Forensic Testing of Post Tensioned Concrete Girders

Recently, two separate Interstate 15 highway bridges over the 400 South roadway in Orem, Utah were demolished after 50 years of service. A total of four post-tensioned girders were salvaged from both the north-bound and south-bound bridge. A series of tests was performed with these girders in the System Material And Structural Health Laboratory (SMASH Lab). The girders were tested with different loading criteria to determine the strength and material properties of the girder. The experimental results were compared with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Load and Resistance Factor Design (AASHTO LRFD) Bridge Design Specifications and a finite-element model using ANSYS. The AASHTO LRFD Specification was fairly conservative on predicting capacity and capable of predicting the type of failure that occurred. The ANSYS model was developed and calibrated to model the girder behavior. The concrete properties in the model were significantly adjusted in order to be comparable to the experimental results. Further exploration in ANSYS needs to be done to precisely model the actual behavior of the girder.

• Record URL:
  https://cait.rutgers.edu/files/CAIT-UTC-033-final.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Utah State University, Logan

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 4110 Old Main Hill
  Logan, UT  United States  84322-4110

  Rutgers University, Piscataway

  Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation, 100 Brett Road
  Piscataway, NJ  United States  08854-8058

  Utah Department of Transportation

  4501 South 2700 West
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84114-8410

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Lo, Wing Hong (Louis)
  • Barr, Paul J
  • Halling, Marv W
• Publication Date: 2014-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 113p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bearing capacity; Failure analysis; Finite element method; Girders; Highway bridges; Load tests; Posttensioning
• Identifier Terms: AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications; ANSYS (Computer program)
• Geographic Terms: Orem (Utah)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01555801
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CAIT-UTC-033
• Contract Numbers: DTRT12-G-UTC16
• Files: UTC, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Mar 2 2015 10:37AM