Study on shrinkage and creep effect of steel truss-stiffened continuous rigid frame bridge considering variable temperature and relative humidity

Abstract

In this study, indoor-outdoor comparison tests of shrinkage and creep were carried out in northwest China. The experimental results were compared with commonly used models of shrinkage and creep, some of which have adapted different methods for temperature and humidity correction. A finite element model for a continuous rigid-frame bridge with steel truss bracing was established. The calculated values from different shrinkage and creep models were then compared with the measured deflection values. An analysis was conducted to determine the influence of variable temperature and humidity on the long-term mechanical behavior of the steel truss-stiffened continuous rigid-frame bridge.The results show that when the concrete reaches the age of one year, the creep coefficient for the outdoor environment is 18.5% smaller than that in the indoor environment, while the outdoor shrinkage strain is 16.0% smaller. The CEB 90 model agrees best with the indoor test results. The corrected shrinkage and creep model (CSCM) is the closest to the outdoor test results, and the fib2010 model ranked second. The predicted values from CSCM exhibit the best agreement with the measured deflection values after the bridge completion. The CEB 90 model's predicted values for deflection of the main girder, longitudinal displacement of the pier, the maximum stress in steel trusses, and prestressing loss are lower than those in the CSCM after 20 years of construction, indicating that the influence of temperature and relative humidity variations on shrinkage and creep effect of the bridge can not be negligible.