Experimental Study on Prefabricated Concrete Bridge Girder-to-Girder Intermittent Bolted Connections System

Abstract

This paper reports on a new bridge deck slab flange-to-flange connection system for precast deck bulb tee (DBT) girders. In prefabricated bridge system made of DBT girders, the concrete deck slab is cast with the prestressed girder in a controlled environment at the fabrication facility and then shipped to the bridge site. This system requires that the individual prefabricated girders be connected through their flanges to make it continuous for live load distribution. The objectives of this study are to develop an intermittent bolted connection for DBT bridge girders and to provide experimental data on the ultimate strength of the connection system. This includes identifying the crack formation and propagation, failure mode, and ultimate load carrying capacity. In this study, three different types of intermittent bolted connection were developed. Four actual-size bridge panels were fabricated and then tested to collapse. The effects of the size and the level of the fixity of the connecting steel plates, a...