DISTRIBUTION OF LOADS TO GIRDERS IN SLAB-AND-GIRDER BRIDGES: THEORETICAL ANALYSES AND THEIR RELATION TO FIELD TESTS

A PICTURE, BASED ON THEORETICAL ANALYSES, OF THE MANNER IN WHICH LOADS ON SLAB-AND-GIRDER HIGHWAY BRIDGES ARE DISTRIBUTED TO THE SUPPORTING GIRDERS IS PRESENTED. THE DISCUSSION IS RESTRICTED TO SIMPLE-SPAN, RIGHT BRIDGES CONSISTING OF A SLAB OF CONSTANT THICKNESS SUPPORTED ON FIVE GIRDERS, SPACED EQUIDISTANTLY, AND HAVING EQUAL FLEXURAL STIFFNESSES BUT NO TORSIONAL STIFFNESS. THE NUMEROUS VARIABLES INFLUENCING THE BEHAVIOR OF THIS TYPE OF STRUCTURE ARE LISTED, AND THE EFFECTS OF THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED IN DETAIL: (1) THE RELATIVE STIFFNESS OF GIRDERS AND SLAB; (2) THE RATIO OF GIRDER SPACING TO SPAN OF BRIDGE; (3) THE NUMBER AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE LOADS ON THE BRIDGE; AND (4) THE EFFECT OF DIAPHRAGMS, THEIR STIFFNESS, NUMBER, AND LOCATION ON THE STRUCTURE. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON THE RELATIVE MAGNITUDES OF THE MAXIMUM MOMENTS IN INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR GIRDERS. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEORETICAL ANALYSES AND THE BEHAVIOR OF ACTUAL STRUCTURES IS ALSO CONSIDERED, AND THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH A DISCUSSION OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THEORETICAL ANALYSES CAN BEST BE USED IN PLANNING FIELD TESTS ON SLAB-AND-GIRDER BRIDGES, AND IN INTERPRETING THE RESULTS OBTAINED. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbresearchrpts/1952/14B-005.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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Highway Research Board (HRB)

  Washington, DC   
• Authors:
  • Siess, C P
  • Veletsos, A S
• Conference:
  • Thirty-First Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
• Publication Date: 1952

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: Distribution of load stresses in highway bridges
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Research Reports
  • Issue Number: 14B
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge design; Bridges; Diaphragms (Engineering); Field tests; Girders; Highway bridges; Load transfer; Structural design; Theory; Wheel loads
• Old TRIS Terms: Diaphragms
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00209601
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 22 1972 12:00AM