Post-Installed Shear Connectors: Monitoring a Bridge Strengthened with Coiled Spring Pins

Abstract

Traffic density and vehicle weight have been increasing over time, which implies that many existing road bridges were not designed for the high service loads and increased number of load cycles that they are subjected to today. One way to increase the traffic load capacity of non-composite steel–concrete bridges is to post-install shear connectors. This paper presents a study of a steel–concrete bridge that has been strengthened with post-installed coiled spring pins, a type of connector which can be installed from below while the bridge is still in service. The strengthening method and design procedure are presented, along with the results from field monitoring performed to evaluate the behaviour of the strengthened structure. The results from the strengthened and non-strengthened sections show that the coiled spring pins counteract the slip and increases the degree of composite action. Finite-element models of the field tests were created in order to compare the results using different design assumptions and establish a suitable level of detail for modelling the shear connectors.