Analysis of Curved Weathering Steel Box Girder Bridges in Fire: Final Report

016108852016Final reportPDFTech ReportUTRC/RF Grant No: 49198-28-2649198-28-26Box girder bridgesBridge membersCurved bridgesDeflectionFireLiterature reviewsSteel bridgesThermal analysisWeathering steelResearch HubSteel box girderComposite bridgesFireThermal analysisFinite elementUnited StatesCity University of New York. University Transportation Research CenterWhitney, ReevesBraxtan, Nicole LeoWang, QianKoch, GregoryManhattan College. Dept. of Civil and Environmental EngineeringCity University of New York. University Transportation Research CenterUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)United States. Dept. of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and TechnologyUS Transportation CollectionBox girder bridges are becoming more common because of their ease of construction, pleasing aesthetics, and serviceability. Projects with curved configuration and long spans can especially benefit from these advantages. However, the industry lacks a wide range of research on multi-span steel box girder cross-sections and their response to fire events. In addition, steel box girders are commonly constructed from weathering steel, which has little available research into their performance in fire. This paper will discuss the current literature, challenges, and available verification studies for this particular combination of cross section and material properties. Results show large deflections in the steel box girder as the temperature of the steel increases over the duration of the fire. Temperatures of the steel tub increase rapidly due to the low weight-to-heated perimeter ratio of the thin members. The concrete slab does not exhibit significant increase in temperature from the fire below. Furthermore, forces that act on the individual members of the bridge are greatly affected by the location of the fire