YUKON RIVER BRIDGE, DECK STRAINS AND SURFACING ALTERNATIVES. FINAL REPORT

A 2900-ft (884-m) long bridge with six spans was built over the Yukon River in the state of Alaska in the 1970s. The bridge has a 30-ft (9-m) roadway that carries vehicles, supports the pipeline, is on a 6% grade and is subjected to -50 deg winter temperatures. These conditions make selecting wearing surfaces a difficult decision. The bridge superstructure has an orthotropic steel deck that is overlaid with a temporary timber wearing surface. The timber deck consists of two layers of 3 by 12 boards and is supported by two 61-in. (155-cm) wide by 163-in. (414-cm) deep box girders. This study focused on predicting strain levels of possible alternative wearing surfaces. Static strains were measured in the steel deck for several trucks traveling the road. The maximum static strains recorded in the steel deck were 139 micro-strain. The minimum strains were -128 micro-strain. The largest range of strain was 187 micro-strain. The experimental strains were compared to analytical strains. Analytical strains were calculated with two programs: FINPLA2 and ABAQUS. Tensile strains and the range of strain in the wearing surface varies with modulus and thickness. This report presents charts for selecting the thickness of a wearing surface. The charts show strain vs. modulus and thickness. These charts were developed to give engineers and suppliers a method for selecting alternate surfaces. Similar charts were developed to determine thermal strains and stresses in the wearing surfaces. The study showed that tensile strains and the range of strain for a given wearing surface were low; thermal stresses were high. Cold temperature thermal cracking, abrasion, adhesion to the steel deck, and traction are important parameters for selecting a future wearing surface. Live load fatigue in the wearing surface should not be a problem for this structure.

  • Corporate Authors:

    University of Alaska, Fairbanks

    Institute of Northern Engineering, P.O. Box 755910
    Fairbanks, AK  United States  99775-5900

    Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

    Engineering and Operations Standards, 3132 Channel Drive
    Juneau, AK  United States  99801

    Federal Highway Administration

    1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
    Washington, DC  United States  20590
  • Authors:
    • Hulsey, J L
    • Yang, L
    • Curtis, K
    • Raad, L
  • Publication Date: 1995-9

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 137 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00720208
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: SPR-UAF-92-6, INE/TRC 94.10
  • Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Apr 17 1996 12:00AM