Design of RC Slab Bridge

Slab Bridge Cross Section of Slab

Solid slab bridge

Solid slab bridge with

cantilever footpath

Main load bearing member in super

structure of bridge is slab
Voided slab bridge with
Span coverage of slab bridge cantilever footpath
Solid Slab - up to 10 m
Voided Slab – up to 15 m
Prestressed Concrete Slab – up to 25 m

Positive aspects Negative aspects

▪ Increases clearance above the afflux due to the
shallow depth of slab
▪ Gives clean attractive appearance
▪ Has good lateral load distribution characteristics
due to its good torsional stiffness
▪ Requires low maintenance cost
▪ Has heavy self weight for larger span
▪ Economically not effective for large span
of bridge
▪ Can cover small span
 General Arrangements of Deck of Solid Slab
Bridge
Railing
Kerb Wearing
CW Course Drainage
Spout
D
RC Slab
Expansion Joint

RC Slab
D

Tar Paper

Abutment

Approach
Slab
 Design Steps of RCC Solid Slab Bridge

I. Planning and Preliminary Design of Slab Bridge [Ref. IRC 5]

• Select type of slab, railing, wearing coat and materials require.
• Assign depth of slab using deflection control criteria and sizes
of carriageway, footpath/kerb, wearing coat and railing.

Footpath/Kerb Wearing Course h

CW
b

Railing B D Slab

• Width of kerb ≥ 0.225 m from railing

• Depth of kerb/footpath ≥ 0.225 m
• Width of safety kerb (b) ≥ 0.75 m
• Carriage way width (CW) - It depends on number of lanes
= 4.25 m for single lane
= 7.5 m for double lane
• Height of railing (h) ≥ 1.1 m – half width of railing
• Depth of slab (D) is found by deflection control criteria
D = span/15 to span/12 for simple span
= span/25 to span/20 for continuous span
II. Analysis of Deck Slab [Ref. IRC 6 & IRC 21]
• Select live load as per IRC 6 and position live load longitudinally and transversely at
each critical section of slab to get maximum responses and find longitudinal bending
moment, longitudinal shear force and transverse bending moment per unit width of
slab due to live load at each critical sections.

Transverse Positioning of Live

Load to Get Maximum Responses

emax

Maximum eccentric position of vehicle gives maximum longitudinal BM and SF

emin

Minimum eccentric position of vehicle gives maximum transverse BM

 Longitudinal Positioning of Live Load to Get Maximum BM

For Track Loading BM at the considering section will be

maximum when track load is
L2 positioned in such a way so that
x2 x2 = x1 × L2 /L1

x1
L1

For Train/Wheel Loading BM at the considering section will be maximum

when train/wheel load is positioned in such a way
so that the ratio of R1 / L1 and R / L will equal or
just change their signs
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5
R1 / L1 = R / L
or
L1 R1 / L1 > R / L just change in to R1 / L1 < R / L
L
R1 - Resultant of wheel loads lying on the left of the
considering section
R– Resultant of wheel load entered in bridge deck
 Longitudinal Positioning of Live Load to Get Maximum BM

For Track Loading For Train/Wheel Loading

L2 p W1 W2 W3 W4 W5

x1 L1 L1
L

Draw ILD of BM at critical section. Draw ILD of BM at critical section.

Position track load in such a way so Position wheel loads in such a way
that product of the intensity of track so that summation of the product
load and area of ILD occupied by of loads and respective ordinates of
track load (p × A) is maximum. ILD (∑Wy) is maximum.

p – intensity of track load W- magnitude of wheel load

A – area of influence line diagram y- ordinate of ILD under
under track load load
Longitudinal Positioning of Live
Load to Get Maximum SF
Influence line diagram is drawn to
get maximum SF at critical sec.
For Track Loading
due to track and train/wheel
p loading.

SF at any critical section will be

maximum when
l • pA is maximum for track
loading
p – intensity of track load
A – area of influence line diagram
under track load
For Train/Wheel Loading
• ∑Wy is maximum for
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 train/wheel loading
W- magnitude of wheel load
y- ordinate of ILD under load

l
• Compute effective width of slab at each critical section and obtain live load
bending moment and shear force per unit width at these sections.

✓ Strip of slab, which bears the load on the slab is effective width of slab.

✓ Effective width of slab for a concentrated/patch load is calculated by the

following equation.
bef =  a (1-a/l) + b1

Where,
bef - Effective width of slab on which the loads acts
l - Effective span in case of simply supported slab and clear span in case of
continuous slab
a - Distance of center of gravity of load from nearer support
b1 - Width of concentration area of load (b1 = W + 2h )
 - Constant depending upon the ratio l'/l (See table of IRC 21 for value of )
l' - Width of slab
h - Thickness of wearing course
W- Contact width of wheel/track parallel to the width of bridge (Ref. IRC 6)
Effective Width of Slab ✓ Effective width should not
exceed the actual width of
the slab.
bef =  a (1-a/l) + b1
✓ When concentrated load is
close to the unsupported
edge of a slab, the
Abutment Load effective width shall not
a
exceed the above value or
half of the above value
River plus the distance of the
l
load from the unsupported
edge.
b1 = W+2h
✓ When effective widths for
two adjacent loads
overlap, in such cases the
resultant effective width
l΄ will be equal to the sum of
individual widths minus the
Plan of Slab Bridge overlap.
• Compute dead load and find dead load bending moment and shear force per unit
width at critical sections.

wu
Self wt of slab and wearing coat
per unit width of slab
l

Maximum BM at mid span (Mu) = wu l2/8

Maximum shear force at support (Vu) = wu l/2

• Find transverse bending moment (TBM) due to live load and dead load per unit width
of slab. Use codal formula to find TBM. [Refer cl.305.18.1, IRC 21]

Max. TBM = 0.3 of L.L.BM + 0.2 of D.L. BM

III. Design and Detailing of Deck Slab [Ref. IRC 21, IRC 112 & IS 456]

• Check depth of slab ‘d’ and revise if necessary.

Compare with the depth requires for balanced section

dbal = (Mu /Q b)1/2

When d > dbal , slab section is designed as SRUR rectangular section
When d < dbal , slab section is designed as DR rectangular section
Normally slab is designed as SRURS

• Find longitudinal reinforcement ‘Ast’for maximum longitudinal bending moment.

Find area of steel of longitudinal bars Ast, diameter of bars and their spacing
Ast = Mu / 0.87fy(d - 0.416xu) for SRURS
Ast ≥ Ast,min = 0.12% of gross sectional area of slab

• Find transverse reinforcement for maximum TBM

Find area of steel of longitudinal bars Ast, diameter of bars and their spacing
Ast = Max. TBM / 0.87fy(dtr - 0.416xu)
Ast ≥ Ast,min = 0.12% of gross sectional area of slab
• Check slab for shear

Depth of slab is checked for shear

Compare τuv with τuc
When τuv ≤ τuc shear reinforcement is not required

Normally shear reinforcement is not provided in slab

• Check Deck Slab for Deflection

𝒍
≤ 𝜶𝜷𝜸𝜹𝝀
𝒅
Or
Δ max ≤ Δ max
• Design kerb/foot path as a beam for edge stiffening

Edge stiffening beam is designed for its self weight, dead and live load on it and
horizontal load of 7.5 KN/m at top of kerb/footpath.

Find diameter and numbers of longitudinal bars of beam for maximum BM

and diameter and spacing of vertical stirrups for maximum SF and
horizontal load

• Carryout detailing of reinforcement

✓ Check anchorage length of main bars at support

✓ Curtail main bars if necessary
✓ Provide temperature steel at top of slab as per codal provision

Provide 250 mm2 area of steel bars per unit meter in both direction of
slab or minimum area of steel bars as temperature bars
 Reinforcement of Slab Bridge

Vertical stirrups
of edge stiffening beam Temperature reinforcement

Side face
reinforcement Transverse reinforcement
Bars of edge Longitudinal reinforcement
stiffening beam
Design Problem
Design a Slab Bridge to meet the following requirements
➢ Bridge clear span – 6m
➢ Bearing width of slab – 400 mm
➢ Carriage way – Two lane
➢ Safety kerb on either side of bridge
➢ Wearing coat – Asphalt concrete

• Select type of slab, railing, wearing coat and materials require.

• Assign depth of slab using deflection control criteria and sizes of
carriageway, footpath/kerb, wearing coat and railing
• Position live load longitudinally and transversely at each critical section
of slab to get maximum responses and find longitudinal bending
moment, longitudinal shear force and transverse bending moment per
unit width of slab due to live load at each critical sections.
• Compute effective width of slab at each critical section and obtain live
load bending moment and shear force per unit width at these sections.
• Compute dead load and find dead load bending moment and shear
force per unit width at critical sections.
• Find transverse bending moment (TBM) due to live load and dead load
per unit width of slab. Use codal formula to find TBM.
• Design slab and carryout detailing of reinforcement.
• Analyze and design edge beam of slab
Planning and Preliminary
Design of Slab Bridge

✓ Carriage way – 7.5 m

Cross Section of Bridge
✓ Width of footpath – 1 m
✓ Height of footpath – 0.3 m
✓ Thickness of W.C. – 0.05 m at edge
0.11 m at crown
✓ Height of railing – 1.1 m
✓ Size of railing post – 0.225 m × 0.225 m
✓ Spacing of railing post - 1.6 m
✓ Heavy steel pipe of dia. 48.3 mm
✓ Thickness slab - 0.55 m
✓ Camber of W.C. – 2.5 %

Longitudinal Section of Bridge