Behaviour of steel-box semi-integral abutment bridge considering temperature-earth pressure change

Abstract

In this study, the behavior of a steel box semi-integral abutment bridge affected by the earth pressure depending on temperature change were analyzed using installed thermocouples, strain gauges, earth pressure meters, and LVDTs, and the behavioral characteristics were evaluated and compared based on the structural analysis. According to the measurement and structural analysis results, the low earth pressure from the abutment was caused by the low height of its abutment and the noncompacted abutment backfilling. Earth pressure, however, did not increase or decrease the strain of the steel box girder or influence the temperature displacement, and such strain and displacement of the steel box girder were similar to the case of pure temperature change without earth pressure. Therefore, it can be thought that the measured semi-integral bridge has been shown to be similar behavioral characteristics to the conventional bridge, and that the earth pressure from temperature changes can be ignored because of their minimal influence to structural behaviors of a steel box semi-integral abutment bridge.