Study of Thermal Stresses in Skewed Integral Abutment Steel Girder Bridges

Abstract

This paper examines the response of an integral abutment bridge to uniform temperature variations and the effect of resulting axial stresses on the performance of the bridge superstructure. For this purpose, a detailed three-dimensional finite element model was developed for a three-span steel girder integral bridge in West Virginia. This newly constructed bridge was instrumented to monitor its long-term performance under the effects of environmental conditions and traffic loading. The model response was calibrated against field-measured data collected continuously over 4 years. The results indicated that the restrained movement of the integral abutment by the backfill and the supporting piles induces axial forces in the superstructure that are not explicitly considered in the design procedures of the bridge superstructure. A parametric study was conducted to examine the effect of changing the skew angle on the structural response of integral bridges with the same structural layout to temperature variations.