Widening method for prestressed box concrete segmental bridges in Vietnam

Abstract

This paper discusses how a two-lane prestressed box concrete bridge can be designed and constructed so that it can be widened easily into a three- or four-lane bridge in the future. The methods presented are the strutted box widening method (SBWM), which applies to concrete box girder bridges, and the strutted girder widening method (SGWM), which applies to precast concrete girder bridges. The finite element method (FEA) was used in this study to perform the tensile stress and deflection state of the girder in two cases non, and the use of SBWM with 03 different distances of strut: 2m, 3m, and 4m, respectively. The results showed that the SBWM with 4m of strut decreased by 2,9 times in the transverse tensile stress; the deflection is reduced by 2,98 times. This study contributes to the widening method of the reinforced concrete box girder bridge in the future.