Abstract
The paper presents a case study for the design of a two-span prestressed concrete rigid frame bridge, built as a part of a Point Diamond traffic interchange between Welland Vale Road and Highway 406 in the City of St. Catherines. The bridge deck has a 42° skew alignment and its boundaries are sharply curved to follow exactly the ramp alignment at the four corners. The requirements affecting the selection of the structural type and the detailing of components are briefly presented. The idealization of the bridge, using three-dimensional quadrilateral finite elements, and the programs used to automate the input data and to perform the analysis are described in some detail. Structural responses such as vertical deflection, longitudinal and transverse stresses, and support reactions are presented for the different loading conditions, and the critical responses unique to this type of bridge are identified. The project demonstrates the usefulness and practicality of the finite element method in freeing the designer from the limitations of simplified methods of analysis and permitting the selection of economic, functional, and aesthetic structures.
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