Balanced Lift Method for Bridge Construction

Abstract

The new bridge construction method described in this paper involves building the bridge girders in a vertical position and rotating the bridge girders into the final horizontal position. The bridge girders can be built in combination with the pier using self-climbing forms, which allows for lower costs and a shorter construction time. The span of the bridge girders is reduced by the compression struts or tension ties, which results in substantial savings in construction materials compared to the balanced cantilever method for bridge construction. The method proposed was successfully applied in two field tests on bridge models with spans of 15 and 17 m. The first test involved the use of compression struts and in the second test the bridge girders were raised using tension ties. Results of the field test on the compression strut bridge are compared with a case study.