Civil Engineering Commons^™

Characterization Of Unknown Bridge Foundations, Saman Rashidyan

Civil Engineering ETDs

The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) recognized 86,133 bridges in the United States have no foundation data on record in 2003. It is evident that an unknown percentage of the 86,133 bridges identified by NBI with missing foundation data could also be highly vulnerable to scouring induced by water flow coupled with erodible soils. Conventional excavation, coring and boring excavations to identify unknown bridge foundation depths and types are deemed to be expensive, destructive, and limited in their application to the unknown foundation problem. Many surface and borehole nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies have been developed for this purpose. Three economical proven …

Statistical Models Of I-15 Bridge C-846: Changes In Natural Frequencies Due To Temperature, Gilbert Nichols

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Structural Health monitoring is to determine the condition of a bridge based on instrument measurements. The C-846 Bridge in Salt Lake City has such instrumentation. The bridge is located in Salt Lake City at about 2100 South and Interstate 15. This bridge has two kinds of instruments on it: accelerometers and thermocouples. The accelerometers measure the vibrations of the bridge. The accelerometers have been recording data on the bridge since 2001. The thermocouples, which measure temperature, were added as part of this thesis in April 2016.

In light of recent research, damage may be detected from measuring the change in …

Hillman Composite Beam (Hcb®), Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The Hillman-Composite Beam (HCB®), is an innovative structural member for use in highway and railroad bridges as well as marine facilities. The HCB is essentially a lightweight reinforced concrete beam strengthened and protected by a corrosion-resistant and resilient Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) shell.

The beam is comprised of three main components, a concrete arch (compression reinforcement), an FRP bottom flange encapsulating steel strands tying the ends of the arch together (tension reinforcement) and the FRP shell. Galvanized Rebar “shear connectors” are used to make the beam composite with the concrete deck in the same manner as pre-stressed concrete beams.

The …

Seismic Design Of A Prestressed Concrete Bridge, Alperen Ozel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Latest advancements in software have become an indispensable tool in structural analysis. The main goal of this thesis is to examine dynamic responses of bridges in seismic activity with the help of such tool as CSi Bridge. Therefore, throughout this study, a prestressed concrete bridge model will be thoroughly designed. In the first section, the required materials and structural components will be introduced. The following section will cover calculations required for modeling. The actual modeling of the structure will be carried out in Section 3. In Section 4, the set of required analysis for seismic design such as modal, pushover …

Warning Systems Evaluation For Overhead Clearance Detection, Clayton Rogers

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The accurate detection of road vehicle heights is a need that arises in departments of transportation across the nation. Usually, this dimension is required to solve various transportation issues. In particular, numerous bridges in the state of Georgia have been affected by repetitive crashes of tall vehicles against their structural elements. As an example, a recent inspection report of the Houlihan Bridge over the Savannah River documents damages resulting from numerous hits by overheight vehicles. This case emphasizes the urgency of finding preventive measures. To address this issue, a number of solutions are investigated. The known methods of vehicle height …

Static And Dynamic Characterization Of Tied Arch Bridges, John Edward Finke

Doctoral Dissertations

"Tied arch bridges have been designed and constructed since the late 19th century. With their open vista owing to minimalist features tied arch bridges continue to appeal the public. Tied arch bridges are both aesthetic and economical alternates to long span bridges holding a place in the hierarchy of major bridges. They fit in a niche between viable and economical plate girder spans and short cable stayed bridge spans. There are several variations of the tied arch with the most common form being those having vertical hangers, stiff tie girders and slender arch ribs. This tied arch variation is examined …

Proportioning And Properties Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Mixtures For Application In Shear Keys Of Precast Concrete Bridges, Zhengqi Li

All Dissertations

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is defined as a cementitious based composite material with compressive strengths above 150 MPa, pre-and post-cracking tensile strengths above 5 MPa, and enhanced durability. To achieve desired properties, UHPC is typically produced with low water-cementitious materials (w/cm) ratio (i.e. w/cm < 0.25), high cementitious materials content (i.e. >1000 kg/m3), high quality aggregate, high dosage of high-range water reducing admixture (HRWRA) and reinforcing fibers. UHPC has distinct advantages in applications where narrow formwork and dense reinforcement are inevitable, high compressive strength concrete material is required and the surrounding environment is aggressive. The construction of shear keys in precast bridges is one of the important …

State Of Accelerated Bridge Construction (Abc) In The United States, Mike Ofili

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this project is to develop a toolkit for the design and construction of bridges using prefabricated materials primarily to reduce the closure time and on-site construction time of newly constructed bridges or bridges undergoing renovation. The research focuses specifically on short span bridges in Georgia (40,60,80, and 120ft spans).

Areas of primary concern for this project were design, constructability, structural analysis, the use of concrete and steel girders, cost efficiency, and industry surveys. In this particular portion of the study, the surveys proved to be most effective when combined with information obtained existing research as well as …

Spatial Time-Dependent Reliability Analysis Of Reinforced Concrete Slab Bridges Subject To Realistic Traffic Loading, Donya Hajializadeh, Mark Stewart, Bernard Enright, Eugene J. Obrien

Articles

Resistance and loads are often correlated in time and space. The paper assesses the influence of these correlations on structural reliability/probability of failure for a typical two-lane RC slab bridge under realistic traffic loading. Spatial variables for structural resistance are cover and concrete compressive strength, which in turn affect the strength and chloride-induced corrosion of RC elements. Random variables include pit depth and model error. Correlation of weights between trucks in adjacent lanes and inter-vehicle gaps are also included and are calibrated against Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) data. Reliability analysis of deteriorating bridges needs to incorporate uncertainties associated with parameters governing the …

A Review Of Probabilistic Methods Of Assessment Of Load Effects In Bridges, Eugene J. Obrien, F Schmidt, Donya Hajializadeh, X-Y Zhou, Bernard Enright, Colin C. Caprani, Simon Wilson, Emma Sheils

Articles

This paper reviews a range of statistical approaches to illustrate the influence of data quality and quantity on the probabilistic modelling of traffic load effects. It also aims to demonstrate the importance of long-run simulations in calculating characteristic traffic load effects. The popular methods of Peaks Over Threshold and Generalized Extreme Value are considered but also other methods including the Box-Cox approach, fitting to a Normal distribution and the Rice formula. For these five methods, curves are fitted to the tails of the daily maximum data. Bayesian Updating and Predictive Likelihood are also assessed, which require the entire data for …

Nonlinear Analysis Of Isotropic Slab Bridges Under Extreme Traffic Loading, Donya Hajializadeh, A. Salam Al-Sabah, Eugene J. Obrien, Debra F. Laefer, Bernard Enright

Articles

Probabilistic analysis of traffic loading on a bridge traditionally involves an extrapolation from measured or simulated load effects to a characteristic maximum value. In recent years, Long Run Simulation, whereby thousands of years of traffic are simulated, has allowed researchers to gain new insights into the nature of the traffic scenarios that govern at the limit state. For example, mobile cranes and low-loaders, sometimes accompanied by a common articulated truck, have been shown to govern in most cases. In this paper, the extreme loading scenarios identified in the Long Run Simulation are applied to a non-linear, two-dimensional (2D) plate finite …

Earthmoving Productivity In Urban Bridge Construction, Seonghoon Kim, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Earthmoving operations in urban bridge reconstruction projects are analyzed to identify significant factors that impact relatively low productivity. The research project was conducted in the urban interchange reconstruction of Interstate Highway 235 (I-235) in Des Moines, Iowa. By using observational studies and a statistical analysis method, the factors were identified, including match factor, number of passes, and loading cycle time per bucket. Number of truck, match factor, travel time, and hauling distance were identified as the unique factors for the off-site earthmoving project, while the start time and travel time were significant factors for the on-site project. This research also …

Risk-Based Bridge Inspection Practices, Rebecca Reising

Open Access Theses

Improving bridge safety, reliability, and the allocation of bridge inspection resources are the goals of the proposed risk based bridge inspection practices. Currently, most bridges in the United States are inspected at a fixed calendar interval of 24 months, without regard to the condition of the bridge. Newer bridges with little or no damage are inspected with the same frequency as older, more deteriorated bridges thus creating inefficiency in the allocation of inspection resources. Because of limited resources, it is not possible to spend the necessary time examining bridges that are in poor condition and require extra attention since equal …

Uncertainty Treatment In Performance Based Seismic Assessment Of Typical Bridge Classes In United States, Mohammad Mehdizadeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bridge networks are expensive and complex infrastructures and are essential components of today's transportation systems. Despite the advancement in computer aided modeling and increasing the computational power which is increasing the accessibility for developing the fragility curves of bridges, the complexity of the problem and uncertainties involved in fragility analysis of the bridge structures in addition to difficulties in validating the results obtained from the analysis requires precaution in utilization of the results as a decision making tool. The main focus of this research is to address, study and treatment of uncertainties incorporated in various steps of performance based assessments …

Developing A Model To Enhance Labor Productivity Using Bridge Construction Benchmark Data, Seonghoon Kim, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The Labor Working Status Monitoring (LWSM) Model that incorporates the WRITE and the industry benchmark data was developed through the five steps to enhance labor productivity in bridge construction operations. The first step of the development process was to conduct a literature review, followed by the second step which was to develop the WRITE. During the development, the authors identified the necessary hardware and software for the WRITE and outlined a schematic to show the connection of major hardware components. The third step was to develop the LWSM Model for monitoring the on-site construction labor working status by comparing data …

Structural Reliability Analysis Of Corroded Steel Girder Bridge, Mohammed Shaalan Al Badran

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The natural aging, environmental impact, and appropriate design are certainly playing a serious role in safety of the bridges function. The functional safety of bridge constitutes a prime element of the transportation system serving commuters, passengers and freight. According to Federal Highway Administration, the steel bridges share represents a large amount of the United States’ bridges. In last century, the collapse of both the Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, West Virginia over the Ohio River on December 15, 1967 and over the Mianus River Bridge in Connecticut on June 28, 1983 showed that steel corrosion has been the leading reason …

Application Of Multi-Hazard Seismic-Blast Detailing For Highway Bridges, Dominique Morton Torres

Dissertations and Theses

The increase of worldwide terrorist attacks on public transportation has heightened our concerns of protecting the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Highway bridges are an attractive target for terrorist attacks due to ease of accessibility and their overall importance to society. The primary objective of this research is to investigate multi-hazard seismic-blast correlations of blast-induced bridge components through numerical simulations of a high-precision finite element model of a typical highway bridge in New York. Seismic-detailing for blast loading on bridges has been investigated to study the correlations between seismic design for blast load effects. High-precision 3D Finite Element models of bridges detailed …

Evaluating Different Bridge Management Strategies Using The Bridge Management Research System (Bmrs), Timothy Paul Stroshine

Open Access Theses

This project investigated the effects of varying two different elements of bridge management strategies. The first element was a trigger value (an NBI condition rating for a bridge component) at which a maintenance treatment can be performed. The second element was the budget.

A new software program, the Bridge Management Research System (BMRS), was created to test these elements of bridge management strategies for Indiana's bridge network. BMRS is a simplified version of a previous bridge management software package developed by Purdue University, the Indiana Bridge Management System (IBMS). To test variations in the trigger values, three different bridge management …

Implementation And Validation Of Fault-Rupture Response Spectrum Analysis Procedure In Csibridge For Bridges Crossing Earthquake Fault Ruptures, Jennifer Evelyn Tures

Master's Theses

This thesis evaluates the application of a simplified analysis procedure as implemented in version 16 of CSiBridge^TM for design of bridges crossing earthquake fault ruptures. The fault-rupture response spectrum analysis (FR-RSA) approximation method has been proved adequate for both straight and curved ordinary bridges, but lacked a comfortable interface to accommodate the method users. Computers and Structure, Inc. has implemented the FR-RSA procedure into CSiBridge^TM, a user-friendly integrated 3-D bridge design software, as an added seismic design feature. By combining the response of the bridge due to the quasi-static displacement from the fault strike-slip rupture and the …

Estimating Characteristic Bridge Loads On A Non-Primary Road Network, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright, Brendan Williams, Cathal Leahy

Conference papers

When collecting truck loading data on a primary road network a common approach is to install a large network of permanent pavement-based Weigh-In-Motion systems. An alternative to this approach would be to use one or more portable Bridge Weigh-In-Motion systems which could be moved between bridges at regular intervals to determine the traffic loading throughout the network. A data collection strategy is needed to put such a system to best use. This paper details the data collection strategies which were examined for the National Roads Authority in Ireland. The use of urban economic concepts including Central Place Theory are discussed …

Portable Bridge Wim Data Collection Strategy For Secondary Roads, Bernard Enright, Cathal Leahy, Eugene J. Obrien, Jennifer Keenahan

Conference papers

A common method of collecting traffic loading data across a large road network is to use a network of permanent pavement-based WIM systems. An alternative is to use one or more portable Bridge Weigh-In-Motion systems which are moved periodically between bridges on the network. To make optimum use of such a system, a suitable data collection strategy is needed to choose locations for the system. This paper describes a number of possible strategies which the authors have investigated for the National Roads Authority in Ireland. The different strategies are examined and their advantages and disadvantages compared. Their effectiveness at detecting …

Monte Carlo Simulation Of Extreme Traffic Loading On Short And Medium Span Bridges, Bernard Enright, Eugene J. Obrien

Articles

The accurate estimation of site-specific lifetime extreme traffic load effects is an important element in the cost-effective assessment of bridges. A common approach is to use statistical distributions derived from weigh-in-motion measurements as the basis for Monte Carlo simulation of traffic loading. However, results are highly sensitive to the assumptions made, not just with regard to vehicle weights but also to axle configurations and gaps between vehicles. This paper presents a comprehensive model for Monte Carlo simulation of bridge loading for free-flowing traffic, and shows how the model matches results from measurements on five European highways. The model has been …

On The Development Of The Extradosed Bridge Concept, Steven Lynn Stroh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Extradosed Prestressed Bridge represents a relatively new bridge type. The first of this type bridge was constructed in Japan in 1994, and Japan has since built at least 29 examples of this bridge type. Throughout the rest of the world, another 34 of this bridge type have been built, with most countries having only one, or at most a few, examples. A broader application of this bridge type has been hampered by lack of design information and in particular lack design criteria for the stay cables. The purpose of this dissertation is to progress the understanding and application of …

Determining Transverse Design Forces For A Next-D Bridge Using 3d Finite Element Modeling, Robert Funcik

All Theses

This thesis looks into the use of 3D Finite Element Modeling to determine the transverse design forces for short-span bridges built using the Northeast Extreme Tee with integral deck (NEXT-D) beam. Models were built using either solid elements or shell elements to represent the bridge deck, and the results were compared. The stiffness of the shear keys were taken into account during the modeling process. Results were compared to the AASHTO strip width method for design bridge decks, and the results showed that the strip width method would not be adequate for the design of NEXT-D bridges, so specific live …

Delayed Composite Action Coupled With Post-Tensioning For Cast In Place Bridge Deck Systems, Nathanael J. Toenies

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cast-in-place bridge decks are known to have transverse cracking early in the life of the bridge due to shrinkage and temperature effects. The cracks result from immediate composite behavior between the girder and the deck. For steel bridges, this bond is caused by shear studs welded to the steel beams and embedded in the cast-in-place deck. Prevention or closure of these cracks could greatly increase the durability of the bridge.

The following research focuses on introducing a system that will have delayed composite action, allowing strain in the concrete before it becomes composite with the girder. The system is meant …

Performance Of Transverse Post-Tensioned Joints Subjected To Negative Bending And Shear Stresses On Full Scale, Full Depth, Precast Concrete Bridge Deck System, Kayde Steven Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Accelerated bridge construction has quickly become the preferred method for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) as well as many other DOT’s across the United States. This type of construction requires the use of full depth precast panels for the construction of the bridge deck. The segmented deck panels produce transverse joints between panels and have come to be known as the weakest portion of the deck. Cracking often occurs at these joints and is reflected through the deck overlay where water accesses and begins corrosion of the reinforcement and superstructure below. For this reason post-tensioning of the deck panels …

Modeling Same-Direction Two-Lane Traffic For Bridge Loading, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright

Articles

Many highway bridges carry traffic in two same-direction lanes, and modeling the traffic loading on such bridges has been the subject of numerous studies. Different assumptions have been used to model multiple-presence loading events, particularly those featuring one truck in each lane. Using a database of weigh-in-motion measurements collected at two European sites for over 1 million trucks, this paper examines the relationships between adjacent vehicles in both lanes in terms of vehicle weights, speeds and inter-vehicle gaps. It is shown that there are various patterns of correlation, some of which are significant for bridge loading. A novel approach to …

Modeling Extreme Traffic Loading On Bridges Using Kernel Density Estimators, Cathal Leahy, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright

Conference papers

Kernel density estimators are a non-parametric method of estimating the probability density function of sample data. In this paper, the method is applied to find characteristic maximum daily truck weights on highway bridges. The results are then compared with the conventional approach

Design Mentoring Tool, Bob Mccullouch, Walter Land

JTRP Technical Reports

In 2004 a design engineer on-line mentoring tool was developed and implemented The purpose of the tool was to assist senior engineers mentoring new engineers to the INDOT design process and improve their technical competency. This approach saves senior engineers time while developing a consistent mentoring approach and standardizing technical knowledge in road and bridge design. It is a self-guided tool that utilizes multi-media and web-based technologies, trains engineers in the design process and provides resources to use for developing plans and specifications. Available resources include INDOT design practices, design standards, design memos, specification and construction standards, procedures, and check …

Investigation Of Northeast Extreme Tee (Next) D Beam Bridges As An Alternative To Precast Hollow Core Bridges: An Exploration Of Appropriate Slab Design Forces, Daniel Deery

All Theses

Adjacent precast, prestressed concrete beam bridges have become a popular solution throughout the country because deck forming can be eliminated and construction is rapid. In South Carolina, adjacent beam bridges primarily consist of flat slab or hollow core sections, and they are currently only used on secondary, low-volume, short-span bridges. Durability and load sharing issues stemming from cracking, however, have caused concern with the longevity of these bridge types. Thus, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has sought an alternative to the flat slab for short span bridges that can be used on high volume roads without an overlay. …