Continuous Box Girder Research Articles

Mitigating Temperature Effects in Curved Continuous Steel Box Girders: A Parametric Thermodynamic Analysis and Design Recommendations

Curved continuous steel box girders are extensively utilized in bridge construction due to their efficiency and environmental benefits. However, in regions with significant temperature fluctuations, temperature effects can result in cumulative deformation and stress concentration, which may severely impact structural safety and durability. This study examines the structural response of curved continuous steel box girders with five spans under diverse temperature conditions and also develops a comprehensive parameterized thermodynamic numerical model. The model assesses the influence of cross-sectional shape parameters, including the number of cross-sectional box chambers, diaphragm thickness, and height-to-width ratio, as well as longitudinal structural parameters such as planar configurations, width-to-span ratio, and support arrangements, along with the arrangement of stiffening ribs on the temperature-induced effects in the girders. The results indicate that optimizing the width and eccentricity of support stiffeners to 30% and 25%, respectively, in support plate size can significantly alleviate local temperature-induced stresses. Additionally, variations in longitudinal and transverse stiffeners manifest minimal impact on thermal performance. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for improved design and construction practices, offering practical design recommendations to mitigate temperature effects and enhance the longevity and safety of such structures.

Theoretical and experimental comparison between straight and curved continuous box girders

Abstract The curvature causes a variation in the deflection of the outer and inner sides. The effect of curvature was investigated by casting and testing two specimens with the same section – one straight and the other horizontally curved continuous box girder. ABAQUS software was used to numerically model the box girder in order to verify the model and investigate additional parameters. Numerical modeling is successful with less effort, cost, and time because good results are obtained. The effect of the span-to-depth ratio, the compressive strength of concrete, and the percentage of stirrup steel reinforcement was studied numerically. Increasing the height, compressive strength, and percentage of stirrup steel led to a significant increase in load capacity and stiffness. The load capacity in the curved specimen decreased by 11% compared to the straight one due to the effect of torsional moments. A mathematical model was proposed based on the theory of strut-and-tie modeling (STM), where the span was divided into several panels, the effect of torsion was added, and then the results were compared with the traditional sectional method according to ACI and CEB-FIB. For the straight specimen, the sectional ACI, CEB-FIB, and STM methods were used, which gave theoretical results less than the experimental by 31, 48 and 13%, respectively. For the curved specimen, to get closer to reality, the sectional and STM methods were modified by adding the effect of torsion, and the results were less than the experimental tests by 43, 61 and 22%, respectively.

Research on Monitoring Technology for Frame Piers of Continuous Box-Girder Bridges Constructed by the Cantilever Method

This paper focuses on the analysis of the stress state of a large-span frame pier-continuous box girder bridge with pier crossbeams anchored by pier crossbeams on the main pier of the Guangfo-Zhao Expressway. The bridge is constructed by the cantilever method, and a refined finite element model of the entire bridge is established using the finite element software Midas/FEA to analyze the stress state of the frame pier during the cantilever construction process. It is found that under the possible combined action of an unbalanced load during construction, the torsional resistance of the frame pier crossbeam does not meet the requirements of the design code. In order to eliminate the torsion of the frame piers, counterweights were used to monitor the frame piers during the construction of the box girders. In this paper, the theoretical calculation formula of the inclination angle of the end section of the frame pier crossbeam with the change of unbalanced bending moment, the calculation formula of the relationship between the horizontal displacement of the frame pier and the unbalanced bending moment, and the calculation formula corresponding to the relationship with the water tank counterweight are derived using the structural mechanics method. Two monitoring methods for the frame pier are proposed. In the construction monitoring of the bridge, the numerical fitting formula obtained by finite element numerical analysis calculation is compared with the calculated formula obtained by substituting the design parameters of the frame pier into the theoretical formula. The basic constants in both formulas are basically equal, verifying the correctness of the monitoring calculation formula proposed in this paper for the torsional resistance of the frame pier crossbeam. The applicability of the two monitoring methods is also compared and analyzed. This paper takes the main pier of Chaoyang overpass’s mainline bridge as the engineering background, which adopts the framework pier with a large-span prestressed concrete continuous box girder bridge. It analyzes the torsional state of the beam of the framework pier during the bridge construction process and conducts research on the construction monitoring of the framework pier crossbeam, providing valuable references for the construction monitoring of framework pier crossbeams in the construction of large-span framework pier continuous bridges in the future. The research results of this paper can provide assistance for the construction monitoring of similar projects. This paper’s innovation primarily resides in employing structural mechanics methods to compute the torsion of frame piers. On this basis, a simplified beam torsion calculation formula is proposed to strengthen its practical application in construction monitoring. The findings of this paper can help in the construction monitoring of similar projects.

Seismic Damage Analysis of Zamora Bridge in Ecuador

The Zamora Bridge, located in the Zamora-Chinchipe Province in the southeastern part of Ecuador, on the Pacific Rim seismic belt, serves as the sole river-crossing channel from the Mirador Copper Mine area to the exterior. Constructed and opened for traffic in 2013, this bridge is designed as a low-pier continuous girder bridge, featuring a three-span prestressed concrete continuous box girder for the main beam, with a span arrangement of 45.5+140+45.5 meters, and utilizes basin-type rubber bearings throughout. On May 6, 2019, and November 28, 2021, the Zamora Bridge experienced two significant seismic events. The initial seismic damage investigation revealed that the piers and foundation maintained their load-bearing capacity largely intact; the basin-type rubber bearings predominantly suffered shear failure and displacement, losing their horizontal limit capacity. Additionally, abutment blocks sheared, padstones cracked locally, and the main girder exhibited residual displacement. Following the first earthquake, repair work was undertaken based on the damage results, switching to friction pendulum seismic isolation bearings to enhance the seismic resilience of bridge. The subsequent seismic damage assessment indicated the overall stable condition of the bridge, with no observable damage, deformation, or settling to the main structure, thus maintaining basic traffic functionality. However, shear and deformation occurred to the bolts and pins fixing the direction of the friction pendulum isolation bearings, along with residual displacements after the activation of the seismic isolation function, and cracks developed in the abutment padstones and mortar layers. To delve into the performance and damage probability of vulnerable components of low-pier continuous girder bridges under various seismic intensities, numerical models of the Zamora Bridge equipped with basin rubber bearings and friction pendulum bearings were separately established using OpenSees finite element software. An analysis of the bearings' longitudinal seismic susceptibility was conducted by integrating the demand-capacity ratio and IDA method. The findings indicate that bearings, padstones, and anchor bolts are the vulnerable components necessitating reinforcement for such bridges. Compared to the basin rubber bearings, friction pendulum bearings significantly reduce the probability of bearing damage and demonstrate an excellent seismic isolation effect.

Generalized method for distributed detection and quantification of cracks in bridges

The development of a generalized machine learning approach based on distributed detection and quantification of cracks by optical fibers is described in this article. A Brillouin scattering optical fiber sensor system was employed to develop, test, and verify the method. The main components of the approach described herein consist of an unsupervised crack identification module based on the iForest algorithm and a crack quantification component by the one-dimensional convolutional neural network method. The main attribute of this model is the versatility for application in various types of structures. The proposed method does not require further application-dependent training or calibration as long as the structural applications employ the same optical fiber type and installation adhesives. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified by two experiments involving a 15-m steel beam in the laboratory and monitoring a twin set of 332-m-long, five-span continuous box girder concrete bridges. Regarding crack detection capabilities, it was possible to detect 107 out of 112 cracks in the laboratory beam and 20 out of the 21 in the bridges. The resolution of crack opening displacements for the steel beam and concrete bridges were 20.6 and 21.7 µm, respectively. The verification experiments further indicated the generality of the approach in applications to various types of structures and materials.

Flexural performance of precast segmental continuous box girders with corrugated steel webs

Due to the existence of joints, the flexural performance of segmental assembled girders is different from that of monolithic cast girders. In order to study the flexural performance of precast segmental assembled box girder with corrugated steel webs, a static failure test on a precast segmental assembled continuous box girder with corrugated steel webs and variable cross-section and a monolithic cast continuous box girder with corrugated steel webs of the same size was carried out. The influence of the existence of joints on the deflection, strain, and prestress increment of precast segmental continuous girder with corrugated steel webs was analyzed. The parameter analysis was further carried out by the finite element method. The results showed that, at the initial loading stage, the joint had little effect on the displacement, and the deflection of the segmental assembled girder changed more rapidly than that of the monolithic cast girder. In the monolithic girder, cracks mainly occurred at the middle-support position of the middle span and pure bending sections. In the segmental beam, cracks were concentrated in the concrete on both sides of the joint. The number of cracks was relatively small and concentrated in the concrete on both sides of the joints of the loading segment and the middle support segment. The trends in the strain growth in the segmental beam and MB01 were consistent, and the values were similar. The strain growth trend of the segmental girder and the monolithic girder was consistent, and the values were similar at the initial loading stage. The external prestressed tendons in the segmental girder had a greater role in the loading process than those in the monolithic girder, and the normal stress in the segmental girder increased more rapidly during the bending process. In the ultimate loading state, the external prestressing force of the segmental girder was 2.01% higher than that of the monolithic girder. The number of segments was inversely proportional to the flexural capacity of the structure. Excessive thickness of the adhesive layer would adversely affect the crack resistance of the structure. This study will contribute to the engineering application of continuous composite box girders with corrugated steel webs.

Comparison of Dynamic Amplification Factor of Deflection and Bending Moment of Highway Continuous Box-Girder Bridges by Mode Superposition.

There are differences between the dynamic deflection and bending moment (strain) in the same section of continuous girder bridges. However, the selection of the response for calculating dynamic amplification factors (DAFs), which are essential for bridge health monitoring and safety assessment, remains controversial. Modes may play a role in the relationship between the deflection DAF and the bending moment DAF in both numerical analysis and field tests. To investigate the distinctions between the DAFs of the deflection and bending moment in a continuous girder bridge, functional expressions of the DAFs were derived, taking into account multi-factor coupling under concentrated forces. The interaction effects of the mode and road surface condition (RSC), vehicle speed, bridge span length, and span number on the deflection DAF, the bending moment DAF, and the ratio of the deflection DAF to the bending moment DAF (RDM) of precast continuous box-girder bridges were analyzed using vehicle-bridge interaction. To ensure the accuracy of the DAF in numerical computations and experimental tests, two types of accuracy indexes and the corresponding cut-off modes were provided. Validation was conducted by performing dynamic load tests on two field bridges. The results indicate that different modes have a significant effect on the RDM of the mid-span section of a bridge. When considering multiple factors, the deflection DAF and bending moment DAF of the mid-span section increased rapidly with the considered modes and then stabilized. Statistically, the RDM of all nine bridges ranged from 1.00 to 1.12, indicating that the deflection DAF was greater than the bending moment DAF. The suggested cut-off modes can be utilized for efficient and accurate calculation of the DAF and response signal fidelity.

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.

Quasi-static testing based structural modal parameter estimation

ABSTRACT Structural modal identification is generally implemented within a dynamic framework, requiring multidisciplinary knowledge and adequate operational experience. This preliminary study attempts to explore an easy-to-handle quasi-static alternative method for dynamics-based modal identification of beam-type structures. Acceleration time-history data are replaced by quasi-static deflections induced by slow moving loads. A concept of quasi-static deflection influence surface is proposed based on the theory of influence lines and the principle of virtual work. Its analytical expression is simplified into a deflection matrix by choosing specific points on the surface according to deflection measurement coordinates. The matrix form is divided by external loads to obtain a generalised quasi-static flexibility matrix, which is used to replace the inversion of the global stiffness matrix in the modal eigenvalue equation. The lumped-mass method is also employed to establish the mass matrix. Subsequently, the eigenvalue equation is analytically solved seeking for modal frequencies and mode shapeswithout performing modal tests. The feasibility of the proposed method has been successfully verified against three experimental examples including a continuous box girder with variable cross sections. It was observed that the modal frequencies and mode shapes estimated by the proposed method were very close to those given by the dynamically modal tests.

Bridge assessment based on deflection as a measure of damage using Machine Learning-enhanced pattern identification

Bridges worldwide are failing at increasing rates as they heavily suffer from deterioration, leading to transport infrastructure system disruptions and millions of financial losses. For instance, the failure of the Polcevera bridge alone, costed €359 million in the immediate wake, while the estimated annual losses for the Italian economy are close to one billion euros. Despite the recent technological advancements in the field of structural health monitoring, involving digital measurements and remote data collection, bridge failures still occur. The reasons behind those failures are mainly due to the pertinent damages being not easily detectable and the scarcity of the available design drawings, especially for old bridges. Furthermore, the construction sequence for the asset of interest or the level of prestressing are often not known in detail, hence the as-built condition and the actual bridge properties are highly uncertain. This is a capability gap that can only be filled with meaningful data collection and application of advanced technologies in aid of decision-making. The paper aims to extend an existing methodology that was proposed before by Kazantzi et al. (2024a, 2024b) for identifying the damage state of bridges. The aforementioned methodology was initially showcased for balanced cantilever concrete bridges only. To further advance the methodology, application to other concrete bridge typologies, including beam and slab bridges, cast-in situ slabs, continuous box-girders, and arch bridges, is herein proposed. Additionally, the paper suggests validating the machine learning kNN (k-Nearest Neighbor) methodology utilizing Finite Element (FE) model updating. This process involves adjusting numerical model parameters to better match actual structural behavior, enhancing the methodology’s reliability and effectiveness for identifying damage states in concrete bridges of different types and scenarios.

Deep learning-based prediction model of temperature-induced deflection of a multi-span continuous box girder bridge: Case Study

The deflection of a bridge is a crucial factor in assessing its structural integrity and safety, serving as an indicator of the overall rigidity of the bridge. The deflections stemming from temperature variations may surpass those attributed to live loads. However, the monitoring data acquired from the sensors indicate a time-lag effect exists between temperature variations and resulting deflection. The time-lag effect poses challenges in precisely characterizing and modeling the temperature-induced deflection behavior. Therefore, this paper presents a deep learning-based prediction model to predict the temperature-induced deflection of multi-span continuous box girder bridges. The Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) model was adapted in this paper leveraging deep learning techniques which capable to learn complex patterns and non-linear relations between temperature and temperature-induced deflection data to predict the deflection of both span-1 and span-6 of bridge under ambient temperature and girder temperature variations respectively. To enhance the precision of the LSTM model, this paper proposed the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method to extract the temperature-induced deflection from the raw deflection data which induced by other live loads. Lastly, residual analysis was conducted to analyze the prediction outputs from the LSTM model with the actual measurements obtained from sensors.

Investigation on the Through-Thickness Temperature Gradient and Thermal Stress of Concrete Box Girders

Bridges are generally affected by thermal loads which include the daily cycle, seasonal cycle and annual cycle. Thermal loads mode and thermal effects on bridges, especially for concrete girders, are quite essential but complicated. To investigate the temperature field and thermal stress in the thickness direction of a concrete box girder, the temperature field of a prestressed concrete continuous box girder bridge is monitored, and the temperature distribution in the thickness direction of the concrete box girder is analyzed. Finite element simulation, utilizing air elements specifically designed for concrete box girders, is employed to analyze the temperature field and thermal stress profiles along the thickness of the slab. The findings indicate a variation in temperature along the thickness of the concrete box girder slab. The most significant temperature differential, reaching up to 10.7 °C, is observed along the thickness of the top slab, followed by the bottom plate, with the web exhibiting relatively smaller differentials. Temperature in the full thickness range has a significant impact on the top plate, while the web plate and bottom plate are greatly influenced by temperature ranging from the outer surface to the center of the plate thickness. The temperature difference between the center of the plate thickness and the inner surface is approximately 0. The variation in temperature due to the variation in thickness direction is a temporal factor, wherein the outer layer of the roof is primarily compressed, while the inner layer is subjected to tension. The external surface of the web is mainly compressed. The stress exerted by the internal surface temperature is minimal. The internal and external surface effects of the floor are similar, and as time passes, tensile and compressive stresses appear.

Seismic Response of a PC Continuous Box Girder Bridge under Extreme Ambient Temperature

To study the effect of temperature on the seismic performance of a prestressed reinforced concrete (PC) continuous girder bridge with laminated rubber bearings (LRBs), a two-linked continuous bridge was used as the background to consider the effect of extreme temperature on the properties of LRBs and pier concrete. First, the properties of concrete specimens were tested at different temperatures to obtain their mechanical parameters at extreme temperatures. Then, we obtained the effect of extreme temperature on the seismic response of consecutive bridges with LRBs by examining the seismic response of the pier moments, pier top displacements, and bearing deformations. The results show that compared with normal temperatures, the extreme temperature causes a change in parameters of the LRBs and concrete pier, which increases the internal force and displacement response of a pier under an extremely low temperature by 37.13% and 32.74%, respectively. The displacement of bearings under extremely high temperature conditions increases by 16.31%. The influence of temperature changes on the mechanical parameters of LRBs will change the connection stiffness of the pier and superstructure, resulting in significant changes in the seismic response of the pier and bearing, so that the internal force and displacement response of the pier are negatively correlated with the temperature.

Shear stress migration in a tapered girder with trapezoidal corrugated steel webs

This study conducted a comprehensive investigation into the shear stress migration of a tapered prestressed concrete (PC) continuous box girder bridge with trapezoidal corrugated steel webs (TCSWs) throughout the entire construction process, including cantilever construction, structural system transformation and external prestressing tendon tensioning. The results revealed that the basic assumptions, which state that TCSWs bear all the shear force and that only the vertical component of the external prestressing contributes to shear stress when considering its contribution, are not valid for the shear design of tapered PC girder bridges with TCSWs. The horizontal component of the external prestressing and bending moments can cause additional shear forces via the Resal effect, which results in the migration of the shear stresses between the curved bottom concrete slabs and TCSWs. This study investigated the mechanism through which the Resal effect and external prestressing influence the migration of shear stress in the entire construction process. The results revealed that within continuous girders, the Resal effect exhibits both positive and negative implications. Specifically, the negative Resal effect exerts an unfavorable influence, resulting in an increase in the shear stress experienced by the TCSWs. Moreover, this study introduced a modified shear method that that takes into account the influence of bending moments and the horizontal component of external prestressing. In contrast to basic shear methods, this approach provides notably heightened accuracy.

Experimental study on optimization of continuous steel box girder bridge deck

ABSTRACT In order to accurately optimize the structural parameters of steel bridge deck(OSD), an optimal design method of continuous steel box girder bridge deck based on response surface method is proposed. Optimization design process includes full scale model test, finite element analysis, response surface function fitting and design parameter optimization. The orthotropic steel bridge deck’s deck thickness, stiffener thickness, diaphragm thickness, stiffener height, and diaphragm opening form are chosen as independent variables, and the internal forces of important structural components discovered are used as dependent variables. Design-Expert software created a five-factor, three-level response surface test. A multivariate quadratic response surface regression model between structural parameters and target response values was developed after the objective function and constraint criteria were identified. Numerical theory’s variance analysis was used to find the best combination, and Design Expert software was used to confirm it to make sure the design value was accurate. The findings indicate that optimized structural parameters are trustworthy because the difference between the predicted value and the theoretical value is less than 5%. An orthotropic steel bridge deck’s structural parameters can be optimized using the response surface approach. It serves as a reference for subsequent steel bridge deck design and construction.

Structural optimization of continuous box Girder Bridge using swarm-optimized deep learning algorithm

Box girders are commonly utilized in bridge engineering because of their economical and visually appealing form. Due to recent advancements in the design sector. However, safety in the economy is the fundamental demand of the current generation, therefore, it is vital to pick an optimal design. Prestrained concrete is used for large-span bridges. Standard heuristic optimization is frequently used to do structural optimization because of how complex structural concerns remain. However, traditional heuristic optimization still takes a significant amount of time. Particle Swarm trained Hierarchically Stepped Adversarial Networks (PS-HSAN) are presented as an alternative approach to speeding up the optimization of complex problems, and their use reduces the cost of computation for optimization. To find the best design for “a three-span continuous box-girder pedestrian bridge, this research” will apply both classical heuristic optimization and PS-HSAN. This will include analyzing and assessing a variety of crime types and sample sizes. Particle swarm optimization is shown to be as effective as conventional heuristic optimization but with significant time savings. Therefore, using a PS-HSAN in structural design challenges provides an original method for handling certain structural difficulties that need a great degree of computing power while simplifying the solution of other problems.

Dynamic Response of a Single-Pier Jacking of a Continuous Box Girder Bridge Based on Vehicle–Bridge Coupling

In order to improve the bearing capacity of a bridge under dynamic impact and at the same time to improve the durability and safety of the bridge, the bridge should be jacked up, and most of the current research on bridge jacking upgrading is on synchronous jacking upgrading. There has been little research on single-pier jacking upgrading, especially the dynamics response problem under single-pier jacking upgrading of the bridge. This paper is based on the principle of vehicle–bridge coupling, and the vehicle was analyzed at different speeds by using the established model, vehicle weight, and multi-lane driving, comparing the dynamic response of the bridge before and after the single-pier jacking retrofit. The study analyzed the impact of the bridge single-pier jacking retrofit on the bridge impact coefficient, and evaluated the impact coefficient of the bridge from the perspective of dynamics. A comprehensive evaluation of the bridge single-pier jacking retrofit project was carried out. The following conclusions are drawn: the single-pier jacking modification of the bridge increased the bridge’s capacity under dynamic impact and also enhanced the durability and safety of the bridge.

Updating method on geometric shape control of continuous steel box girder bridges by incremental launching construction

A new method of deviation vector transformation of geometric shape was proposed to improve the accuracy on geometric shape control of continuous steel box girder bridges by incremental launching construction.The method correct the transfer matrix method in the ideal state where the lateral and vertical deviations of longitudinal axis at the segments can be adjusted periodically.By firstly constructing a spatial coordinate system for identifying the geometric shape of the box bridge and taking the elevation and horizontal coordinates of the control points at both ends of the installed bridge segment as the basic variables, the actual and design coordinates of the control points will be obtained in the constructed coordinate system, constructing the vector of deviation system on geometric shape and the sum of vector squares, and then the extremum problem of the partial differential equation is solved to obtain the "transformed shape" with the lowest dispersion of overall deviation.The modified term appended to transfer matrix method aforementioned for bridge segment to be installed can be obtained ultimately by deriving from the "transformed shape" and "designed shape".Engineering practice shows that the horizontal and vertical maximal deflections on the axis of the whole bridge at post construction are less than 5 and 15 mm, respectively, by using the proposed method to control the geometric shape of a continuous steel box girder bridge by incremental launching construction method, meanwhile, the horizontal and vertical deflections on the axis of the segments above the permanent piers are less than 4 and 10 mm, respectively. The theoretical method has been verified with good effect in requirement of the code.

Wavelet packets-based simulation of non-stationary multivariate ground motions

This study proposes a novel approach to simulate non-stationary multivariate earthquake accelerograms for the seismic analysis of extended structures. This approach is based on an extension of the traditional stochastic decomposition technique applied to the wavelet packet theory using the spectral representation method. Using the advantages of a wavelet packet to identify the time and frequency characteristics of ground motion effectively, the generated recordings successfully reflected the non-stationarity in both the time and frequency domains. Accordingly, the spatial correlation trend was consistent with the selected coherence function. Compared to the ground motions observed using the traditional method, the proposed approach was exemplified by simulating ensembles of ground motions at three points spaced 200 m apart. The multivariate ground motions simulated by different methods were applied as multi-support excitations for the dynamic time–history analysis of a 190 m continuous rigid-frame box girder bridge. Notable variations in structural response were observed when considering the non-stationarity of the frequency domain, contrasting with the cases where it was not taken into account. This study provides an effective approach for generating non-stationary multivariate earthquake accelerograms, which is of great significance for structural response analysis in engineering applications.

Investigations of the Temperature Field and Cracking Risk in Early Age Massive Concrete in the # 0 Segment of a Box Girder Bridge

Massive high-strength concrete is often used for the # 0 segment of continuous box girders in modern large-span bridges. Thus, the release of substantial hydration heat results in thermal cracking during construction, which greatly affects bridge safety and durability. To predict the risk of structural cracking, it is important to clarify the distribution of the temperature gradient associated with the hydration heat in the # 0 segment and develop an accurate and simple method for calculations to assess of cracking. In this study, based on an actual bridge project, the temperature variation of the # 0 segment caused by hydration heat were measured, and the temperature distribution and development were investigated. The finite element method (FEM) was utilized to simulate the temperature field of the # 0 segment. Three thermodynamic methods for the assessment of cracking were compared and analyzed by practical calculations, and the influence of different parameters on the cracking risk was investigated. Measurements showed that the temperature field of the # 0 segment had a skewed unimodal normal distribution in time and a U-shaped distribution of low and high temperatures in outer and inner positions, respectively. The temperature distributions associated with the hydration heat were discontinuous in time for the root section and obeyed different but correlated Gaussian functions along the width of different pouring layers of the intermediate crossbeam at the # 0 segment. Additionally, the results of the FEM simulation were very consistent with the measurements, which verified the accuracy of the FEM simulation. The cracking assessment methods in EC2 and GB 50496 were used to exactly evaluate the cracking of massive concrete structures. On the basis of the results of the study, it was recommended to reduce casting temperature, delay removal of formwork and control curing temperature above 15°C to curb cracking.