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An innovative steel-concrete joint for integral abutment bridges

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jtte.2015.05.001

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Accepted Manuscript

An innovative steel-concrete joint for integral abutment bridges

Bruno Briseghella, Tobia Zordan

PII: S2095-7564(15)00049-5
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtte.2015.05.001
Reference: JTTE 21

To appear in: Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English

Edition)

Please cite this article as: Briseghella, B., Zordan, T., An innovative steel-concrete joint for integral
abutment bridges, Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English Edition) (2015), doi:
10.1016/j.jtte.2015.05.001.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

1 Original research paper

3 An innovative steel-concrete joint

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4 for integral abutment bridges

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5

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6

7 Bruno Briseghellaa,*, Tobia Zordanb

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8
a
9 College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
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b
10 Department of Building Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

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12 Abstract
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13 Integral abutment bridges are becoming rather common, due to the durability problems of

14 bearings and expansion joints. At the same time, among short- and medium-span bridges,
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15 multi-beam steel-concrete composite deck with hot-rolled girder is an economical and

16 interesting alternative to traditional pre-stressed concrete solutions. The two concepts can
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17 be linked together to design integral steel-concrete composite bridges with the benefits of
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18 two typologies. The most critical aspect for these bridges is usually the joints between

19 deck and piers or abutments. In this paper, an innovative beam-to-pier joint is proposed

20 and a theoretical and experimental study is introduced and discussed. The analyzed

21 connection is aimed at combining general ease of construction with a highly simplified

22 assembly procedure and a good transmission of hogging and sagging moment

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24
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 591 22865375, fax: +86 591 22865375.
E-mail addresses: bruno@fzu.edu.cn (B. Briseghella), tobia.zordan@gmail.com (T. Zordan).

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25 at the supports in continuous beams. For this purpose, the traditional shear studs, used at

26 the interface between steel beam and upper concrete slab, are also used at the ends of

27 steel profiles welded horizontally to the end plates. To better understand the behaviour of

28 this kind of joints and the roles played by different components, three large-scale

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29 specimens were tested and an FE model was implemented. The theoretical and

30 experimental results confirmed the potential of the proposed connection for practical

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31 applications and indicated the way to improve its structural behaviour.

32

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33 Keywords:

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34 Integral abutment bridges; Steel-concrete bridges; Steel-concrete joints; FEM simulation; Shear

35 connection method
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36 1 Introduction
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37 The durability of bridge expansion joints and bearings has become an important concern worldwide. It

38 leads the integral-abutment bridge (IAB) concept becoming rather popular in recent years, not only in
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39 the newly built bridges, but also in the retrofit of existing ones (Briseghella and Zordan, 2006; Dong et al.,
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40 2014; Yannotti et al., 2005; Zordan and Briseghella, 2007). The formulation of IAB dates back at least to

41 the 1930s, and it has been used to address long-term structural problems which frequently occur with
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42 conventional bridge designs (Burke, 1993). The original IAB concept was not very manageable at that

43 time. It had several problems related to the post-construction life of the structure. Besides, the specific
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44 design and soil-structure interaction problems represent a challenge requiring synergy of both structural
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45 and geotechnical engineers. The application of IAB based on bridge’s maximum length was

46 investigated by Zordan et al. (2011a, 2011b). The IAB concept has received considerable interest

47 among bridge engineers because of the enormous benefits from the elimination of expansive joints and

48 the reduction of installation and maintenance costs. The superstructure of integral abutment bridges can

49 be made continuously through a composite cast-in-place concrete deck slab over steel or pre-stressed

50 concrete girders and sequential diaphragms. With this design, the system constituted by the sub- and

51 super-structure acts as a single structural unit. The monolithic connection between deck and

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52 sub-structure, such as piers and abutments, makes IABs different from other conventional bridges and

53 allows for a remarkably increased redundancy for seismic loading and other extreme events (Xue et al.,

54 2014; Zordan et al., 2011). Furthermore, joints in deck are known to be a crucial part in existing bridges,

55 not only because of their own failure and maintenance problems, but also of the significant amount of

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56 corrosion damage in girders and other underlying substructures caused by corrosive de-icing salts in

57 run-off water leaking through the joints to the deck (Arockiasamy and Sivakumar, 2005). Hence, the IAB

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58 concept has proved to be successful in eliminating a number of problems related to the management of

59 conventional bridges during their service life, and turns out to be economical with reference to both

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60 construction and maintenance costs (Mahesh, 2005). The United States can boast the widest

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61 experience of IABs, measured in number of application. Nevertheless, a limited but meaningful number

62 of bridges within this family, with composite steel and concrete structures, can be found in central
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63 Europe, mainly in Luxembourg and France (Hever, 2001). As noted by some studies (Zanon et al.,

64 2014), among short- and medium-span bridges, multi-beam steel-concrete composite deck consisting
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65 of hot-rolled girders is an economical and interesting alternative to traditional pre-stressed concrete

66 solutions.
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67 With this bridge type, continuity and hogging moment can be balanced at piers through slab
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68 reinforcement, as well as by the connection of the steel beam to a concrete transverse diaphragm by

69 means of a number of shear studs, which are mainly devoted to the shear transmission. Studies on this
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70 topic started in 1970 in Australia (Kell et al., 1982) at the request of the Department of Main Roads of

71 Western Australia. In the same period, several composite bridges were also built in the United States.
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72 Regarding beam-to-beam connections for composite bridges, an interesting study published by Dunai

73
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et al. (1996) presented an experimental study on an original type of end-plate steel-to-concrete mixed

74 connection, focusing mainly on its rotational stiffness and cyclic deterioration. The originality of the

75 connection resided in the layout of the joint, inspired by conventional column-base connections. In this

76 special kind of connection, tensile forces were transmitted by bolts and/or studs, shear forces were

77 transmitted by headed studs (or shear connectors in general) and compression forces were transmitted

78 directly to the concrete by the bearing end plates.

79 Haensel (1998) presented results of a research program sponsored by steel fabricator ARBED, which

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80 built bridges with an innovative type of connection for composite steel and concrete girders, where the

81 bending moment of the supports at the top flange was transmitted across the bearings by the tensile

82 reinforcement alone, while the bending moment in the bottom flange was transmitted by means of a

83 couple of compression plates through the concrete. Contemporarily to Haensel, Svadbik and Strasky

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84 (1998) presented the “Modular Span Multi-Cell Box Girder System” for short span (from 6 to 30 m) steel

85 bridge structures. The bridge deck was composed of steel modules and a composite concrete deck slab.

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86 Multi-span continuous structures assembled from simple spans, joined by concrete cast-in-place

87 diaphragms, were studied. The reactions were transferred from the bearings into the webs by the

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88 concrete diaphragms. The webs with shear studs and the diaphragms had reinforcing bars, which

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89 resisted splitting forces.

90 In 2002, a design guide on “Composite Bridge Design for Small and Medium Spans” was published by
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91 the ECSC Steel RTD Programme (EU, 2003). The publication, among other things, focused on using

92 shear connectors transfering forces to a concrete diaphragm inside single and continuous composite
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93 decks, with different levels of prefabrication for the concrete slab.

94 A further meaningful example of hybrid composite bridges was the VFT construction method
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95 proposed by Schmitt Stumpf Fruhauf and Partner (Weizenegger, 2003). A type of composite girder that
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96 could be almost completely prefabricated was developed, with the connection to the abutments using

97 shear connectors.
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98 More recently, the nonlinear response of similar composite joint typologies to those studied in this

99 paper was investigated by Zordan and Briseghella (2009), while Zanchettin et al. (2011) experimentally
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100 studied five different configurations of shear studs.

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Somja et al. (2012) studied the influence of key parameters governing joint behaviour using FE

102 simulation based on experimental tests.

103 The above studies mostly regarded monotonic loads and hogging moment, while in integral abutment

104 bridges, a full connection between girders and piers and/or abutments with sagging and hogging

105 moment resistance could be required.

106 This paper presents the results of an experimental and theoretical study on an innovative

107 beam-to-pier joint. The proposed connection is introduced with a start of a previous connection studied

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108 by the same authors (Zordan and Briseghella, 2007). An experimental campaign on three full-scale

109 specimens is introduced, and the main results are discussed in Section 3. Global and local FE models

110 used in the research are described in Section 4. Based on the obtained results, an improvement to the

111 connection is proposed and analyzed in Section 5. Finally, the conclusions are drawn.

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112 2 Joint

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113 The increasing ratio of labour cost to construction materials cost is urging the development of

114 construction techniques. The smallest number of skilled workers, and the optimisation of building

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115 schedules are required to minimise the overall building yard time.

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116 Composite decks and floors are becoming increasingly widespread for their structural effectiveness,

117 which allows for the optimisation of the mechanical properties of the coupled materials. It also allows for
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118 the possibility of achieving a simplified design, with a limited number of structural elements involved in

119 the structural response.

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120 The search for a high global stiffness in the frame response must inevitably consider the achievement

121 of a satisfying joint stiffness in continuous decks. Moment-resisting joint is therefore the key component
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122 of the modern conception of composite constructions.

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123 The basis for this work on an innovative typology of composite joints consists of the following

124 requirements:
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125 1. Achievement of the connection between a composite steel and continuous concrete beam (part of a

126 composite deck or floor) or a concrete pier (or column);

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127 2. Minimisation of the joint components;

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128 3. Minimisation of installation time;

129 4. Minimisation of tolerance problems due to the connection between steel and concrete;

130 5. Appropriate stiffness under hogging and sagging moment conditions.

131 Recently, the increased utilisations of headed studs (for their weldability and limited costs) as

132 connector devices at the interface between steel beams and concrete slabs in composite structures

133 have suggested their possible use at the interface between steel profile and concrete column too. This

134 ensures the transmission of shear forces. The hogging moment is borne in compression by the steel

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135 end plate in contact with the concrete pier, and in tension by the steel rebar in the slab. The sagging

136 moment is borne in compression by the concrete slab, and in tension by a number of specifically

137 designed headed studs.

138 In this way, the same connection system acting between slab and beam is used at the interface

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139 between a steel end plate welded to the steel profile and the adjacent concrete column. With this system,

140 the realisation of composite joint is limited by the assembly of an extremely limited number of parts, for

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141 the achievement of the composite action in the steel and concrete beam. Furthermore, the elimination of

142 on-site welding could help to minimise the construction time and cost because the connection between

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143 horizontal composite members and vertical columns can be achieved simply through concreting.

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144 Finally, the tolerance problems can be limited or totally eliminated because of the final concreting. The

145 proposed system is shown in Fig. 1. The first phase of this research has focused on the hogging
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146 moment behaviour of the joint (Zordan and Briseghella, 2009). An experimental test was performed at

147 the laboratory of the University of Trento (Italy) to investigate the joint response under monotonic and
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148 symmetric loads until failure. The test results, along with the implementation and calibration of a finite

149 element model, led to an understanding of the behaviour of each element in the final response of joint
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150 and the development of a mechanical model according to the component method. Finally, some
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151 simplified relations were proposed to use in the global structural analysis.
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152
153 Fig. 1 Joint studied in previous researches

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154 Similar joints, for their simplicity and relatively easy installation, can potentially be used for bridges,

155 particularly the integral abutment bridges, or for the frames of civil buildings. This kind of connection has

156 recently been applied in real cases, with satisfied results in terms of construction time and cost. As an

157 example, the Differdange town centre bypass road is shown here (EU, 2003). The three span lengths of

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158 this heavily skewed and curved bridge are 25, 40 and 25 m, respectively, with a deck width of 12.5 m

159 (Fig. 2).

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Fig. 2 Three-span bridge in Differdange (South Luxembourg)
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160 During the second phase of this research, which is the subject of this paper, the response of
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161 connection was investigated under sagging and hogging moment conditions until failure. This is

162 particularly important not only for buildings, but also for integral abutment bridges, where a full
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163 connection is frequently realised between the piers and abutments.

164 In order to obtain a better response under this type of load, the joint was modified (Fig. 3), adding
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165 some horizontal shear studs welded to the end plates. Fig. 4 illustrates the assembly phases of the

166 considered joints, showing the easy and fast procedure.

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167
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Fig. 3 Joint studied in this paper

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169 (a) (b)

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171 (c) (d)

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173 Fig. 4 Assembly phases. (a) Concrete column. (b) Steel beam.

174 (c) Concrete joint. (d) Concrete slab.

175
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176 This research was organised into the following three interconnected steps:

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1. Experimental study on full-scale specimens of joints, whose layouts represent the natural evolution of

178 the case study for monotonic hogging moment;

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179 2. Implementation and calibration of a finite element model of the tested joint;

180 3. Creation and calibration of a simplified mechanical model of the tested joint.
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181 In the following sections, the first two steps are introduced and explained in detail.
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182 3 Experimental tests

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183 The assessment of the real response to sagging moment and cyclic loads of the proposed joint, in

184 terms of characterising parameters such as moment resistance, rotation capacity and initial stiffness,

185 was carried out through a number of lab tests. The response of joints to hogging bending was expected

186 to match that previously found during the first experimental campaign (Zordan and Briseghella, 2009).

187 In order to achieve this, a set of three identical, full-scale specimens of the joints and parts of the

188 connected composite beams and concrete column was assembled. The main features of the specimens

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189 are shown in Fig. 5.

190 The steel-to-concrete connection is ensured by the presence of a number of 5/8’’ headed studs, both

191 at the connection between the upper flange of HEA260 and the concrete slab, and the connection

192 between the concrete column and the steel end plate of beam. For each upper flange of steel beam,

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193 couples of 5/8’’ headed studs with an overall height of 100 mm were welded at a wheelbase of 120 mm,

194 with the first row having a distance of 48 mm from the steel end plate. In total, 26 studs were welded to

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195 each flange of the steel profile. 12 studs were welded to each of the two steel end plates, with the layout

196 shown in Fig. 5. The reinforcement used in specimens is indicated in Fig. 6.

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197
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Fig. 5 Joint steelwork

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200 Fig. 6 Main dimensions of specimens and reinforcements used

201 The materials adopted for different parts (components) of joints are shown in Table 1.

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202
203 Table 1 Construction materials used for the specimens
Component of the joint (Fig. 3) Concrete Steel
1–Steel beam S 355-EN10025 (EC3, Table 3.1)
2–Concrete slab C 35 (EC2, Table 3.1)
3–Concrete column C 35 (EC2, Table 3.1)

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4–Steel end plates S 355-EN10025 (EC3, Table 3.1)
5–Shear studs SJ2G3+C450-EN10025 (St 37-3K)
6–Headed shear studs SJ2G3+C450-EN10025 (St 37-3K)
7–Reinforcement fyk ≥ 430 MPa (EC2, Table 3.1.5.2)

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8–Stirrups fyk ≥ 430 MPa (EC2, Table 3.1.5.2)
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205 The design shear resistance of the headed studs used in the beam to pier joints was calculated

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206 following EC4, Section 6.3.2 as in the following

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Prd = min(Prd(1), Prd(2)) (1)
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Prd(1) = 0.8× fu,St×(p× d2 / 4) / γn (2)
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Prd(2) = 0.29×1×d2×(fck × Ecm)1/2 /γn (3)

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where d is diameter of the shank of studs (d ≤ 25 mm) and its value is 15.87 mm, fck is characteristic
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cylinder concrete strength of concrete at the considered age and its value is 30 N/mm , fu,St is specified
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ultimate tensile strength of the material of stud and its value is 450 N/mm , Ecm is short secant modulus
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value of the concrete and its value is 32000 N/mm , γn is a safety factor for connectors and its value is
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1.25 (considered as 1 in the following).

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Therefore

Prd(1) = 0.8×450×(p×15.872 / 4) /1 = 71.21 kN

Prd(2) = 0.29×1×15.872×(30×32000)1/2 /1 = 71.56 kN

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fck and Ecm values come from EC2, Table 3.2.

Prd = min(Prd(1), Prd(2)) = 71.21 kN

208

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209 3.1 Test setup

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210 Three full-scale specimens were tested at the Laboratory of Structures and Materials of the University

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211 IUAV of Venice (Italy). The following test setup was used (Fig. 7).

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212 1. A rigid reaction frame restrained to the reaction floor of the laboratory;

213 2. A hydraulic jack used to apply vertical force to specimen and restrain it to the reaction frame;

214 3. Two hydraulic jacks, with Pmax= 220 kN (push), Pmax= 120 kN (pull) and a stroke of 660 mm, were
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215 used to apply cyclic forces.

216 The hydraulic jacks were anchored to reaction floor. Loads were applied at a distance of 1860 mm from
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217 the beams’ extremities.

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218
219
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220 Fig. 7 Setup scheme

221 At the joint locations, as well as along the whole specimen, a specific instrumentation (Fig. 8) was
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222 installed in order to assess the local and global structural response during testing. For this assessment,

223 a number of displacement transducers were installed, both at the joint location and the beams’
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224 extremities. Additionally, a series of strain gauges were welded and glued to the structural steel and to

225 the rebar. The types of instruments are listed in Table 2.

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226
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227 Table 2 Types of instruments

Abbreviation Type of instrument No.
SGb Strain gauge applied on the rebar 13
SGt Strain gauge applied on the steel beam 2
DT Displacement transducer 10
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229
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230 Fig. 8 Layout of instrumentation

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231 3.2 Test results

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232 The test load applied to specimens is presented in Fig. 9 in terms of moments applied in the joint section

233 and cycle number.

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236
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238 Fig. 9 Test load history (sagging and hogging moments applied)

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239 The concrete strength of the column near the horizontal shear studs determined the response of the

240 joint for sagging moment. This sequence is shown in Fig. 10 with the rotation of joint calculated starting

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241 from the data recorded by transducers DT5 and DT9 for specimen S3.

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244 Fig. 10 M-Φ curve (recorded by DT5-DT9) for specimen S3

245 According to the curve in the previous figure, the following property characterised the specimen: the

246 moment resistance of the joint Mj,Rd is 74.40 kN·m.

247 The strain gauges welded to the reinforcement bars confirmed the identified failure mechanism. In Fig.

248 11, the curves related to readings supplied by the strain gauges welded to vertical stirrups of the column

249 are shown.

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250
251 Fig. 11 Strain level recorded by rebar strain gauges SGb10-11-12-13
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252 The main cracking pattern in the concrete zone between two studs in pier (transparent area in Fig.

253 12) is shown below.

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Fig. 12 Vertical main cracks in the specimens

254 4 Finite element analysis

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255 An accurate simulation of the response of composite joints should include a three dimensional (3D)

256 analysis, but two-dimensional (2D) models can be used to reduce the computation difficulties

257 associated with large 3D meshes. In the case of a 2D representation, the contribution of uncracked slab

258 generally requires a preliminary 3D elastic analysis, which allows the relevant effective slab width

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259 defined.

260 Due to the complex interaction between main nodal components and their key features, FE joint

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261 models should consider both geometrical and material non-linearity. As far as the material laws for steel

262 components (beam, column, steel connection details, studs and rebars) are concerned, a good

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263 agreement with the actual behaviour is usually provided by the sole uniaxial multilinear stress-strain

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264 relationship, which can be correlated to a more complex and representative loading state via the

265 selection of suitable yielding criteria.

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266 For the slab modelling, concrete constitutive laws provided by general-purpose FE packages are

267 based on a smeared cracked approach, which assumes an equivalent isotropic continuum with
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268 smeared cracks for simulation of the slab after attainment of the concrete tensile resistance. Due to the

269 presence of longitudinal bars in concrete slab, two modelling techniques can be used for simulation of
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270 the slab reinforcements:

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271 1. A discrete rebar approach: rebars are modelled using truss or beam non-linear elements, which

272 satisfy the displacement compatibility with concrete elements;

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273 2. A smeared rebar approach, in which rebar-concrete interaction in tension can be modelled by

274 appropriate modifications of the concrete constitutive relationship.

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275 Moreover, an accurate simulation of interaction (contact/separation) between concrete slab and steel

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beam, as well as steel connection and member (beam and column), requires the use of interface and/or

277 non-linear spring elements, the constitutive non-linear laws of which can be defined in accordance with

278 proposals available in literature.

279 As recommended by Ahmed et al. (1996) and many other authors, for a successful numerical

280 modelling of composite connections, great attention and care must be devoted to:

281 1. Reinforcement in the slab, with a careful representation of bond between concrete and steel;

282 2. Shear studs, considering the slip between upper beam flange and concrete slab deriving from the

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283 percentage of shear interaction provided;

284 3. Steel beams and columns, including eventual buckling phenomena and plasticity.

285 For both low and high load levels, the tensile non-linear behaviour of the concrete also plays a

286 fundamental role in the overall structural response.

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287 In this paper, a finite element model of the full-scale specimen was implemented using the software

288 Atena 2D Ver. 2.02 (Cervenka et al., 2013) to create a tool able to interpret non-linear response of the

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289 connection and role played by different components of the joint. The model was validated against the

290 test results.

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291 Atena is capable of conducting finite element analysis, which considers the nonlinearities deriving

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292 from tensile response of concrete, and of modelling the crack propagation phenomenon. Two models of

293 the specimens were implemented, one global (model A) and one local (model B), considering only the
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294 interaction between horizontal shear studs and concrete pier (Fig. 13).

295 A smeared approach was used to model concrete material properties, such as cracks or stirrup
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296 distribution, with an equivalent uniaxial stress-strain law for concrete in tension and compression

297 (ascending branch: MC90; softening branch: Van Meier, 1986). In model A, a discrete approach was
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298 used to simulate the longitudinal reinforcements, and a smeared approach was used for rebar; while in
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299 model B, the rebar in piers was modelled using a discrete approach. An interface material model based

300 on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion with a tension cut-off was used to simulate the contact between two
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301 materials. After stress exceeds this condition, dry friction between the two materials in contact is

302 simulated.
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303 In model B a fixed connection is applied to the end of the lower flange of one steel beam (Fig. 13),

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while the force is applied to the other. The load history is the same used for the experimental tests

305 considering all the tensile force due to the positive moment absorbed by lower flange of the steel beam.

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Fig. 13 Two finite element models of the specimens

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309 Figs. 14 and 15 show the main cracking pattern and the detachment of steel beam end plate, obtained

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from the FEM analysis and experimental tests. Fig.16 shows the force-horizontal displacement curves.

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Fig. 14 Propagation of main cracks in the specimens (M =74.40 kN·
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Fig. 15 Detachment of the end plates

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316 Fig. 16 Force-horizontal displacement curves

317 5 Discussion
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318 Due to the joints layout used, structural response was mainly influenced by the tensile resistance of

319 pier’s concrete; this is apparently ascribable to the location of headed studs welded to vertical plates
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320 within the concrete column, and to the position of stirrups. In fact: the limited embedment of studs
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321 welded to the vertical steel plates within the concrete column, together with the direct contact between

322 studs and stirrups, had hindered the formation of a “strut and tie” resistance mechanism (Fig. 17).

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323

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325 AN
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328 Fig. 17 Strut and tie model
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329 The beneficial role of the stirrups in connecting two end plates of steel beams through the studs
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330 welded to vertical steel plates started for states of strain not compatible with overall integrity of

331 connection. In order to improve the joint behaviour, a joint update, with stirrups close to the base of the

332 studs, as recommended by Klingner and Mendonca (1982), was also proposed (Fig. 18). Using the

333 previously introduced FE model B (Section 4), the study performed a good response from the

334 connection, with failure due to the shear studs (Fig. 19).

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335
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337 Fig. 18 Joint update

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340 Fig. 19 Force-horizontal displacement curves for solutions A and B

341 6 Conclusions

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342 The following conclusions can be drawn within the limitations of the research presented in this paper:

343 1. The proposed joint seems to be a good solution for beam-to-pier connections in integral abutment

344 bridges. Its construction method aimed to require the smallest number of skilled workers and to

345 minimise the overall construction yard time, for a general limitation of costs. Furthermore, the layout

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346 proposed allows, as much as possible, the reduction of tolerance problems due to the connection

347 between steel and concrete.

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348 2. The experimental tests showed a satisfied joint response under cyclic load conditions, when

349 considering the joint’s use in integral abutment bridges. The joint response was mainly influenced

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350 by the degradation of the concrete in the pier.

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351 3. The role of stirrups in connecting two end plates of the steel beams through studs welded to the

352 vertical steel plates was also investigated. In order to improve the structural behaviour, a joint
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353 update, with stirrups close to the base of the studs, was proposed and analysed using an FE model.

354
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355 Acknowledgments
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356 The authors would like to thank the technical personnel of the IUAV Laboratory of Structures and

357
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Materials for their valuable help in conducting the experimental tests. The help of Metralab and its

358 director Dr. Ezio Giuffre was also appreciated.

359
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360 References
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