Serviceability-related issues for bridge live load deflection and construction closure pours.

PDFTech ReportMD-15-SP309B4MSP309B4MBridge designBridge decksBridge constructionLive loadsDeflectionSteel bridgesState of the practiceServiceabilityFinite element methodMarylandMaryland. State Highway Administration. Office of Policy & ResearchFu, Chung C.Zhao, GengwenYe, YunchaoZhang, FanUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)US Transportation CollectionThis study investigated the design criteria and practices in an effort to improve the quality of bridge designs in theState of Maryland and beyond. This first criterion investigated was the live load deflection for steel bridges. Thesecond design/construction criterion investigated was designing and detailing bridge deck closure pours.Previous and current practices and future planning on the serviceability of bridges have been documented.State-of-the-practice methods from federal and other state agencies were collected. Three bridges were chosen forrefined analyses to investigate the live load deflections. Field measurements for these three bridges were collectedfrom the research team to facilitate this study. Thirty steel girder bridges from the Maryland State HighwayAdministration\ue2\u20ac\u2122s (SHA) inventory were selected for statistical analyses. Steel bridges designed with the live loaddeflection limit have been evaluated. Closure-pour analyses were conducted by line-girder models,two-dimensional grid models or three-dimensional finite element models. All three methods generate accurateenough camber diagrams to predict differential deflections between stages for straight girder systems, if creep isnot considered. Creep effect could be alleviated by proper camber and scheduling on pouring