Fatigue Crack Propagation Law of Corroded Steel Box Girders in Long Span Bridges

In order to investigate the fatigue performance of orthotropic anisotropic steel bridge decks,this study realizes the simulation of the welding process through elastic-plastic finite element theory,thermal-structural sequential coupling,and the birth-death element method.The simulated welding residual stresses are introduced into the multiscale finite element model of the bridge as the initial stress.Furthermore,the study explores the impact of residual stress on crack propagation in the fatigue-vulnerable components of the corroded steel box girder.The results indicate that fatigue cracks at the weld toe of the top deck,the weld root of the top deck,and the opening of the transverse diaphragm will not propagate under the action of a standard vehicle load.However,the inclusion of residual stress leads to the propagation of these cracks.When considering residual stress,the fatigue crack propagation paths at the weld toe of the transverse diaphragm and the U-rib weld toe align with those observed in actual bridges.In the absence of residual stress,the cracks at the toe of the transverse diaphragm with a 15%mass loss rate are categorized as type I cracks.Conversely,when residual stress is considered,these cracks become I-II composite cracks.Residual stress significantly alters the cumulative energy release rate of the three fracturemodes.Therefore,incorporating the influence of residual stress is essential when assessing the fatigue performance of corroded steel box girders in long-span bridges.

THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH FOR ULTIMATE LOAD-CARRYING CAPACITY OF WEB PLATES OF Ⅰ-SECTION PLATE GIRDERS

The post buckling strength of web plate of I section plate girders is considered to resist the shear force in many other countries code for design of steel structures,while it has not been considered in the Chinese code GB J17-88.For the code revising,some important conclusions have been drawn through the theoretical analysis and experimental research of the post buckling strength of web plate of I section plate girders.

Comparative Analysis of Bridges with AASHTO and Florida I-Beam Girders

A comparative study of two pre-stressed girder bridges, one with AASHTO （American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials） Type III girders and the other with new FIB （Florida l-beam） girders, is presented. FIB girders are expected to provide increased lateral stiffness, higher load carrying capacity, cost-efficiency and better reliability. In this paper, the first bridge that is analyzed is a 3-span bridge designed with six AASHTO Type III girders, and the second bridge has four FIB girders with the same span length, width and girder depth. The bridges are analyzed for Florida state legal loads SU4 and C5. Both bridges are analyzed using a sophisticated finite element method. The deflections, moment envelopes, section capacity and live load rating of the two bridges are obtained and compared. FIB girders have higher vertical stiffness, higher section capacity providing higher load rating than the AASHTO girders.

SIMPLIFIED ANALYSIS METHOD FOR ULTIMATE LOAD CAPACITY OF WEB PLATES OF BOX GIRDERS

The prosperous post buckling load capacity of web plates of box girders can be used.In this article,the post buckling behaviour of web plates of box girders under different loading conditions is theoretically analyzed and on the basis of domestic and overseas design codes of steel structures,the corresponding simplified analysis methods are put forward for the engineering design or code revision.It is proved that the simplified methods are safe,efficient and practicable through the comparison between several results.

Finite element failure analysis of continuous prestressed concrete box girders

In order to analyze the load carrying capacity of prestressed concrete box girders, failure behaviors of in-situ deteriorated continuous prestressed concrete box girders under loading are experimentally observed and a finite failure analysis method for predicting behaviors of box girders is developed. A degenerated solid shell element is used to simulate box girders and material nonlinearity is considered. Since pre-stressed concrete box girders usually have a large number of curve prestressed tendons, a type of combined element is presented to simulate the prestressed tendons of box girders, and then the number of elements can be significantly reduced. The analytical results are compared with full-scale failure test results. The comparison shows that the presented method can be effectively applied to the failure analysis of in-situ continuous prestressed concrete box girders, and it also shows that the studied old bridge still has enough load carrying capacity.

Flexural failure experiment on cracked PC simply supported box girders

Long-term load and flexural failure experiments are carried out on two prestressed concrete(PC) simply supported box girders. In the long-term load experiment, girder-1(G1) is in an elastic state, while girder-2(G2) is in a cracking state. To investigate the influence of cracking on the flexural behaviors of PC simply supported box beams, the experiment results are analyzed from many aspects, such as load–deflection, load–strain, and failure mode. Experiment results show the following: 1) the shrinkage and creep of concrete have considerable influences on the long-term deflection and strain of the two girders; 2) in the flexural failure experiment, the cracks and ultimate loads of the two girders are close. The rigidity degeneration of G2 is significantly faster than that of G1, and thus G2 shows nonlinear characteristics earlier; 3) to prove the validity and rationality of the current code, the cracking load and ultimate load of the two girders are calculated according to the current code.

Closed-form solution to thin-walled box girders considering effects of shear deformation and shear lag

Considering three longitudinal displacement functions and uniform axial displacement functions for shear lag effect and uniform axial deformation of thin-walled box girder with varying depths,a simple and efficient method with high precision to analyze the shear lag effect of thin-walled box girders was proposed.The governing differential equations and boundary conditions of the box girder under lateral loading were derived based on the energy-variational method,and closed-form solutions to stress and deflection corresponding to lateral loading were obtained.Analysis and calculations were carried out with respect to a trapezoidal box girder under concentrated loading or uniform loading and a rectangular box girder under concentrated loading.The analytical results were compared with numerical solutions derived according to the high order finite strip element method and the experimental results.The investigation shows that the closed-form solution is in good agreement with the numerical solutions derived according to the high order finite strip method and the experimental results,and has good stability.Because of the shear lag effect,the stress in cross-section centroid is no longer zero,thus it is not reasonable enough to assume that the strain in cross-section centroid is zero without considering uniform axial deformation.

Vibro-acoustic performance of steel–concrete composite and prestressed concrete box girders subjected to train excitations

Owning to good mechanical properties,steel–concrete composite(SCC)and prestressed concrete(PC)box girders are the types of elevated structures used most in urban rail transit.However,their vibro-acoustic differences are yet to be explored in depth,while structure-radiated noise is becoming a main concern in noise-sensitive environments.In this work,numerical simulation is used to investigate the vibration and noise characteristics of both types of box girders induced by running trains,and the numerical procedure is verified with data measured from a PC box girder.The mechanism of vibration transmission and vibro-acoustic comparisons between SCC and PC box girders are investigated in detail,revealing that more vibration and noise arise from SCC box girders.The vibration differences between them are around 7.7 dB(A)at the bottom plate,19.3 dB(A)at the web,and 6.7 dB(A)at the flange,while for structure-radiated noise,the difference is around 5.9 dB(A).Then,potential vibroacoustic control strategies for SCC box girders are discussed.As the vibro-acoustic responses of two types of girders are dominated by the force transmitted to the bridge deck,track isolation is better than structural enhancement.It is shown that using a floating track slab can make the vibration and noise of an SCC box girder lower than those of a PC box girder.However,structural enhancement for the SCC box girder is extremely limited in effects.The six proposed structural enhancement measures reduce vibration by only 1.1–3.6 dB(A) and noise by up to1.5 dB(A).

Temperature distributions in concrete box girders due to heat of concrete hydration

Based on heat transfer theory,a two-dimensional complex exponential function was used to compute heat of concrete hydration.A concrete box girder consisting of a single box with two cells used on Harbin Songpu Bridge was measured on site.The two coefficients in the complex exponential function were determined to best fit the field measured data.ABAQUS program was used to simulate the heat transfer and determine the temperature distribution in the concrete box girders during concrete setting.The calculated temperature distribution in the box girders were compared with the field measured data and good agreement was observed.The temperature distribution and gradient in the entire box section,webs and bottom slab were analyzed using the measured and calculated results during the course of concrete hydration.

Comparison of Studs and Perfo-Bond Strips on Mechanical Behavior of Composite Girders under Negative Bending

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the influence of different types of shear connectors on mechanical behavior of composite steel and concrete girders under negative bending moment. Two overturned simply supported steel-concrete composite girders with different shear connectors including studs and PBLs （perfo-bond strips） were tested under point load in the mid-span. Based on the experimental observations, a three-dimensional FE （finite element） model capable of analyzing the composite girders subjected to negative bending moment was built. Load and deformation response, concrete initial cracking and composite girder ultimate load bearing capacity, strain development process of reinforcing bars before and after concrete cracking were observed in the test and compared with the numerical values. Results predicted by this modeling method are in good agreement with those obtained from the tests. Furthermore, the %rack closure＂ or ＂through crack＂ load were recorded by π-ganges in the tests and compared with the code-specified ultimate load.

A comparative study on the hull strength of a ship with thin-walled box girders

Based on the Finite Element Analysis and Thin Walled-Box girder Mechanics, two design concepts of adding box girders under main deck in order to increase the hull strength of ship are presented. By comparison and analysis on the longitudinal strength, torsion strength and deck buckling between designed concepts and the original concept, it is found that by adding box girders under the main deck, the weight of hull structure is increased by lower than 10%, but the stress on the plate of the main deck is reduced by about 10%, the stress on the plating of the second deck is reduced about 20%. The shear stress on the plating of both of the main deck and second deck is reduced, but the shear stresses in several nodes are increased. Also the capability of resisting damage to ship is obviously increased by adding box girders under the main deck. The deck buckling is also increased by more than 90%. Consequently, the box girders added under the main deck are useful and effective to increase the strength of hull and ship survivability.

Integrity Analysis on Existing Crane Runway Girders with Defects Using Constraint-Based R6 Criterion

In order to resolve the safety problem of the existing crane runway gir-ders(CRGs)with defects,the constraint-based R6 criterion is proposed to assess their structural integrity.The ex isting steel CRGs with defects at the weld joint between the upper flange and web plate,are characterized to three-dimensional finite element models with a semi-ellipse surface crack.The R6 criterion has been modified by considering the constraint effect which is represented by T-stress.The analysis results ilustrate that working condition of the cracked CRGs leads to high constraint level along the crack front.The crack aspect ratio(a/c)and run-way eccentricity(e)have significant influence on the integrity of the cracked CRGs.The integrity assessment results based on modified constraint-based R6 failure criterion enable to more effectively protect the cracked CRGs from brittle fracture failure.

Full-scale model tests and nonlinear analysis of prestressed concrete simply supported box girders

Full-scale model tests were carried out on a 30 m span prestressed concrete box girder and a 20 m span prestressed concrete hollow slab. Failure models were prestressed reinforcement tensile failure and crashing of roof concrete, respectively. The ductility indexes of the box girder and hollow slab were 1.99 and 1.23, respectively, according to the energy viewpoint. Based on the horizontal section hypothesis, the nonlinear computation procedure was established using the limited banding law, and it could carry out the entire performance analysis including the unloading, mainly focusing on the ways to achieve the unloading curves computation through stress-strain, moment-curvature and load-displacement curves. Through the procedure, parameters that influence on the bearing capacity, deformation performance and ductility of the structures were analyzed. Those parameters were quantity of prestressed reinforcement and tension coefficients of prestressed reinforcement. From the analysis, some useful conclusions can be obtained.

Stress and noises of steel box girders in Sutong Bridge

Sutong Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 1 088 m. 370 high-precision stress monitoring measured data show that in the process of hoisting the steel box girders,the stress of the main girders is in the fluctuant and complex state and many meteorological factors,such as sunshine radiation,temperature and wind,have important influence on the change of stress of the steel box girders. According to the real-time weather data,the stress data after the process of wavelet denoising from representative measuring points in different weather conditions is picked to establish the stress response brought by meteorological factors with Layered Separation method,thereby basically eliminating the influence of meteorological factors on the stress of main girders,so that accurate and reliable stress data can be got for steel box girders adjustment and cable-tensioned construction control.

Stability Behavior of Plate Girders with Laterally Unbraced Ends

Stability tests of three plate girders laterally unbraced on both ends, which were scale models of real plate girders in heavy plants for tower-type boilers, are presented and investigated. The applicability of code provisions in ANSI/AISC 360-10 about such members is discussed. A nonlinear finite element analysis was carried out, considering the combined effects of plasticity, residual stress and geometrical imperfections, to simulate the stability behavior of the specimens. The reliability of the numerical model was validated by comparisons with experimental results. The results show that stability behavior of plate girders with laterally unbraced ends is widely different from that of typical simply supported thin-walled beams. The structural response is also sensitive to initial geometrical imperfections of this objects. The model is used to improve the mechanical design of transverse stiffeners over the supports. The positive effect and offsetting influence of imperfections of thicker and additional transverse stiffeners on overall stability behavior are highlighted. A few suggestions for design process are also given.

Shear design of high strength concrete prestressed girders

Normal strength prestressed concrete I-girders are commonly used as the primary superstructure components in highway bridges. However, shear design guidelines for high strength PC girders are not available in the current structural codes. Recently, ten 7.62 m （25 feet） long girders made with high strength concrete were designed, cast, and tested at the University of Houston （UH） to study the ultimate shear strength and the shear concrete contribution （Vc） as a function of concrete strength （f＇c）. A simple semi-empirical set of equations was developed based on the test results to predict the ultimate shear strength of prestressed concrete I-girders. The UH-developed set of equations is a function of concrete strength （√f＇c）, web area （bwd）, shear span to effective depth ratio （a/d）, and percentage of transverse steel （Pt）. The proposed UH-Method was found to accurately predict the ultimate shear strength of PC girders with concrete strength up to 117 MPa （17000 psi） ensuring satisfactory ductility. The UH-Method was found to be not as overly conservative as the ACI-318 （2011） code provisions, and also not to overestimate the ultimate shear strength of high strength PC girders as the AASHTO LRFD （2010） code provisions. Moreover, the proposed UH-Method was found fairly accurate and not exceedingly conservative in predicting the concrete contribution to shear for concrete strength up to 117 MPa （17000 psi）.

Review and discussion on fire behavior of bridge girders

This paper presents an overview on fire behavior of bridge girders mainly including prestressed concrete(PC) bridge girders and steel bridge girders. The typical fire accidents occurred on bridges are illustrated and, the seriousness of posing threats to bridge structures resulted from increasing traffic fires, specially intense hydrocarbon fires generated from petrol-chemicals, is highlighted. The current researches, embracing high-temperature properties of constituent materials, prestress state, measurement in fire tests, numerical methods, structural fire resistance, and so forth, taken on coping with problems existing in fire behavior and structural fire behavior in bridge girders are reviewed and discussed. Further, strategies for enhancing fire resistance of bridge girders followed with failure criterion and mode in types of bridge structures are provided. Future research area along with emerging trends in structural fire behavior of bridge girders is also recommended for mitigating fire hazards occurred on bridge girders. Herein, it can be attained a conclusion from review and discussion that prestressed concrete bridge girders with thin webs, specially T-shaped bridge girder, are prone to unstable under fire exposure conditions. High-strength concrete utilized in prestressed concrete bridge girders is vulnerable to spalling at elevated temperature. Steel-truss bridge girder present a more significant fragility to fire exposure compared than other steel bridge girders.

Innovative steel-UHPC composite bridge girders for long-span bridges

Steel and steel-concrete composite girders are two types of girders commonly used for long-span bridges. However, practice has shown that the two types of girders have some drawbacks. For steel girders, the orthotropic steel deck (OSD) is vulnerable to fatigue cracking and the asphalt overlay is susceptible to damage such as rutting and pot holes. While for steel-concrete composite girders, the concrete deck is generally thick and heavy, and the deck is prone to cracking because of its low tensile strength and high creep. Thus, to improve the serviceability and durability of girders for long-span bridges, three new types of steel-UHPC lightweight composite bridge girders are proposed, where UHPC denotes ultra-high performance concrete. The first two types consist of an OSD and a thin UHPC layer while the third type consists of a steel beam and a UHPC waffle deck. Due to excellent mechanical behaviors and impressive durability of UHPC, the steel-UHPC composite girders have the advantages of light weight, high strength, low creep coefficient, low risk of cracking, and excellent durability, making them competitive alternatives for long-span bridges. To date, the proposed steel-UHPC composite girders have been applied to 14 real bridges in China. It is expected that the application of the new steel-UHPC composite girders on long-span bridges will have a promising future.

Tool for Predicting the Ultimate Bending Moment of Ship and Ship-Shaped Hull Girders

The present paper presents a historical review associated with the research works on hull girder strength of ship and ship-shaped structures.Then,a new program is developed to determine the ultimate vertical bending moment of hull girder by applying direct method,stress distribution method,and progressive collapse analysis method.Six ships and ship-shaped structures used in the benchmark study of International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress(ISSC) in 2012 are adopted as examples.The calculation results by applying the developed program are analyzed and compared with the existing results.Finally,the roles of the developed program and its further development are discussed.

Explosion resistance performance of reinforced concrete box girder coated with polyurea:Model test and numerical simulation

To study the anti-explosion protection effect of polyurea coating on reinforced concrete box girder,two segmental girder specimens were made at a scale of 1:3,numbered as G(without polyurea coating)and PCG(with polyurea coating).The failure characteristics and dynamic responses of the specimens were compared through conducting explosion tests.The reliability of the numerical simulation using LS-DYNA software was verified by the test results.The effects of different scaled distances,reinforcement ratios,concrete strengths,coating thicknesses and ranges of polyurea were studied.The results show that the polyurea coating can effectively enhance the anti-explosion performance of the girder.The top plate of middle chamber in specimen G forms an elliptical penetrating hole,while that in specimen PCG only shows a very slight local dent.The peak vertical displacement and residual displacement of PCG decrease by 74.8% and 73.7%,respectively,compared with those of specimen G.For the TNT explosion with small equivalent,the polyurea coating has a more significant protective effect on reducing the size of fracture.With the increase of TNT equivalent,the protective effect of polyurea on reducing girder displacement becomes more significant.The optimal reinforcement ratio,concrete strength,thickness and range of polyurea coating were also drawn.