Scale Model Tests for Full-Depth Precast Concrete Panel-Decked Composite Bridge Span

The Texas Transportation Institute under the joint sponsorship of the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation and the FHWA, has undertaken a multi-year research program to investigate the strength and structural performance of a bridge deck system using fuIl-depth precast concrete slab panel modules supported on steel stringers. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the full range of behavior of a composite bridge deck system that uses epoxy mortar and shear studs as joint material for a modular construction using full-depth, full-width precast concrete panels with block-outs. Understanding this behavior would facilitate the use of such a method for rapid bridge deck construction and rehabilitation. The first phase of this program, a series of static load testing on a one-third scale laboratory model, has recently been completed. The design and detailed construction of the scale model, the details and results of the load testing and the evaluation of the results are presented in this paper. The results indicate that within the elastic stress range, the construction system described here would develop composite action in a satisfactory manner