STUDY OF THE PERFORMANCE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGES AND BRIDGE DECKS IN LOUISIANA

THE REPORT PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A FIELD AND ANALYTICAL STUDY INTO THE CAUSES OF CRACKING OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE BRIDGE SLABS IN LOUISIANA. THE FIELD STUDY INVOLVED THE DETERMINATION OF THE PRESENT CONDITION OF 389 SIMPLY SUPPORTED LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE BRIDGE SLABS BUILT COMPOSITELY WITH STEEL STRINGERS. THIS INCLUDED A CRACK SIZE AND DISTRIBUTION STUDY AND A DETERMINATION OF REINFORCEMENT EMBEDMENT DEPTH. AVAILABLE CONSTRUCTION RECORDS WERE REVIEWED, CLIMATIC CONDITIONS TO WHICH THE STRUCTURES HAD BEEN SUBJECTED WERE STUDIED ALONG WITH THE TRAFFIC HISTORY OF EACH BRIDGE. THE ANALYTICAL STUDIES ATTEMPTED TO RELATE DESIGN CRITERIA, DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE STRUCTURE AND CONCRETE SHRINKAGE TO THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE BRIDGE. SOME OF THE CONCLUSIONS PRESENTED WERE' 1. THERE APPEARS TO BE NO REASONABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLAB DETERIORATION AND MOST OF THE VARIABLES INVOLVED IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. 2. IF THE CONCRETE COVER WAS LESS THAN 3/4 INCHES, THE CRACKS TENDED TO COINCIDE WITH REINFORCEMENT ORIENTATION. IF THE COVER WAS LARGER, NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRACKS AND REINFORCEMENT ORIENTATION EXISTED. 3. SHRINKAGE STRAINS AS ANALYTICALLY DETERMINED ARE AS GREAT AS THE APPROXIMATE TENSILE STRENGTH OF THE CONCRETE. 4. THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS POINTED TO THE SUPPOSITION THAT FOR SOME SPAN LENGTH AND LOADING CONBINATIONS, CRACK PROPAGATION IS CAUSED MAINLY BY OSCILLATIONS DUE TO MOVING VEHICLES. /BPR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hpr-1/3/, 63-6C
• Corporate Authors:

  Louisiana State University and Agriculture & Mechanical College, Baton Rouge

  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Authors:
  • Turner, H T
  • Aguilar, R J
• Publication Date: 1965

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Anchoring; Bridge decks; Bridges; Composite structures; Concrete; Condition surveys; Cracking; Depth; Field studies; Lightweight concrete; Material reinforcement; Performance; Physical distribution; Reinforced concrete bridges; Reviews; Size; Slabs; Steel; Stringers; Studies
• Uncontrolled Terms: Causes; Concrete cracking; Simply supported
• Geographic Terms: Louisiana
• Old TRIS Terms: Embedments (Concrete); Study analysis
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Freight Transportation; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00207760
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 1 1994 12:00AM