Effect of substructure stiffness on the performance of integral abutment bridges under thermal loads

This research investigates the effect of substructure stiffness on the performance of short and medium span length Integral Abutment Bridges (IABs) subjected to thermal load. Various parameters such as foundation soil stiffness, pile orientation, pile type, and abutment geometry on the performance of IABs, are considered. Three-dimensional (3D) Finite Element (FE) models were developed using the FE software LUSAS to capture the behavior of IABs including the variations in displacement and rotation in the transverse direction for the various components of the superstructure as well as the substructure. Field measurements from a recently constructed two-span steel girder IAB were utilized to validate the 3D FE models. Using the validated model, a parametric study was carried out to study the effect of the above parameters on the performance of IABs under thermal loading using AASHTO-LRFD temperature ranges. The study shows that among the investigated parameters, the foundation soil stiffness stands as the most important factor that affects the performance of IABs. In general, the bridge behavior is more sensitive to the foundation soil stiffness during bridge contraction. The results from the study show considerable variations in displacement and rotation in the transverse direction for the various components of the superstructure and the substructure in relatively wide IABs. This research suggests that Prestressed Concrete Piles can be a viable alternative to steel H-Piles for short span bridges. It was also noticed that the stress level due to thermal loading in the various components of the bridge can be significantly reduced by enclosing the top part of the pile in an enclosure filled with crushed stone or loose sand. Moreover, the research suggests that the pile orientation has a minimum effect on the behavior of IABs. It also suggests that a slight increase in the abutment height can significantly reduce the displacement and rotation along the piles during bridge expansion. The research also suggests that 3D models are necessary to capture the behavior of IABs especially during bridge expansion. The research provides simple equations and charts to help bridge engineers calculate the displacement and rotation along the substructure.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Suhail Albhais