Composite Box Girder Bridges Research Articles

Design resistance strengths of composite steel box girder bridge using different codes

Bridges design based on prescriptive normative rules regarding loads and their combinations, safety factors, material properties, analysis methods, required verifications, and other issues that are included in design codes. In addition, Composite Steel Box Girder (CSBG) bridges present a prominent structural solution for straight and curved bridges with moderate spans, because of their large bending resistance and high torsional stiffness as well as rapid erection. This paper aims to perform a detailed theoretical comparative study between fundamental calculations of the design resistance strengths of shear, Vn or VRd, and flexure, Mn or MRd, in positive (sagging) and negative (hogging) moment regions, of CSBG highway bridges. The comparison is involved with design specification methodologies proposed by Egyptian Code of Practice (ECP-207-part 6), Bridge Design Specifications (BDS) presented by Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and European Standard (EC-4). On its turn, the study aims to standing on differences and similarities between considered standards in the design of such bridges.

The thermal responses of composite box girder bridges with corrugated steel webs under solar radiation

Owing to the direct exposure to complex atmospheric environments, the temperature field of composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs (CBGB-CSW) is likely non-uniformly distributed. Whereas, the current researches regarding the thermal responses of CBGB-CSW are insufficient, and the thermal responses of CBGB-CSW under solar radiation are still unknown. Therefore, this paper conducted a long-term temperature experiment on a scaled model to explore the temperature distribution characteristics in CBGB-CSW. Meanwhile, a three-dimensional thermal–mechanical coupling Finite Element (FE) model is established to simulate the temperature field in the experiment girder. The accuracy and effectiveness of the developed FE model has been verified by the measured temperature data. Therewith, the thermal responses (i.e., stress and displacement) of a full-scale continuous CBGB-CSW with a span of 150 m are numerically investigated. The results indicate that the maximum stresses always occur at the midspan section (with a depth of 5 m) of the continuous CBGB-CSW, and considerable concentrations of stress are observed in the steel-concrete junction. The maximum longitudinal tensile and compressive normal stresses within 0.4 m of the upper junction can reach 5.55 MPa and −8.46 MPa respectively, and those of the lower junction can reach 6.96 MPa and −7.05 MPa respectively. Besides, owing to the impacts of vertical and horizontal temperature gradients, significant displacements of the whole bridge can also be observed. The maximum vertical displacement (5.33 mm) of the CBGB-CSW is estimated at the top plate in the midspan, while the maximum horizontal displacement (0.74 mm) is estimated at the trough of the southern corrugated steel web in the midspan. Notably, the outcomes of this paper can provide some useful references for engineers and scholars to understand the thermal responses of the CBGB-CSW.

Study on Vibration and Noise of Railway Steel–Concrete Composite Box Girder Bridge Considering Vehicle–Bridge Coupling Effect

A steel–concrete composite beam bridge fully exploits the mechanical advantages of the concrete structure and steel structure, and has the advantages of a fast construction speed and large stiffness. It is of certain research value to explore the application of this bridge type in the field of railway bridges. However, with the rapid development of domestic high-speed railway construction, the problem of vibration and noise radiation of high-speed railway bridges caused by train loads is becoming more and more serious. A steel–concrete composite beam bridge combines the tensile characteristics of steel and the compressive characteristics of concrete perfectly. At the same time, it also has the characteristics of a steel bridge and concrete bridge in terms of vibration and noise radiation. This feature makes the study of the vibration and noise of the bridge type more complicated. Therefore, in this paper, the characteristics of vibration and noise radiation of a high-speed railway steel–concrete composite box girder bridge are studied in detail from two aspects: the theoretical basis and a numerical simulation. The main results obtained are as follows: Relying on the idea of vehicle–rail–bridge coupling dynamics, a structural dynamics analysis model of a steel–concrete combined girder bridge for a high-speed railroad was established, and numerical program simulation of the vibration of the vehicle–rail–bridge coupling system was carried out based on the parametric design language of ANSYS 18.0 and the language of MATLAB R2021a, and the structural vibration results were analyzed in both the time domain and frequency domain. By using different time-step loading for the vehicle–rail–bridge coupling vibration analysis, the computational efficiency can be effectively improved under the condition of guaranteeing the accuracy of the result analysis within 100 Hz. Based on the power flow equilibrium equation, a statistical energy method of calculating the high-frequency noise radiation is theoretically derived. Based on the theoretical basis of the statistical energy method, the high-frequency noise in the structure is numerically simulated in the VAONE 2021 software, and the average contribution of the concrete roof plate to the three acoustic field points constructed in this paper is as high as 50%, which is of great significance in the study of noise reduction in steel–concrete composite girders.

Study on Fatigue Life of PC Composite Box Girder Bridge with Corrugated Steel Webs under the Combined Action of Temperature and Static Wind Loads

The large-span bridge is highly sensitive to temperature and wind loads. Therefore, it is essential to study the bridge’s fatigue life under the combined effects of temperature and static wind loads. This study focuses on the main bridge of Qiao Jia-fan 2# on the Yinkun Expressway (G85), with a span of 250 m and a configuration of a PC composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs. Firstly, on-site temperature and wind direction measurements with wind speed were conducted at the bridge site. Origin 2022 software is used to make mathematical statistics on the data, the representative values of atmospheric temperature difference between day and night and the basic wind speeds are calculated. Secondly, based on the basic wind speed in the most unfavorable wind direction, the static three-component force coefficients of bridge at different angles of attack are calculated by FLUENT 2022 R1 software. By comparison, the most unfavorable wind angle of attack, wind direction and wind load value of Qiao Jia-fan 2# Bridge are obtained. Finally, the finite element software MIDAS/FEA NX 2022 is used to analyze the fatigue life of the main bridge of the Qiao Jia-fan 2# Bridge. The analysis results show that the representative value of the temperature difference between day and night in the area where PC composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs is located is 22 °C, the most unfavorable wind direction is NNE wind direction, and the most unfavorable wind attack angle is 3° wind attack angle. It is found that the maximum stress of concrete and corrugated steel webs appears near the 0# block, and the life of corrugated steel webs is far greater than that of concrete.

Vehicle–Bridge Interaction Dynamic Analysis of Continuous Rigid Frame Composite Box Girder Bridge with Corrugated Steel Webs under Seismic Excitation

To study the vehicle–bridge interaction (VBI) of highway bridges under seismic excitation, a vehicle–bridge couple analysis method based on Ansys is proposed. The 1/2 vehicle model and space beam element model were established to analyze the VBI response of Lanzhou Xiaoshagou bridge. The self-excited excitation of the system is represented by road surface irregularity randomness, while the external excitation is represented by an earthquake. The impact of seismic types, seismic direction, seismic intensity, vehicle speed, and road surface irregularity on the bridge vibration under the vehicle–bridge coupling during an earthquake is thoroughly analyzed. The results reveal that the type of earthquake significantly influences the dynamic response of the bridge, showing a minimum difference of 31.4%. The intensity of the earthquake is positively correlated with the dynamic response of the bridge. Longitudinal and vertical earthquakes have a more noticeable effect on the bridge’s vertical vibration compared to lateral earthquakes. The ratio of the bridge response under vertical or longitudinal seismic excitation to the response of lateral earthquakes ranges from 1.50 to 26.61. Vehicle speed, road irregularity grade, and randomness have a negligible impact on the dynamic response of vehicle–bridge interaction under an earthquake, accounting for less than 3%. These findings indicate that the analysis of earthquake-bridge vibration can simplify the VBI analysis for continuous rigid frame composite box girder bridges with corrugated steel webs under seismic conditions.

Fatigue study on improved composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs

The purpose of the study is to estimate the fatigue behavior of an improved composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs (ICBGBCSW) based on a three-dimensional vehicle-bridge coupled vibration system (VBCVS). In the VBCVS, the benchmark of the ICBGBCSW widely used in the highway bridges of Gansu Province of China was adopted as the bridge model, and a 6-axle fatigue load model established based on the traffic data of China was adopted as the fatigue vehicle loading. Based on the established VBCVS, the critical fatigue details of the ICBGBCSW were determined and the effects of pavement roughness condition (PRC) and vehicle speed on the stress ranges experienced by critical fatigue details were first investigated. Then, the fatigue live of critical fatigue details were evaluated based on the deterministic analysis method and reliability analysis method. The results show that the fatigue life of the ICBGBCSW can reach more than 375 years from a deterministic perspective under the current traffic conditions of Gansu Province of China and that the fatigue reliability index of the ICBGBCSW sharply decreases to the target fatigue reliability index of 2 if the PRC stays in the “Poor” class and the “Very poor” class for eight years and two years, respectively. The results obtained in the study can provide a technique support for the wide application of the ICBGBCSW and provide a reference for the bridge management agency to make plans for bridge pavement maintenance.

Post-fire assessment of composite steel-concrete box-girder bridges: Lessons from a recent incident

The structural fire analysis of bridges is crucial for ensuring transportation infrastructure safety since bridges, due to their unique characteristics and exposure to environmental hazards, are particularly susceptible to fire-induced damage. Despite this vulnerability, there is a lack of both experimental research and design guidelines for ensuring fire safety in bridges. This underscores the importance of studying actual bridge fire incidents.This article presents a comprehensive examination of the numerical and experimental investigations carried out to evaluate the structural condition of a composite box-girder bridge located in Valencia, Spain, following a significant fire incident. In addition, the paper details the repair works carried out to fully restore the operational capacity of the bridge, along with the key lessons learnt from the incident. Therefore, the article highlights the vital synergy between advanced numerical models and experimental investigations to strengthen rehabilitation action plans and gain valuable insights for making informed decisions regarding post-fire structural integrity. By doing so, the study enhances understanding of bridge safety under fire and provides actionable recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and transportation authorities.

Effective width of steel-concrete composite box girder bridges: a review and method comparison

Steel-concrete composite girders have non-uniform stress distribution on the slab, presenting maximum stresses next to the webs of the girder. This phenomenon is known as shear lag effect. To understand this effect, there is the effective width concept, in which only a portion of the slab width is considered effective in contributing to the composite element’s resistant capacity. However, in the technical standards, there is no recommendation for calculating the effective width in steel-concrete composite box girder bridges. In view of this situation, the purpose of this paper is to carry out a systematic review on effective width and/or the shear lag effect in steel-concrete composite bridges, in order to raise the main existing recommendations and compare them. Through a bibliometric scan with carefully chosen keywords, it was found that of all research on shear lag or effective width in steel-concrete composite structures, only 31.19 are on bridges and 14.97% are on bridges with box girders. Among the papers, those that have a method for calculating the effective width of steel-concrete composite girder bridges have been compared quantitatively and qualitatively with the procedures of AASHTO and EN 1994-2-2. In these procedures were also identified that the, for the boundary conditions of the present paper, the parameters that most influencing the effective width are, in that order, the span length, the distance between girders, the concrete slab height, the longitudinal position and the type of load.

Behavior of Composite Box-Girder Bridges with Corrugated Steel Webs under Eccentric Loading

Behavior of Composite Box-Girder Bridges with Corrugated Steel Webs under Eccentric Loading

Vibration Control of the Steel-Concrete Composite Box Girder Bridge with Slip and Shear-Lag Effects by MTMDs under the Train-Bridge Interaction

Steel-concrete composite girder bridges, in essence, are thin-walled structures, the dynamic responses of which will be greater than those of a typical Euler–Bernoulli beam under the train-bridge interaction because of the shear lag and interface slip. Thus, in this study, the dynamic analysis model of a train-composite box girder bridge-multiple tuned mass damper (MTMD) coupling system is proposed, with the derived dynamic equations of this time-varying system. Meanwhile, the program is compiled using the Newmark-β method for the solution, combined with the optimization toolbox to solve the complex optimization design problems of MTMDs involved. Finally, factors affecting the vibration-damping effect are studied, such as the mass ratio of MTMDs, the number of trains, and the slip and shear lag of the composite box girder bridge.

Seismic Vulnerability Analysis of Long-Span Prestressed Concrete Composite Box Girder Bridge with Corrugated Steel Webs under Construction

In order to address the difficulty in determining the seismic damage probability of continuous girder bridges under construction, the seismic vulnerability analysis method of the construction state is proposed in this study. Firstly, taking a long-span prestressed concrete composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs (OSW) as an example, the finite element models (FEMs) of dynamic calculation in different phases of cantilever construction are simulated by OpenSEES. Secondly, by selecting reasonable seismic waves and seismic intensity measures, the non-linear time-history analysis is carried out, followed by the demand parameters and damage indexes suitable for the construction state proposed. Finally, the probabilistic seismic demand model (PSDA) of the continuous box girder bridge during the construction stage is constructed by using the “cloud method”, and the seismic vulnerability curves of the piers and temporary bearings are established to evaluate the seismic performance during the construction stage. The results indicate that the damage probability of piers and temporary bearings increases with the progress of construction. The initial formation of the cantilever structure and the sudden change in the size of the construction segmental girder correspond to a high probability of damage, and seismic protection measures should be strengthened during this construction state. Moreover, significantly higher damage probability of the components under construction compared to the completed bridge after it is built.

Full-Scale Fatigue Test and Finite Element Analysis on External Inclined Strut Welded Joints of a Wide-Flanged Composite Box Girder Bridge.

For a wide-flanged composite box girder bridge, the risk of fatigue cracking in the external inclined strut welded joint under the fatigue vehicle load is a problem. The main purposes of this research are to verify the safety of the main bridge of the Linyi Yellow River Bridge, a continuous composite box girder bridge, and to propose suggestions for optimization. In this research, a finite element model of one segment of the bridge was established to investigate the influence surface of the external inclined strut, and, using the nominal stress method, it was confirmed that the fatigue cracking of the welded details of the external inclined strut was risky. Subsequently, a full-scale fatigue test of the external inclined strut welded joint was carried out, and the crack propagation law and S-N curve of the welded details were obtained. Finally, a parametric analysis was conducted with the three-dimensional refined finite element models. The results showed that the welded joint in the real bridge has a fatigue life larger than that of the design life, and methods such as increasing the flange thickness of the external inclined strut and the diameter of the welding hole are beneficial to improve its fatigue performance.

Study on the Dynamic Response of Composite Box Girder Bridges with Corrugated Steel Webs

To more accurately consider the dynamic response of composite box girder bridges with corrugated steel webs under the effect of live loads, based on the theory of vehicle-bridge coupled vibration, a refined finite element model of vehicle-bridge coupled vibration analysis for composite box girders was established. The advanced dynamic response analysis of composite box girders with corrugated steel webs and traditional concrete box girders with 30 m single boxes and single cells, as well as with 50 m single boxes and multiple cells, was carried out. The research revealed that the natural vibration frequency of the composite box girder with corrugated steel webs is lower than that of the corresponding concrete box girder. When the bridge deck condition is poor, the dynamic impact coefficient of the composite box girder is much larger than that of the concrete box girder. When the bridge deck is in poor condition, the dynamic impact response is significantly enhanced, and the difference is significantly compared with that when the bridge deck is in good condition, which is greater than three times and even six times at the maximum. Both the difference in the vehicle model and the change in the vehicle speed influence the dynamic impact coefficient of the composite box girder.

Comparative Analysis of Composite Box Girder Bridges Using Beam on Elastic Foundation (BEF) Method, Space Frame Method, Finite Element Method and Computer Programming

Comparative Analysis of Composite Box Girder Bridges Using Beam on Elastic Foundation (BEF) Method, Space Frame Method, Finite Element Method and Computer Programming

Distortion analysis of horizontally curved trapezoidal box girder bridges

Composite box girder bridges may be a competitive solution under certain constraints due to their efficiency and torsional capacity. However, the cross section deflects transversally, creating longitudinal stresses which reduce the capacity of the section. Those stresses may be controlled using cross-frames, but the detailing of those elements may become expensive. The procedure described herein provides a useful tool for an efficient design of cross frames based on the well-known BEF theory. It may be implemented using a commercial software and the formulation provided increases the accuracy of the existing one.

Improved-GEP-based models for predicting distortion control indices of curved composite box girders

Curved steel-concrete composite box girders are subjected to complex torsional actions under vertical loads, which may generate excessive distortional warping stresses. However, the complexity of the distortional warping stresses makes it challenging to obtain a quantitative prediction method, which may result in the adoption of potentially unsafe or uneconomical diaphragm designs. In this paper, improved-GEP (gene expression programming)-based models for predicting two distortion control indices of curved composite girder bridges are proposed. The key parameters in distortion equation for the curved composite box girder bridges are derived first, and then a comprehensive parametric analysis is conducted. Subsequently, an improved GEP algorithm is proposed to establish the formulas for calculating two distortion control indices. Compared to the traditional GEP, the proposed algorithm can markedly improve the mining ability of the constant terms and coefficients and enhance the global search ability by introducing a least squares algorithm and a new-generation and quasi-offspring mixed competitive strategy. In addition, with the operative and terminal symbols determined based on distortion theory, the efficiency and physical significance of the GEP models are effectively enhanced. The statistical indices and sensitivity analysis demonstrate that the proposed models for predicting the two distortion control indices agree with the finite element analysis results and distortion theory.

The shear lag effect of composite box girder bridges with corrugated steel webs

The composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs has been constructed throughout the world since its debut in France in 1986 due to its various advantages. Since the shear lag effect is very essential to the safety of this kind of structure and it is seldom issued, in this paper a theoretical method is firstly developed based on the energy variational principle and then a finite difference solution procedure for the analysis of the shear lag effect of this kind of bridge. Afterwards, a new definition of effective flange width applicable to thickness-varying flanges is proposed. This new definition is then adopted to obtain the effective flange width coefficient that can indicate the characteristics of the shear lag effect. To validate the proposed semi-analytical method and to investigate the characteristics of shear lag effect, the semi-analytical method and finite element method are used to estimate the effective flange width coefficient of simply-supported and continuous bridges of this kind. The comparison of the two methods shows that the semi-analytical method can accurately predict the effective flange width coefficient. Under uniformly distributed loading, positive shear lag effect can be observed throughout the whole bridge when it is simply supported. For continuous bridges under uniformly distributed loading, the magnitude of shear lag effect in each span reduces with the increase of the effective span length. Finally, the applicability of technical provisions about effective flange width in design codes is studied, and some design suggestions are proposed for the effective flange width and the shear lag effect of this kind of bridge based on a comprehensive parametric study that is carried out using the semi-analytical method.

Experimental study on prefabricated composite box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs

An innovative prefabricated composite box girder with corrugated steel web was proposed in this paper. This study investigated the mechanical property of the prefabricated composite box girder with corrugated steel web during two batches of tensioning of internal prestressed tendons and one field static loading test at the Jialu River Bridge in Zhengzhou, China. By analyzing the experimental, theoretical and numerical results, a finite element model was established, and the prestress transfer mechanism of the prefabricated composite box girder with corrugated steel web was revealed. The results showed that during tensioning, the prestress of the concrete floor could be effectively transferred to the concrete roof through the coordinated deformation of the web while the sheer force of the section was mainly transferred by the corrugated steel web. The concrete roof was gradually compressed, and upward deflection occurred during the tensioning. The deflection of the test beam was relatively small under the seven types of working conditions, and the deformation of the concrete roof and floor of each section satisfied the plane-section assumption. The normal stress values of the wet joint and prefabricated section of the concrete floor were consistent and changed synchronously, which demonstrates the integrality of the wet joint and prefabricated part of the beam. The test results presented in this study may provide a reference for the design and construction of such bridges.

Theoretical Study and Parametric Analysis on Restrained Torsion of Composite Box Girder Bridge with Corrugated Steel Webs

Theoretical Study and Parametric Analysis on Restrained Torsion of Composite Box Girder Bridge with Corrugated Steel Webs

Experimental and numerical study on vibration and structure-borne noise of composite box-girder railway bridges

ABSTRACT This paper adopts a proficient approach to evaluate vibration and structure-borne noise and makes up for the steel-concrete composite (SCC) box girder vacancy in the SCC structure. First, the dynamic equation of the train-rail system is established, the pseudo-response of the system in the frequency domain is appropriately assessed by pseudo excitation method (PEM), and the frequency spectra of the wheel-rail force as well as the forces transmitted to the bridge are obtained. Next, applying the force to the finite element method (FEM), boundary element method (BEM), and statistical energy analysis (SEA) model. The vibration and structure-borne noise of the SCC box girder are calculated in the frequency domain. Then, the effectiveness of the method and model is verified through the comparison of the field experimental results. Finally, the effect of the ground reflection in the SEA model is considered using the sound ray-tracing method for the first time.