Charts for Preliminary Selection of NU Girder Sections Based On Kansas Department of Transportation LRFD Design Guidelines for Prestressed Concrete Beams

The Kansas Department of Transportation, which currently uses a series of standard prestressed concrete beam sections referred to as K-girders for prestressed beam bridge projects, is considering a switch to use of NU I-girder sections. The NU I-Girder sections are attractive for their efficiency, but Kansas engineers are not accustomed to their use. The aim of this analytical study was to develop an Excel-based tool that can be used to produce charts that engineers can use for preliminary selection of NU I-girder section sizes and strand numbers. The calculations described herein are in compliance with KDOT Bridge Design Specifications