EVALUATION OF SHEAR CONNECTORS ON PRECAST REINFORCED CONCRETE BOX SECTIONS

Presently precast concrete box culverts installed with less than two feet of cover conform to ASTM Standard C 850-76. Furthermore, the AASHTO "Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges" have been interpretted to require edge beams along edges of top slabs of box culverts if shear connectors are not used. The Ohio Department of Transportation specifies two acceptable types of shear connectors and limits their maximum spacing to thirty inches. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of shear connectors and to assess the spacing requirements as specified by ODOT. This was accomplished by performing field testing on actual box sections before the roadway was open to trafffic. Prior to field testing, electric resistance strain gages were installed on the reinforcing steel, on the upper concrete slab and on the shear plates. Vertical deflection measurements were taken along joints between adjacent with and without the bituminous pavement in place. Testing of one-sixth size scale models was also performed. This yielded more strain information that was possible to collect during the field testing phase. Additionally, computer modelling was performed using the finite element method. Based upon the results of this research, neither shear connectors nor edge beams are required for satisfactory performance of box sections conforming to ASTM C 850/76. ODOT no longer specifies the use of shear connectors. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Toledo

  Department of Civil Engineering, 2801 West Bancroft Street
  Toledo, OH  United States  43606-3390

  Ohio Department of Transportation

  P.O. Box 889
  Columbus, OH  United States  43215

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Frederick, G R
  • Koo, B
  • Ardis, C V
• Publication Date: 1984-1

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: 83 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Beams; Box culverts; Deflection; Fasteners; Field tests; Mathematical models; Precast concrete; Reinforced concrete culverts; Shear reinforcement; Spacing; Specifications; Strain gages
• Uncontrolled Terms: Edges; Models; Shear connectors
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; I34: Steels and Metals;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00392135
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-OH-84-005 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: State N 14356(0)
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 31 1988 12:00AM