Behavior of Curved Steel I-Girder During Early Stage of Construction: Field Evaluation
Due to the limited presence of bracings and the wide variety of support and load conditions, the behavior of curved steel I-girders during early stages of construction is complicated and difficult to assess. Particularly, the field measurement of dynamic girder stresses during the construction processes such as transportation and girder lifting remains a challenging task. This paper presents the field investigation of a curved girder bridge during early phases of construction. Two full-size steel I-girders were instrumented and the girder stresses were continuously measured by a specially designed Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system during the processes of girder transportation, splicing, and erection. Several key stages for girder stability and stress state were identified based on the field data. High levels of warping stresses were observed when the trucks take sharp turns during transportation, as well as when the girder’s support condition changes during erection. In this study, 3-D nonlinear finite element models were constructed to analyze the probable buckling modes and the corresponding eigenvalues (i.e., buckling load) under field support conditions. The results indicated that finite element analysis (FEA) provides a powerful tool for the stability analysis of curved girders under various boundary conditions during construction. However, simplified approach is desired for the practical applications including the determinations of lift point locations and the geometrical limits of girders that can be lifted and transported.
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFH40 Standing Committee on Construction of Bridges and Structures.
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Shen, Zhenglai
- Zhou, Hongyu
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Conference:
- Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting
- Location: Washington DC, United States
- Date: 2017-1-8 to 2017-1-12
- Date: 2017
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 12p
- Monograph Title: TRB 96th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bridge construction; Buckling; Curved bridges; Field tests; Finite element method; Girders; Sensors; Warpage
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01626707
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 17-05674
- Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Feb 27 2017 9:26AM