Curved Bridge Decks Research Articles

Application of High-Viscosity Modified Asphalt Mixture in Curved Bridge Pavement

Curved bridge deck pavement materials are easy to be damaged due to their complex stress conditions. Hence, the application of a high-viscosity modified asphalt mixture in curved bridge deck pavement is studied in this paper. Firstly, the severity of pavement diseases on curved bridge decks was introduced and compared with the deck pavement diseases in straight sections. Then, compared with SBS-modified asphalt mixture SMA-13, the advantages of high-viscosity modified asphalt mixture HM-SMA-13 in resistance to deformation, water damage, shear deformation, and fatigue were analyzed. The results show that HM-SMA-13 has 1.6 times the high-temperature deformation resistance, 1.2 times the shear deformation resistance, 1.1 times the low-temperature performance, 1.05 times the water stability, and 7 times the fatigue resistance of the SMA-13 mixture. Finally, HM-SMA-13 was applied to the curved bridge deck pavement. After one year of operation, slight rutting and cracking appear on the bridge deck pavement, which indicated that HM-SMA-13 is a suitable material for curved bridge pavement.

Development of the Dynamic Response of Curved Bridge Deck Pavement Under Vehicle–Bridge Interactions

Curved bridge is commonly used in highway viaducts and overpass, on which deck pavement plays a crucial role in dispersing wheel load and providing level driving surface. Due to the influence of geometric nonlinearity of curved bridge and vehicle–bridge coupling vibration, curved bridge deck pavement (BDP) is subjected to a complex mechanical state. To study the dynamic response of the curved BDP under complex vehicle–bridge interaction (VBI) condition, this paper proposes an original dynamic analysis scheme. The BDP and bridge structure are simulated by the finite element method and the vehicle is simulated as a multi-body system (MBS); together they are integrated into a coupled system model. The numerical results are consistent with the experimental data. The dynamic responses of the proposed scheme are about 10–20% larger than those of moving constant forces, which indicates that the vehicle–bridge coupling vibration should be considered in the dynamic analysis of BDP. The parametric study shows that the vehicle weight can aggravate the response of the BDP; however, the effect of the vehicle speed on the deck pavement response and impact factor is not obvious. As road roughness classification and tire stiffness increase, the dynamic curve fluctuation of BDP is more obvious and the amplitude is larger. Through parameter sensitivity analysis, it can be concluded that vehicle weight has the greatest effect on the dynamic behavior of BDP, followed by vehicle speed and roughness, and tire stiffness has the least impact.

Mechanical response analysis of asphalt pavement on curved concrete bridge deck using a mesostructure-based multi-scale method

Curved concrete bridges are an important infrastructure form, which meet the needs of modern transportation. Due to their relatively sophisticated geometries, asphalt pavements on the bridge decks are typically subjected to more severe loadings. This study investigated multi-scale mechanical responses of asphalt pavement on a curved bridge deck by using a macro-mesoscale coupling algorithm that can rationally considered the mesostructure of asphalt concrete. The influence of driving speeds, curvature radii, and temperatures on the mechanical responses of different scales was analyzed. The results showed that with the increase of the curvature radius and the decrease of the driving speed, both unevenness of tire loads on the asphalt pavement and stress concentrations in the mesostructure of the asphalt pavement were reduced. Under low temperature, asphalt concrete pavement on the deck encountered stress concentration and mesoscopic damage more easily. Increasing temperature can reduce these effects; however, due to the decrease of its asphalt mortar modulus, plastic deformation may occur in the pavement.

Mechanical response analysis of asphalt pavement on concrete curved slope bridge deck based on complex mechanical system and temperature field

Curved concrete bridges with small radii and large longitudinal slopes are important parts of viaduct ramp, on which the asphalt pavement plays an important role in resisting and dispersing traffic loads. Due to the complexity of curved concrete bridge structures with small radii and large longitudinal slopes, the asphalt pavement is subjected to complex mechanical action under loading. This study investigated the mechanical response of the asphalt pavement on a concrete deck under complex load conditions through a three-dimensional finite element model.The effects of different curvature radii, inside and outside wheel groups, driving speeds and temperature fields on the mechanical response of asphalt pavement were analyzed. The results show that in the process of driving on curved bridge deck, the inside and outside wheels of a vehicle produce different normal forces and longitudinal shear forces due to the influence of centrifugal force and radial force moment. With the decrease of the curvature radius and the increase of the driving speed, nonuniform loads are produced on the bridge deck pavement, which would eventually contribute to nonuniform damages. Under different temperature fields, the bridge deck pavement can undergo different failure modes. Besides, temperature fields have the greatest impact on the damage of bridge deck pavement, followed by driving speeds and curvature radii.

Design of the three-forked-shape pedestrian landscape cablestayed bridge with egg-shape arch tower

According to the landscape requirements of the pedestrian cable-stayed bridge of the three-forkedshape canyon, this paper puts forward a kind of pedestrian landscape cable-stayed bridge with egg-shape arch bridge tower, and two kinds of spatial curve design elements are introduced, which are egg-shape arch bridge and three-forked-shape curved bridge deck. The cultural connotation of three-forked-shape canyon has been greatly improved. Combined with the actual project, the engineering parameters are designed and the Midas finite element analysis model is established, static analysis and dynamic modal analysis were carried out, it verified that the three-forked-shape pedestrian landscape cable-stayed bridge with egg-shape arch bridge tower has good mechanical performance.

Design of Pedestrian Landscape Flying-Bird Arch Bridge with Cable-Stayed Cable and Lissajous Curved Arch Rib

In view of the demand of super long span pedestrian landscape bridge with curved deck, this paper proposes a kind of cable-stayed and flying-brid arch bridge with Lissajous curved arch rib and double curved bridge deck. Its plane positive projection is Lissajous curve figure, the side elevation of the arch rib is the shape of the cable-stayed and flying-brid arch, and the arch foot cable and the upper space cable between the arch ribs are installed on the Lissajous spatial curved arch rib with concrete-filled steel tube to form a self balanced structure system, which floats and drags across the river. The main arch sling and the tail cable are installed, the double curved bridge deck and the central circular sightseeing platform are suspended, and multiple groups of spatial cables work well together to complement each other, with having complementary advantages. Combined with the actual project, the parameter design is carried out, the Midas finite element model is established, the internal force of the structure is calculated, the structural dynamic mode and stability analysis are carried out, the rationality of its structural performance is verified by analysis and research.

The Effect of Skewness on Rotational Response of the Curved Bridge Deck under Near-Fault Motions

Acquiring knowledge on the complex behaviors of bridges in an earthquake is of utmost importance for designing safe transportation systems. Earthquakes like Northridge 1994 showed that skewed angle in the bridge could lead to the failure of abutment and column because of the intensified demand for deck rotation around the vertical axis, especially in the near-fault zone. The present study attempted to examine how the skewed angle change affects the seismic response of curved and skewed bridges. To this end, a software model of two curved and skewed bridges verified through a field test was obtained. The results showed that the skewed angle change in far-fault zones has no significant effect on the seismic responses of these bridges, while in near-fault zones its effect is remarkable. In ramp bridges, the torsional force increases in the columns next to the abutment.

Beam & Shell Models for Composite Straight or Curved Bridge Decks with Intermediate Diaphragms & Assessment of Design Specifications

In this research effort, the generalized warping and distortional problem of straight or horizontally curved composite beams of arbitrary cross section, loading and boundary conditions is presented. An inclined plane of curvature is considered. Additionally, the stiffness of diaphragmatic plates has been introduced in the formulation in order to compare with the case where rigid diaphragms are assumed. Isogeometric tools (NURBS) are employed in order to obtain the results for the 1D formulation and 3D shell models are developed in FEM commercial software for composite cross sections with diaphragms. The number of intermediate diaphragms according to bridges design specifications is compared to the analyzed diaphragmatic arrangements in order to assess the overall structural behavior of bridges decks. For this purpose, examples of curved beam models with open or closed cross sections and various arrangements of diaphragms have been studied.

Detection of a curved bridge deck vibration using robotic total stations for structural health monitoring

This article proposes a contribution to the inspection procedures of curved reinforced concrete road bridges through a short-term monitoring plan using topographic techniques during an ambient vibration test (AVT) under normal traffic conditions. The proposed monitoring method was used to determine the 3D displacements in the observed points, which enabled the evaluation of vibrations of two points on the bridge deck in the vertical (Z), horizontal (Y)—perpendicular to track direction—and longitudinal (X) directions of the track. The application consisted of measurements performed under normal traffic conditions with two RTSs with a nominal sampling rate of 10 Hz. The targets were two prisms located on opposite edges of the runway and perpendicular to the traffic direction. A tri-dimensional view of the residuals from the measured coordinates and Morlet continuous wavelet transform (CWT) are used to establish the time and frequency-domain of the bridge vibrations and analyze the behavior and movement of the midspan in an AVT. This study confirms the feasibility of using high sampling rate RTSs for monitoring dynamic responses of small concrete bridges without interrupting traffic on highways.

Diseño de directrices para el tablero de un puente curvo atirantado, mediante curvas funiculares y antifuniculares de la carga concéntrica introducida por los tirantes

El presente trabajo trata de resolver la optimización del trazado del tablero para un puente en curva. La directriz que se propone pretende conseguir que todo el tablero quede exento de flexiones de eje vertical. Para este diseño se plantean dos formulaciones diferentes, una discreta mediante sumatorios y otra continua mediante ecuaciones diferenciales no lineales. En ambas se estudian los dos posibles signos de la solicitación axil que va a dominar el diseño. Para facilitar la implantación de estas formulaciones, se propone una aproximación mediante mínimos cuadrados. El trabajo de completa con dos ejemplos de aplicación.

Development and Application of an Analytical Model for Horizontally Curved Bridge Decks

This paper presents a reliable closed form analytical solution without any major simplification which can be used with confidence by designers for the analysis of statically indeterminate horizontally curved bridges idealized as curved girders. The unit load method, a method extracted from the Castigliano's second theorem is used to derive the proposed closed form analytical solution which is then used to obtain the influence line diagram of shear force, bending moment and torsion of the curved bridge girder and it is validated with the published test results and also with the finite element solution of a curved girder. Moreover, an extensive parametric study is conducted using the proposed analytical model to investigate the effect of various parameters such as curvature ratio, span length, number of cells and number of loading lanes on bending moment and torsion of the curved bridges subjected to Australian bridge design loads where the effect of all these parameters except the number of cells is found to be significant. Finally, a comparative study of the behaviour of horizontally curved bridges subjected to loads recommended by three different international bridge design codes is undertaken which concludes that the Eurocode LM1 predicts higher bending moment as well as torsion with respect to other codes.

Isa Town Gate interchange, Bahrain

The Bahrain Ministry of Works roads directorate and Hyder Consulting undertook a national transport model in 2002 in which traffic congestion was identified and future 2021 traffic flows were estimated. Strategic improvements were identified to improve traffic flow and make allowances for future increases in traffic volumes. The Isa Town Gate interchange was an existing roundabout with a five-leg junction in an urban setting with two major highways: Sheikh Salman Highway and Al Estiqlal Highway. This paper details the design of the £66 million project from concept to tender and also expands on the construction progress. Execution of the project modified the existing Isa Town Gate roundabout into a three-level grade-separated interchange. The option chosen was a three-level grade-separated junction with a free-flow flyover and underpass for the major highway routes. The existing roundabout was replaced with a complex split-traffic signalised junction accommodating all movements. The flyover consisted of two non-parallel curved bridge decks 2·4 km long of glued segmental prestressed concrete viaducts. An overhead launching gantry was specified to minimise traffic management. The underpass was designed as a diaphragm-walled U trough but was later varied to a ground-anchored solution. Construction commenced in October 2007, and is due for completion in mid-2010.

Simplified structural response of continuous span bridges curved in plan

In this paper, eight noded iso-parametric curved quadratic shell elements are used for Finite Element formulation to analyze continuous bridge deck curved in plan. The computer program developed based on the formulation presented in this study has been used to evaluate the influence of different parameters such as curvature and aspect ratio on the behavior of continuous curved bridges subjected to uniformly distributed load. Though a curved bridge problem is very regular in structural engineering, a detailed and rigorous analysis is often advised since the introduction of curvature brings complexity in structural response. The parametric study carried out in this investigation to establish the defined relationship between the structural behavior of curved bridge deck and straight bridge would prove to be very useful for bridge engineers to readily assess the behavior of continuous bridge curved in plan, based on the responses for a straight bridge deck without compromising on the accuracy.

A study on preventing the fall of skew and curved bridge decks by using rubber bearings

The paper deals with preventing the collapse of by the means of supporting the bridges by rubber bearings and pedeck structures of skew and curved bridges during earthquakes, rmitting pounding between the decks and the abutments. Seismic response during pounding is characterized by various phenomena, such as the caging of bridge decks between abutments during an earthquake or decks popping out. These behaviors depend on only a small difference in seismic intensity. Regarding the global characteristics of a seismic response, smaller clearance between a deck and its abutments results in smaller impact damage of the abutments as well as lesser deformation of the rubber bearings. Similarly, smaller clearance between a deck and the side blocks results in smaller damage. The stiffnesses of the bearings and the stiffness ratio between them control the deck displacement. In short to medium length bridges, zero clearance between a deck and the abutments or the deck and the side blocks is the most effective way in preventing the deck from falling and limits the damage to the abutments or the side blocks.

Dynamic interaction between the vehicle and simply supported curved bridge deck

Vehicle—guideway interaction for a vehicle on simply-supported curved bridge decks is studied with the effects of vehicle speed and guideway parameters taken into account. In the dynamic model, the vehicle is considered to have four-degrees of freedom, with lumped masses, linear springs and dampers. Although the material and geometric linearities are preserved in the formulation, the consideration of interaction between the vehicle and the bridge results in a nonlinear structural response. The finite element method is used for solving the governing differential equation of the vehicle—bridge system. In this paper, multi-predictor—corrector procedure in connection with the Newmark method, is employed for the solution of the resulting matrix ordinary differential equations. The deflection at the middle of the beam is determined for different vehicle speed and different radius of curvatures of the curved deck.

A mixed-mode method for analysing partially prismatic curved thin-walled structures

A recently proposed combined finite strip/finite element analysis of partially prismatic structures is investigated in its application to horizontally curved bridge decks. Static and dynamic behaviour is considered and the method is illustrated with examples ranging from slabs with intermediate cross-beams to a three-span trapezoidal box.

Higher order finite strip analysis for curved bridge decks

The development of a higher order finite strip method for improved accuracy and its application to orthotropic curved bridge decks are discussed. A quintic polynomial in the radial direction is employed along with a basic function series in the angular direction which satisfy a priori the boundary conditions along the radial edges. Thus a two-dimensional plate bending problem is reduced to a one-dimensional one. As a result, both the size and bandwidth of the global stiffness matrix are greatly reduced. The method is easy to program, requires a minimum input data and small computer storage. In order to estimate the reliability of the present formulation, three examples of curved plates are solved and the results are compared with the existing solutions.

Curved Bridge Decks: Analytical Strip Solution

An “exact” solution is presented for the analysis of orthotropic curved bridge decks subjected to patch, uniform, line and concentrated loads. The bridge deck is idealized as an assemblage of radially supported curved plate elements or strips. The deflection of each plate strip is expressed as a Levy type Fourier series and the loads are expressed as a corresponding series. Concentrated loads and line loads in the tangential direction are incorporated in the solution as a discontinuity in the shear force along the load line. The convergence of this procedure is achieved by increasing the number of modes rather than the number of elements. The solution has the advantage over purely numerical or seminumerical techniques, using grid analogy or finite element techniques, in that the computational difficulties do not increase as the number of terms is increased to give increased accuracy. Tabular and graphical results are presented for bridge decks subjected to various loading conditions.

Dynamic response of orthotropic curved bridge decks due to moving loads

The dynamic response of horizontally curved bridge decks simply supported along the radial edges under the action of the moving vehicle is investigated. The bridge deck is idealised as a number of finite strips with orthotropic elastic properties. The stiffness and mass matrix of an individual element were derived using a homogeneous differential equation of an orthotropic plate in polar co-ordinates. The vehicle is idealized as a sprung mass moving at a constant speed in a circular path parallel to the central line of the bridge. The unsprung mass of the vehicle is assumed to be always in contact with the bridge surface during its motion. Viscous damping is taken into account for both bridge and vehicle. Dynamic deflections and moments are presented for the mid-point of the bridge deck and the values have been compared with the available analytical solution.

Static analysis of orthotropic curved bridge decks

The static analysis of orthotropic curved bridge decks with two radial edges simply supported and other two curved edges free are analysed, using a combination of Fourier series and finite difference technique. The governing fourth order partial differential equation of orthotropic plates in polar co-ordinates is first converted to an ordinary differential equation and subsequently solved by finite difference method. In order to estimate the accuracy and reliability of the present formulation an example of curved plate is solved and the results are compared with the existing solutions.