LOADING HISTORY STUDY OF TWO HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN VIRGINIA

AN EVALUATION WAS MADE OF THE STRESS RANGES IN 2 TYPICAL HIGHWAY BRIDGE SPANS, A 76-FT STEEL BEAM COMPOSITE SPAN AND A 60-FT PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM SPAN, UNDER SERVICE LOADINGS. THE STRAINS AT SELECTED POINTS ON THE SUPERSTRUCTURE ELEMENTS OF THE SPANS WERE RECORDED CONTINUOUSLY FOR PERIODS OF 4 AND 5 DAYS UNDER NORMAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS BY AN AUTOMATIC COMPUTER CONTROLLED DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM AND CONVERTED TO STRESS ON THE BASIS OF ASSUMED MODULI OF ELASTICITY. THE WEIGHTS, AXLE SPACINGS, AND LATERAL POSITIONS OF TRUCKS CROSSING THE INSTRUMENTED SPANS DURING THE TEST PERIODS WERE ALSO RECORDED. THE MAGNITUDES OF ALL STRESS RANGES MEASURED IN THE 2 SIMPLY SUPPORTED TEST SPANS WERE LOW, AND IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT BOTH STRUCTURES WERE SAFE FROM FATIGUE DISTRESS UNDER CURRENT LOAD LIMITATIONS. STRESS RANGES OF A MAGNITUDE COMPARABLE TO THAT IN THE MAIN SUPPORTING ELEMENTS WERE RECORDED IN THE MIDSPAN DIAPHRAGM OF THE STEEL BEAM SPAN, AND HIGHER STRESS RANGES WERE RECORDED IN THE DECK REINFORCEMENT. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1972/382/382-004.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • McKeel Jr, Wallace T
  • Maddox Jr, Charles E
  • Kinnier, Henry L
  • Galambos, Charles F
• Conference:
  • 51st Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1972-1-17 to 1972-1-21
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 27-37
• Monograph Title: Loading history of bridges
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 382
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Axle load force; Bridges; Concrete bridges; Instrumentation; Loads; Metal bridges; Steel bridges; Strain measurement; Trucks; Weight measurement
• Uncontrolled Terms: Loading rate
• Old TRIS Terms: Loading history; Loading intensity; Truck effects (Bridges)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Motor Carriers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00209705
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 7 1972 12:00AM