Prestress Effect of Composite Girder Bridge with Corrugated Steel Webs

Abstract

<p>The joints connecting corrugated steel webs and concrete slabs are significant to the structural behaviour of composite girder bridges. Flanged Connection, Embedded Connection and Wrapping Connection were compared and discussed. Both global and local prestress effects were analysed on the basis of finite element method. The numerical results indicated that composite girder bridges with corrugated steel webs could save 20% of the tendons applied in concrete girder bridges. The global prestress efficiency could hardly be affected by using different web-slab joints. To ensure the concrete slab's durability in Serviceability Limit State (SLS), precise analysis should be performed to evaluate the local stress concentration of the connections. The results indicated that the Wrapping Connection had favourable structural behaviour under prestressing, with high global prestress efficiency and low stress concentration at the web-slab joint.</p>