发

介绍了南钢利用自炼的优良坯料资源进行轴承钢带钢的开发,以替代棒材轴承钢,简化了下游的制造工艺,降低了加工成本。通过对加热工艺、轧制工艺、冷却工艺的摸索,使产品的碳化物控制水平达到并超过了棒材的水平,实现对棒材成功替代。     

Design Recommendations for a FRP Bridge Deck Supported on Steel Superstructure

No appropriate provisions from either AASHTO Standard (2002) or AASHTO LRFD (2004) bridge design specifications are available for the design of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-deck-on-steel-superstructure bridges. In this research, a parametric study using the finite-element method (FEM) is conducted to examine two design issues concerning the design of FRP-deck-on-steel-superstructure bridges, namely deck relative deflection and load distribution factor (LDF). Results show that the strip method specified in AASHTO LRFD specification as an approximate method of analysis, can also be applied to FRP decks as a practical method. However, different strip width equations have to be determined by either FEM or experimental methods for different types of FRP decks. In this study, one such equation has been derived for the Strongwell deck. In addition, both FEM results and experimental measurements show that the AASHTO LDF equations for glued laminated timber decks on steel stringers provide good estimations of LDF for FRP-deck-on-steel-superstructure bridges. Finally, it is found that the lever rule can be used as an appropriately conservative design method to predict the LDF of FRP-deck-on-steel-superstructure bridges.     

Shear Capacity of Hybrid Plate Girders

The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, in versions up to and including the 2003 interim, limit the shear resistance of hybrid steel I-girders to the shear buckling or shear yield load and prevent consideration of the additional capacity due to tension field action, which homogeneous girders are allowed to include. This limitation severely affected the economy of girders utilizing high-performance steel, whose optimum configuration is often hybrid. Therefore, an experimental investigation was initiated by the National Bridge Research Organization at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to address the limitation on the consideration of tension field action in hybrid girders. This paper presents the findings of that research. Eight simply supported steel I-girders were designed, constructed, and loaded to failure to investigate their failure mechanisms and shear capacities. All girders tested were capable of supporting loads greater than those predicted, considering full contribution from tension field action. Further, despite the coincidence of high levels of both shear and moment, relative to their respective capacities, the specimens were all capable of supporting loads greater than those predicted if shear and moment interaction were ignored. Due in part to the results of the research being presented, modifications appeared in the 2004 version of the AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications such that the shear strength provisions apply equally to both hybrid and homogeneous girders.     

Reliability-Based Design for Internal Stability of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls

A parametric study was conducted using Monte Carlo simulation to assess how uncertainty in design parameters affects the probability of internal failure of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. Bishop’s simplified method was used to conduct the internal stability analyses. The results of the analyses indicate that the mean and coefficient of variation of the backfill friction angle, mean and coefficient of variation of the tensile strength of reinforcement, mean unit weight of the backfill, mean surcharge, mean reinforcement vertical spacing, and mean reinforcement length have a significant effect on the probability of internal failure of MSE walls. Based on the results of the parametric study, a series of additional simulations were conducted where the significant parameters were varied over a broad range. The results of these simulations were used to develop a set of reliability-based design (RBD) charts for internal stability of MSE walls. A method to adapt these charts to address model bias and model uncertainty is also presented. A MSE wall was designed using the RBD method and two other deterministic design methods. The required tensile strength of the reinforcement obtained from the RBD method fell between the strengths determined from the deterministic methods.     

Load Performance of In Situ Corrugated Steel Highway Culverts

This paper presents the results of field performance tests of 39 in-service corrugated steel highway culverts in Ohio. The culverts had span lengths varying from 3.23?m (10.6?ft)?to?7.04?m (23.1?ft) and backfill soil heights over the crown varying from 0.27?m (0.9?ft)?to?7.47?m (24.5?ft). Static and dynamic load tests were conducted by driving heavy trucks across the culverts. Static loads were applied at ten different locations above each culvert. Dynamic load tests were conducted at six truck speeds varying from 8?km/h (5?mi/h)?to?64?km/h (40?mi/h). A portable instrumentation frame was installed inside each test culvert to monitor deflections. Strains on the culvert walls were also measured at 14 locations using strain gauges. Effects of backfill height and loading conditions are investigated. According to the experimental results, a plot of maximum culvert deflection versus backfill height shows a nonlinear relationship. Maximum static load deflections were found to be consistently larger than the maximum dynamic deflections obtained using the same test truck. Deflections were nearly zero for deep culverts with backfill heights exceeding 4?m (13?ft). Maximum deflections correlate more closely to equivalent line loads than to total truck weight. The data also indicate that culvert behavior is more difficult to predict when backfill heights are shallow because other factors, such as culvert age and condition and soil type, likely play a significant role.     

Reliability-Based Design for External Stability of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls

A two-phase approach was used to develop a reliability-based design (RBD) method for external stability of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. In the first phase, a parametric study was conducted using Monte Carlo simulation to identify parameters that affect the probability of external failure of MSE walls. Three modes of failure were considered: sliding, overturning, and bearing capacity. External stability was assessed by treating the reinforced soil as a rigid mass using the same procedures employed for conventional gravity-type wall systems. Results from the parametric study indicate that the mean and coefficient of variation of the backfill friction angle are significant for sliding, the mean and coefficient of variation of the friction angle of the backfill and coefficient of variation of the unit weight of the backfill are significant for overturning, and the mean and coefficient of variation of the friction angle of the foundation soil and the mean of the backfill friction angle are significant for bearing capacity. In the second phase, a series of additional simulations was conducted where the significant parameters identified in the parametric study were varied over a broad range. Results of these simulations were used to develop a set of RBD charts for external stability of MSE walls. A comparison indicates that similar reinforcement lengths are obtained using RBD and conventional methods and that the inherent probability of external failure in conventional deterministic design is ? 0.001. This probability of external failure is similar to inherent probability of failure reported by other investigators for similar geotechnical structures.     

A Study of Friction in Non‐Lubricated High Temperature Steel Processing

The effect of friction on the cost of steel rolling and the overall quality of the strip has been overlooked in favour of more controllable aspects, such as temperature and microstructure. When friction is considered, predominantly empirical relationships are employed that have been developed in smaller scale experiments and are not necessarily applicable to the industrial scale. An advancement to the adhesion theory of friction has been developed by Straffelini that links friction with material properties, which compares well with pin‐on‐disk experiments at room temperature using metallic tribo‐pairs. For the purposes of creating conditions analogous to hot rolling of steel, a tool steel (100Cr6) dowel and an oxidised steel sample have been used in a reciprocating friction tester to create a relatively controlled environment in which to study friction at high temperature. The simplified adhesive theory was found to agree well with these experimental results, demonstrating that this theory can be applied to a broader range of conditions than previously tested against.     

Can Soil Arching Be Insensitive to ??

Arching is a common phenomenon that is encountered in backfilling behind retaining walls, trenches, or underground voids in the mine. Marston’s equation has been widely used and modified for computing stresses within backfills, duly accounting for the reduction in stresses due to arching. A critical appraisal of Marston’s equation and its improved forms reveal that the average vertical stress within the soil backfill at any depth is governed by the product of earth pressure coefficient K and wall-backfill frictional coefficient μ, which does not vary significantly with variation in friction angle ? of the granular soil backfill. The average normal stress depends on the value assumed for δ/? and whether the lateral earth pressure coefficient has been assumed as Ka, K0, or KKrynine. Therefore, it is not necessary to direct any effort toward determining the friction angle of the backfill precisely. Rather, attention should be paid to the value of δ/? and the appropriate expression for K. Thus, it can be stated that soil arching is almost insensitive to the friction angle ? of the backfill.     

Seismic Displacement Criterion for Soil Retaining Walls Based on Soil Strength Mobilization

This paper presents a seismic displacement criterion for conventional soil retaining walls based on the observations of a series of shaking table tests and seismic displacement analysis using Newmark’s sliding-block theory taking into account internal friction angle mobilization along the potential failure line in the backfill. A novel approach that relates the displacement of the wall and the mobilized friction angle along the shear band in the backfill is also proposed. A range of horizontal displacement-to-wall height ratios (δ3h/H) between 2 and 5% representing a transitional state from moderate displacement to catastrophic damage were observed in the shaking table tests on two model retaining walls. This observation is supported by both Newmark’s displacement analysis and a new approach that relates the movement of the wall to the mobilization of the friction angle along the shear band in the backfill. A permissible displacement of the wall as defined by the displacement-to-wall height ratio, namely, δ3h/H, equal to 2% was found to be of practical significance in the sense that peak friction angle of the investigated sand is retained along the shear band in the backfill. It is also suggested that δ3h/H = 5% be used as a conservative indicator for the onset of catastrophic failure of the wall associated with fully softened soil strength along the shear band in cohesionless backfill.     

Evaluation on some important force models for cold strip rolling

To improve the accuracy of rolling force prediction, some important force models were evaluated through applied computation for cold rolling of low carbon steel and aluminum alloy according to measured data on lab mill. The effects of model structure and three important variables ‐ flow stress, contact length and friction coefficient ‐ on the precision of computed force were quantitatively studied. Flow stress was measured with plane‐strain compression test, contact length was based on elastic flattening of work‐roll by Hitchcock, and friction‐coefficient was determined by rolling strain and numerical iteration. In steel rolling Bland & Ford integration model and Bryant & Osborn algebraic equation are better in accuracy than Ekelund and Parkins. In aluminum rolling all the models produce large deviations ΔF_R = 10–20% if flow stress, contact length and friction coefficient are determined with the same method as steel rolling. The elastic deformation of aluminum strip is now taken into account for its low elastic modulus. An effective method to determine plastic and elastic contact has been developed in this investigation. The accuracy of force computation is obviously improved for aluminum rolling.     

Influence of Skew Angle on Reinforced Concrete Slab Bridges

The effect of a skew angle on simple-span reinforced concrete bridges is presented in this paper using the finite-element method. The parameters investigated in this analytical study were the span length, slab width, and skew angle. The finite-element analysis (FEA) results for skewed bridges were compared to the reference straight bridges as well as the American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard Specifications and LRFD procedures. A total of 96 case study bridges were analyzed and subjected to AASHTO HS-20 design trucks positioned close to one edge on each bridge to produce maximum bending in the slab. The AASHTO Standard Specifications procedure gave similar results to the FEA maximum longitudinal bending moment for a skew angle less than or equal to 20°. As the skew angle increased, AASHTO Standard Specifications overestimated the maximum moment by 20% for 30°, 50% for 40°, and 100% for 50°. The AASHTO LRFD Design Specifications procedure overestimated the FEA maximum longitudinal bending moment. This overestimate increased with the increase in the skew angle, and decreased when the number of lanes increased; AASHTO LRFD overestimated the longitudinal bending moment by up to 40% for skew angles less than 30° and reaching 50% for 50°. The ratio between the three-dimensional FEA longitudinal moments for skewed and straight bridges was almost one for bridges with skew angle less than 20°. This ratio decreased to 0.75 for bridges with skew angles between 30 and 40°, and further decreased to 0.5 as the skew angle of the bridge increased to 50°. This decrease in the longitudinal moment ratio is offset by an increase of up to 75% in the maximum transverse moment ratio as the skew angle increases from 0 to 50°. The ratio between the FEA maximum live-load deflection for skewed bridges and straight bridges decreases in a pattern consistent with that of the longitudinal moment. This ratio decreased from one for skew angles less than 10° to 0.6 for skew angles between 40 and 50°.     

Numerical Model for Reinforced Soil Segmental Walls under Surcharge Loading

The construction and surcharge loading response of four full-scale reinforced-soil segmental retaining walls is simulated using the program FLAC. The numerical model implementation is described and constitutive models for the component materials (i.e., modular block facing units, backfill, and four different reinforcement materials) are presented. The influence of backfill compaction and reinforcement type on end-of-construction and surcharge loading response is investigated. Predicted response features of each test wall are compared against measured boundary loads, wall displacements, and reinforcement strain values. Physical test measurements are unique in the literature because they include a careful estimate of the reliability of measured data. Predictions capture important qualitative features of each of the four walls and in many instances the quantitative predictions are within measurement accuracy. Where predictions are poor, explanations are provided. The comprehensive and high quality physical data reported in this paper and the lessons learned by the writers are of value to researchers engaged in the development of numerical models to extend the limited available database of physical data for reinforced soil wall response.     

Basement Wall Design: Geotechnical Aspects

For a safe and economical design of basement walls, it is very important to correctly estimate the lateral load acting from backfill soils. This paper presents details of the estimation of soil lateral load for the design of basement walls, and recommends that no basement walls be designed for an equivalent fluid weight of soil less than 721 kg∕m3 (45 pcf), even in normal, good soils.     

Development of Single‐Belt Strip Casting Simulator

Near‐net‐shape casting is one of the key technologies to improve process efficiency of steel production. Single‐belt strip casting is recognized as a promising technology for thin strip production because of the advantages like well‐controlled heat transfer rate, flexibility in production rate, compactness of equipment, and so on. In this study a newly designed simulator of the single‐belt strip casting process was developed. The simulator solidifies molten metal on the running solid metal bar with a groove for molten metal deposition pushed by a pneumatic cylinder. Capability of this simulator design was discussed by one‐dimensional numerical heat transfer analysis. It showed that a steel casting bar thicker than 40 mm was capable of casting test of 10 mm thick steel strip even if interfacial thermal resistance existed. Finally, the simulator was applied to the casting test of aluminum strip, and successfully estimated the variation of the interfacial heat flux from the solidifying strip to the casting bar.     

Assessment of Bridge Remaining Fatigue Life through Field Strain Measurement

With the aging of existing steel bridges and the accumulated stress cycles under traffic loads, assessment of remaining fatigue life for continuing service has become more important than ever, especially for decisions on structure replacement, deck replacement, or other major retrofits. Experience from engineering practice indicates that fatigue analysis based on specification loads and distribution factors usually underestimates the remaining fatigue life of existing bridges by overestimating the live load stress ranges. Fatigue evaluation based on field-measured stress range histograms under actual traffic load proves to be a more accurate and efficient method for existing bridges. This paper describes the application of such a method in assessing the remaining fatigue life of bridge structures. Current AASHTO specifications for fatigue evaluation of existing bridges are reviewed and compared. Case studies of three major highway bridges are discussed. Finally, a procedure is proposed for evaluating fatigue life of existing bridges through field strain measurement.