Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Decks on Skewed Steel Superstructure under Truck Wheel Loads |
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Authors: | Gongkang Fu Yizhou Zhuang Jihang Feng |
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Affiliation: | 1Professor and Director, Center for Advanced Bridge Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State Univ., Detroit, MI 48202; Changjiang Scholar Chair Professor, Tongji Univ., Shanghai, China 200092; and Professor, Fuzhou Univ., Fujian, China 350002 (corresponding author). E-mail: gfu@eng.wayne.edu 2Research Associate, Center for Advanced Bridge Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State Univ., Detroit, MI 48202. 3Analysis Engineer, WSP Cantor Seinuk, New York, NY 10017.
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Abstract: | This paper focuses on the behavior of skewed concrete bridge decks on steel superstructure subjected to truck wheel loads. It was initiated to meet the need for investigating the role of truck loads in observed skewed deck cracking, which may interest bridge owners and engineers. Finite-element analysis was performed for typical skewed concrete decks, verified using in?situ deck strain measurement during load testing of a bridge skewed at 49.1°. The analysis results show that service truck loads induce low strains/stresses in the decks, unlikely to initiate concrete cracking alone. Nevertheless, repeated truck wheel load application may cause cracks to become wider, longer, and more visible. The local effect of wheel load significantly contributes to the total strain/stress response, and the global effect may be negligible or significant, depending on the location. The current design approach estimates the local effect but ignores the global effect. It therefore does not model the situation satisfactorily. In addition, total strain/stress effects due to truck load increase slightly because of skew angle. |
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Keywords: | Bridges, highway Bridge decks Finite element method Load tests Strain Measurement Model verification Trucks |
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