Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jean M. Muller
Chairman of the Board
Figg and Muller Engineers, Inc.
1982
A Wiley-Interscience Publication
vii
Preface
original: Although acknowledgment of all the graphs, tables, and other data. Wherever possible,
many.source$&. not possible, full credit is given credit is given in the text.
wherever the specific so;rce can be identified.
Every effort has been. made to eliminate errors; WALTER PODOLNY, JK.
the authors will appreciate notification from the JEAN M. MUILEK
reader ‘of any that remain.
The authors are indebted to numerous publica- Burke, Virginia
Par%, Francr
tions, o rganizatio ns, and individuals for their
assistance and permission to reproduce photo- Jarmar? 1982
Contents
ix
X
1
Prestressed zyxw
Concrete Stidges ad Segmental Constrt4ction
ing equipment, Figure 1.2, while prestressing the segmental concept to further its field of appli-
achieves the assembly and provides the structural cation.
strength.
Most early segmental bridges were built as can-
1.2 Development of Cantilever Construction
tilevers, where construction proceeds in a symmet-
rical fashion from the bridge piers in successive in-
The idea of cantilever construction is ancient in the
crements to complete each span and finally the
Orient. Shogun’s Bridge located in the city of
entire superstructure, Figure 1.3. Later, other con-
Nikko, Japan, is the earliest recorded cantilever
struction methods appeared in conjunction with
bridge and dates back to the fourth century. The
--. ,% --------------- ______ Wandipore Bridge, Figure 1.4, was built in the
Llzcr---- /.#------ /------ seventeenth century in Bhutan, between India and
-77 --l-r Tibet. It is constructed from great timbers that
are corbeled out toward each other from mas-
sive abutments and the narrowed interval finally
------------
--- .-------
capped with a light beam.’
3-r
This application has evolved over many years by steel, they lost their properties because of the creep
the successive development of many concepts and and shrinkage of the concrete. In order to recover
innovations. In order to see how the present state some of the losses, the possibility of retightening
of the art has been reached, let us briefly trace the the reinforcing rods after some shrinkage and
development of prestressed concrete and in par- creep o f the c o nc rete had taken p lac e w as
ticular its application to bridge construction. suggested in 1908 by C. R. Steiner of the United
States. Steiner proposed that the bond of em-
bedded steel bars be destroyed by lightly tension-
1.3 Evolution of Prestressed Concrete ing the bars while the concrete was still young and
then tensioning them to a higher stress when the
The invention of reinforced concrete stirred the concrete had hardened. Steiner was also the first to
imagination of engineers in many countries. They suggest the use of curved tendons.
envisioned that a tremendous advantage could be In 1925, R. E. Dill of Nebraska took a further
achieved, if the steel could be tensioned to put the step toward freeing concrete beams of any tensile
structure in a permanent state of compression stresses by tensioning high-tensile steel wires after
greater than any tensile stresses generated by the the concrete had hardened. Bonding was to be
applied loads. The present state of the art of pre- prevented by suitably coating the wires. He
stressed concrete has evolved from the effort and explicitly mentioned the advantage of using steel
experience of many engineers and scientists over with a high elastic limit and high strength as com-
the past ninety years. However, the concept of pre- pared to ordinary reinforcing bars.
stressing is centuries old. Swiss investigators have In 1928, E. Freyssinet of France, who is credited
show n that as early as 2700 B . C . the ancient Egyp- with the modern development of prestressed con-
tians prestressed their seagoing vessels longitudi- crete, started using high-strength steel wires for
nally. This has been determined from pictorial prestressing. Although Freyssinet also tried the
representations found in Fifth Dynasty tombs. method of pretensioning, where the steel was
The basic principle of prestressing was used in bonded to the concrete without end anchorages,
the craft of cooperage when the cooper wound the first practical application of this method was
ropes or metal bands around wooden staves to made by E. Hoyer about 1938. Wide application of
form barrels.3 When the bands were tightened, the prestressing technique was not possible until
they were under tensile prestress, which created reliable and economical methods of tensioning and
compression between the staves and enabled them end anchorage were devised. From approximately
to resist hoop tension produced by internal liquid 1939 on, E. Freyssinet, Magnel, and others de-
pressure. In other words, the bands and staves veloped different methods and procedures. Pre-
were both prestressed before they were subjected stress began to gain some importance about 1945,
to any service loads. The wooden cartwheel with its while alternative prestressing methods were being
shrunk-on iron rim is another example of pre- devised by engineers in various countries.
stressed construction. During the past thirty years, prestressed con-
The first attempt to introduce internal stresses in crete in the United States has grown from a
reinforced concrete members by tensioning the brand-new idea into an accepted method of con-
steel reinforcement was made about 1886 when crete construction. This growth, a result of a new
P. H. Jackson, an engineer in San Francisco, obtained application of existing materials and theories, is in
a United States patent for tightening steel rods in itself phenomenal. In Europe the shortage of ma-
concrete members serving as floor slabs. In l&S, terials and the enforced economies in construction
C. E. W. DGhring of Berlin secured a patent for the gave prestressed concrete a substantial start. De-
manufacture of slabs, battens, and small beams for velopment in the United States, however, was
structural engineering purposes by embedding slower to get underway. Designers and contractors
tensioned wire in concrete in order to reduce hesitated mainly because of their lack of experi-
cracking. This was the first attempt to provide pre- ence and a reluctance to abandon more familiar
cast concrete units with a tensioned reinforcement. methods of construction. Contractors, therefore,
Several structures were constructed using these bid the first prestressed concrete work conserva-
concepts; however, only mild steel reinforcement tively. Moreover, the equipment available for pre-
was available at the time. These structures at first stressing and related techniques was essentially
behaved according to predictions, but because so new and makeshift. However, experience was
little prestress force could be induced in the mild gained rapidly, the quality of the work improved,
Evolution of Prestressed Concrete Bridges 5
I
18'4'
(b)
I
I
zyxwvu
FIGURE 1.14. Lake Pontchartrain Bridge, U.S.A. (a) Longitudinal section. (b) Trans-
v erse sectio n.
7
-
8 bestressed Concrete Bridges and Segmental Construction
STANMRD 4-SPAN INTERSTATE CROSSING trated, where possible, to emphasize the particular
I design concepts.
The design study illustrated in Figure 1.16 uses
cast-in-place or precast end-span sections and a
two-span unit with AASHTO I girders.6 Narrow
median piers are maintained in this design, but the
abutments are extended into the spans by as much
as 40 ft (12 m) using a precast or cast-in-place
frame in lieu of a closed or gravity abutment.
177’
When site conditions warrant, an attractive type of
tg 250’ bridge can be built with extended abutments.
FIGURE 1.15. Standard four-span interstate crossing A similar span-reducing concept is developed in
(courtesv of the Portland Cement Association). Figure 1.17, using either reinforced or prestressed
concrete for cantilever abutments. An aesthetic
longer spans in the range of 300 ft (91.5 m) or abutment design in reinforced concrete was de-
longer may be required, and there is a very distinct veloped for a grade-separation structure on the
trend toward longer-span bridges. It soon became Trans-Canada Highway near Drummondville in
apparent that the conventional precast preten- the Province of Quebec, Figure 1.18. This pro-
sioned AASHTO-PC1 girders were limited by their vided a 324 ft (9.9 m) span reduction that led to the
transportable length and weight. Transportation use of type IV Standard AASHTO I girders to
over the highways limits the precast girder to a span 974 ft (29.7 m) to a simple, narrow median
length of 100 to 120 ft (30.5 to 36.6), depending pier.
upon local regulations. A cast-in-place reinforced concrete frame with
outward-sloping legs provides a stable, center sup-
porting structure that reduces span length by 29 ft
I .5 Long-Span Bridges with Conventional (8.8 m), Figure 1.19. This enables either standard
Precast Girders box sections or I sections 84 ft (25.6 m) long to be
used in the tw o main spans. This layout w as used
As a result of longer span requirements a study was for the Hobbema Bridge in Alberta, B.C., Canada,
conducted by the Prestressed Concrete Institute shown in Figure 1.20. This bridge was built with
(PCI) in cooperation with the Portland Cement As- precast channel girder sections, but could be built
sociation (PCA).S This study proposed that simple with AASHTO I girders or box sections. The me-
spans up to 140 ft (42.7 m) and continuous spans dian frame w ith inclined legs w as cast in place.
up to 160 ft (48.8 m) be constructed of standard The schematic and photograph in Figures 1.21
precast girders up to 80 ft (24 m) in length joined and 1.22 show the Ardrossan Overpass in Alberta.
by splicing. To obtain longer spans the use of in- It is similar to the Hobbema Bridge except that the
clined or haunched piers was proposed. spans are longer and, with the exception of a
The follow ing discussion and illustrations are cast-in-place footing, the median frame is made up
based on the grade-separation studies conducted of precast units post-tensioned together, Figure
by PC1 and PCA. Actual structures will be illus- 1.21. The finished bridge, Figure 1.23, has a
zyxwvutsr
Carl-in-place Froma
SECTION A -A
r;
I t s’-0 ” I S ’-0 ”
T Y P E lx
A A S H O OlROt
OI ROER
R
SECTION
ELEV AT I ON
S E C T I O N S A -A
ELE V A T I O N
81p-40
AASHO-PCI
BOX SECTION 3’-6” 6’-6* zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXW
b’-6”
& X -I ON S A - A
FIGURE 1.21. Median frame precast (courtesy of the Prestressed Cot xrete
Institute, from ref. 6).
Segmental Construction
width and can become rather long in the lon- in Europe.s Since then the concept has spread
gitudinal direction of the bridge, depending on the throughout the world.’
construction system utilized. Precast segmental construction also was evolving
Eugene Freyssinet, in 1945 to 1948, w as the first during this period. In 1952 a single-span county
to use precast segmental construction for pre- bridge near Sheldon, New York, was designed by
stressed concrete bridges. A bridge at Luzancy the Freyssinet Company. Although this bridge was
over the Marne River about 30 miles east of Paris, constructed of longitudinal rather than the Euro-
Figure 1.27, was followed by a group of five precast pean transverse segments, it represents the first
bridges over that river. Shortly thereafter, Ulrich practical application of match casting. The bridge
Finsterwalder applied cast-in-place segmental pre- girders were divided into three longitudinal seg-
stressed construction in a balanced cantilever ments that were cast end-to-end. The center seg-
fashion to a bridge crossing the Lahn River at Bal- ment was cast first and then the end segments were
duinstein, Germany. This system of cantilever cast directly against it. Keys were cast at the joints
segmental construction rapidly gained wide ac- so that the three precast elements could be joined
ceptance in Germany, after construction of a at the site in the same position they hid in the pre-
bridge crossing the Rhine at Worms in 1952, as casting yard. Upon shipment to the job site the
shown in Figure 1.28,s w ith three spans of 330, three elements of a girder were post-tensioned to-
371, and 340 ft (100, 113, and 104 m). More than gether with cold joints. l”,ll
300 such structures, w ith spans in excess of 250 ft The first major application of match-cast, pre-
(76 m), were constructed between 1950 and 1965 cast segmental construction was not consummated
SECflON A-A
FIGURE 1.24. Field spike for continuity (courtesy of the Prestressed Con-
crete Institute, from ref. 6).
12 Prestressed Concrete Bridges and Segmental Construction
1. The ultimate use of the bridge-that is, high-
w ay o r railway structure or combination
thereof. Although many problems are com-
mon to these two categories, the considerable
increase of live loading in a railway bridge
poses special problems that call for specific so-
lutions.
2. The ty p e o f structure in term s o f statical
scheme and shape of the main bending mem-
bers. Many segmental bridges are box girder
bridges, but other types such as arches or
cable-stayed bridges show a wide variety in
FIGURE 1.25. Sebastian Inlet Bridge (courtesy of the shape of the supporting members.
Po rtland Cement A ssociation). 3. The use of cast-in-place or precast segments or
a combination thereof.
until 1962. This structure, designed by Jean Muller 4. The method of construction.
and built by Entreprises Campenon Bernard, was
the Choisy-le-Roi Bridge over the Seine River The sections that follow will deal briefly with the
south of Paris, Figure 1.29. This concept has been last three classifications.
refined and has spread from France to all parts of
the world.
The technology of cast-in-place or precast seg- 1.7 Various Types of Structures
mental bridges has advanced rapidly in the last
decade. During its initial phase the balanced From the point of view of their statical scheme,
cantilever method of construction was used. Cur- there are essentially five categories of structures:
rently, other techniques such as span-by-span, in- (1) girders, (2) trusses, (3) rigid frames, (4) arch
cremental launching, or progressive placement frames, and (5) cable-stayed bridges.
also are available. Any of these construction
methods may call on either cast-in-place or precast 1.7.1 GIRDER BRIDGES
segments or a combination of both. Consequently,
a variety of design concepts and construction Box girders in the majority of cases are the most
methods are now available to economically pro- efficient and economical design for a bridge. When
duce segmental bridges for almost any site condi- constructed in balanced cantilever, box girder
tion. decks were initially made integral with the piers
Segmental bridges may be classified broadly by w hile a special expansion joint w as provided at the
four criteria: center of each span (or every other span) to allow
Conventional
\zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
Section A-A
FIGURE 1.26. Sebastian Inlet Bridge (courtesy of the Prestressed Concrete In-
stitute, from ref. 6).
Various Types of Structures 13
CF
6lb’
E N D PIEI
1 7 6 ’-0 ’
f-
1
zyxwvutsrqpo
M AI N PIER
I_ 176’-0“ I
L /J I
\ 12% ._ 12/-O”
FIGURE 1.30. Koror-Babelthuap Bridge, elevation and cross section (ref. 12).
14 Prestressed Concrete Bridges and Segmental Construction
Longitudmal section
r 1
G-r-r
IF-4
FIGURE 1.31. The Great Belt Project.
FIGURE 1.33. R-3 Viaciuc t\. FI ‘111~ e.
1.7.2 TRUSSES
FIGURE 1.32. Saint Cloud Bridge, France. FIGURE 1.35. Rip Bridge, BI ishne, Xu\tl nli,l
Vario us Ty pes of St ruct ures 15
Provisional back stays or a temporary pier are 1.7.4 CONCRETE ARCH BRIDGES
needed to permit construction in cantilever, Figure
1.36. This requirement may sometimes present Concrete arches are an economical way to transfer
difficulty. An interesting example of such a scheme loads to the ground where foundation conditions
is the Bonhomme Bridge over the Blavet River in are adequate to resist horizontal loads. Eugene
France, Figure 1.37. Freyssinet prepared a design for a 1000 meter
The scheme is a transition between the box (3280 ft) clear span 40 years ago. Because of con-
girder with vertical piers and the true arch, where struction difficulties, however, the maximum span
the load is carried by the arch ribs along the pres- built to date (1979) has been no more than 1000 ft
sure line with minimum bending while the deck is (300 m). Construction on falsework is made
supported by spandrel columns. difficult and risky by the effect of strong winds
during construction.
The first outstanding concrete arch was built at
Plougastel by Freyssinet in 1928 with three 600 ft
(183 m) spans, Figure 1.38. Real progress was
achieved only when free cantilever and provisional
stay methods were applied to arch construction,
Figure 1.39. The world record is presently the Kirk
Bridge in Yugoslavia, built in cantilever and com-
I
m
FIGURE 1.39. Concrete arches. dr
tially the same final structure. The choice depends though the weight and cost of the travelers are di-
on local conditions, including size of the project, rectly proportional to the weight of the heaviest
time allowed for construction, restrictions on ac- segment.
cess and environment, and the equipment available 4. Environment Restrictions Both precast and
to the successful contractor. Some items of interest cast-in-place segmental permit all work to be per-
are listed below: formed from the top. Precast, however, adjusts
more easily to restrictions such as allowing work to
1. Speed of Construction Basically, cast-in-place proceed over traffic or allowing access of workmen
cantilever construction proceeds at the rate of one and materials to the various piers.
pair of segments 10 to 20 ft (3 to 6 m) long ever)
four to seven days. On the average, one pair of
travelers permits the completion of 150 ft (46 m) of 1.9 Various Methods of Construction
b rid g e d ec k p er m o nth, exc lu d ing the transf er
from pier to pier and fabrication of the pier table. Probably the most significant classification of seg-
On the other hand, precast segmental construction mental bridges is by method of construction .41-
allows a considerably faster erection schedule. though construction methods may be as varied as
the ingenuity of the designers and contractors,
a. For the Oleron Viaduct, the average speed of
they fall into four basic categories: (1) balanced
completion of the deck was 750 ft (228 m) per month
cantilever, (2) span-by-span construction, (3) pro-
for more than a year.
g ressiv e p lac em ent c o nstru c tio n, and (4) incre-
b . Fo r b o th the B- 3 V iad u c ts in Paris and the
mental launching or push-out construction.
Long Key Bridge in Florida, a typical 100 to 150 ft
(30 to 45 m) span was erected in two working days,
1.9.1 CAST-I.\‘-PL4CE BAL,-I,VCED C.4.iTILEC’ER
representing a construction of 1300 ft (400 m) of-
finished bridge per month,
The balanced or free cantilever construction con-
c. Saint Cloud Bridge near Paris, despite the ex- cept w as o rig inally d ev elo p ed to elim inate
c ep tio nal d iffic ulty o f its g eo m etry and d esig n falsework. Temporary shoring not only is expen-
scheme, was constructed in exactly one year, its sive but can be a hazard in the case of sudden
total area amounting to 250,000 sq ft (23,600 sq floods, as confirmed by many failures. Over naviga-
m). ble waterways or traveled highways or railways,
It is evident, then, that cast-in-place cantilever con- falsework is either not allowed or severely re-
struction is basically a slow process, while precast stricted.’ Cantilever construction, whether cast in
segmental with matching joints is among the fas- place or precast, eliminates such difficulties: con-
test. struction may proceed from the permanent piers,
2. Investment in Special Equipment Here the and the structure is self-supporting at all stages.
situation is usually reversed. Cast-in-place requires The basic principle of the method was outlined in
usually a lower investment, which makes it com- Section 1.1 (Figure 1.3).
petitive on short structures with long spans [for In cast-in-p lace co nstructio n the formw ork is
exam p le, a ty p ic al three- sp an stru c tu re w ith a supported from a movable form carrier, Figure
center span in excess of approximately 350 ft (100 1.1. Details of the form travelers are shown in Fig-
Ml. ure 1.43. The form traveler moves forward on rails
In long, repetitive structures precast segmental attached to the deck of the completed structure
may be more economical than cast-in-place. For and is anchored to the deck at the rear. With the
the Chillon Viaducts with twin structures 7000 ft form traveler in place, a new segment is formed,
(2 134 m) long in a difficult environment, a detailed cast, and stressed to the previously constructed
c o m p arativ e estim ate sho w ed the c ast-in-p lac e segment. In some instances a covering may be pro-
method to be 10% more expensive than the pre- vided on the form carrier so that work may pro-
cast. ceed during inclement weather, Figure 1.44.
3. Size and Weight of Segments Precast seg- The o p eratio n seq uenc e in c ast-in-p lac e b al-
mental is limited by the capacity of transportation anced cantilever construction is as follows:
and placing equipment. Segments exceeding 250
tons are seldom economical. Cast-in-place con- 1. Setting up and adjusting carrier.
struction does not have the same limitation, al- 2. Setting up and aligning forms.
Various Methods of Construction
CENTERJACK
FORM TRAVELLER
8,i-J?i,!
,. -Lu ! I
ADDITIONAL i-HUN I AL
WORKING PLATFORM
3. Placing reinforcement and tendon ducts. construction time for a full cycle below two work-
4. Concreting. ing days, and this only for a very simple structure
5. Inserting prestress tendons in the segment and with constant cross section and a moderate amount
stressing. of reinforcing and prestress. For a structure with
variable depth and longer spans, say above 250 ft
6. Removing the formwork.
(75 m), the typical cycle is more realistically three to
7. Moving the form carrier to the next position four working days.
and starting a new cycle. Where a long viaduct type structure is to be con-
structed of cast-in-place segments, an auxiliary
Initially, the normal construction time for a
steel girder may be used to support the formwork,
segment was one week per formwork unit. Ad-
Figure 1.45, as on the Siegtal Bridge. This equip-
vances in precast segmental construction have been
applied recently to the cast-in-place method in
order to reduce the cycle of operations and in-
crease the efficiency of the travelers. With today’s
technology it does not seem possible to reduce the
FIGURE 1.44. Bendorf Bridge form traveler (cour- FIGURE 1.45. Siegtal Bridge, use of an auxiliary truss
tesy of Dyckerhoff & Widmann). in cast-in-place construction.
20 Prestressed Concrete Bridges and Segmental Construction
ment may also be used to stabilize the free-standing one abutment to minimize the number of handling
pier by the anchoring of the auxiliary steel girder operations, Figure 1.47.
to the completed portion of the structure. Nor- 2. Beam and W inch Method If access by land or
mally, in construction using the form traveler pre- water is available under the bridge deck, or at least
viously described, a portion of the end spans (near around all permanent piers, segments may be
the abutments) must be cast on falsework. If the lifted into place by hoists secured atop the previ-
auxiliary steel girder is used, this operation may be ously placed segments, Figure 1.48. At first this
eliminated. As soon as a double typical cantilever is method did not permit the installation of precast
completed, the auxiliary steel girder is advanced to pier segments upon the bridge piers, but it has
the next pier. Obviously, the economic justification been improved to solve this problem, as will be ex-
for use of an auxiliary steel girder is a function of plained later.
the number of spans and the span length. 3. Launching There are essentially
Gantries
two families of launching gantries, the details of
I-9.2. PRECAST BALANCED CANTILEVER which will be discussed in a later chapter. Here we
briefly outline their use.
For the first precast segmental bridges in Paris
(Choisy-le-Roi, Courbevoie, and so on, 1961 to In the first family developed for the Oleron Via-
1965) a floating crane was used to transfer the pre- duct, Figures 1.49 and 1.50, the launching gantry
cast segments from the casting yard to the barges is slightly more than the typical span length, and
that transported them to the project site and was the gantry’s rear support reaction is applied near
used again to place the segments in the structure. the far end of the last completed cantilever. All
The concept of self-operating launching gantries segments are brought onto the finished deck and
was developed shortly thereafter for the construc- placed by the launching gantry in balanced can-
tion of the Oleron Viaduct (1964 to 1966). Further tilever; after completion of a cantilever, after
refined and extended in its potential, this concept placing the precast segment over the new pier, the
has been used in many large structures. launching gantry launches itself to the next span to
The erection options available can be adapted to start a new cycle of operations.
almost all construction sites. In the second family, developed for the De-
venter Bridge in Holland and for the Rio Niteroi
1. Crane Placing Truck or crawler cranes are Bridge in Brazil, the launching gantry has a length
used on land where feasible; floating cranes may approximately twice the typical span, and the reac-
be used for a bridge over navigable water, Figure tion of the legs is always applied above the perma-
1.46. Where site conditions allow, a portal crane nent concrete piers, Figures 1.51 and 1.52.
may be used on the full length of the deck, prefer- Placing segments w ith a launching gantry is now
ably with a casting yard aligned with the deck near in most cases the most elegant and efficient
method, allowing the least disturbance to the envi-
ronment.
COUPE TRANSVERSALE
tion, span by span, by means of a form traveler, the field. The form traveler may be supported on
Figure 1.53, with construction joints or hinges lo- the piers, or from the edge of the previously com-
cated at the point of contraflexure. The form car- pleted construction, at the joint location, and at the
rier in effect provides a type of factory operation forward pier. In some instances, as in the ap-
transplanted to the job site. It has many of the ad- proaches of Rheinbrticke, Dusseldorf-Flehe, the
: . . movable formwork may be supported from the
ground, Figure 1.54. The form traveler consists of
a steel superstructure, which is moved from the
completed portion of the structure to the next span
to be cast. Fo r an abo v e-d eck carrier, larg e
formwork elements are suspended from steel rods
during concreting. After concreting and post-ten-
sioning, the forms are released and rolled forward
by means of the structural steel outriggers on both
sides of the form traveler’s superstructure. For a
below-deck carrier, a similar procedure is followed.
Many long bridges of this type have been built in
Germany, France, and other countries. Typical
c o nstru c tio n tim e fo r a 100 ft (30 m ) sp an
superstructure is five to eight working days, de-
pending upon the complexity of the structure.
Deck configuration for this type of construction is
usually a monolithic slab and girder (T beam or
double T), box girder, or a mushroom cross sec-
22 Prestressed Concrete Bridges and Segmental Construction
J-I
5 2 .0 0 m 170f t zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
54 .OOm _ 180 f t
10 6 . 0 0 Ill 3 5 0 ff
zyxwvutsrq
span. Prestressing tendons then assure the assem-
bly of the various segments in one span while
J 10 6 . 0 0 Il l 3 5 0 ft I
achieving full continuity with the preceding span,
Figures 1.55 and 1.56. The floating crane used to
Cc)
FIGURE 1.50. Placing precast segments on the Ole- FIGURE 1.52. Rio Niteroi launching girder.
ron Viaduct.
i of Construction 23
The progressive placement method may also be Segments of the bridge superstructure are cast
applied to cast-in-place construction. in place in lengths of 30 to 100 ft ( 10 to 30 m) in
stationary forms located behind the abutment(s),
1.9.5. INCREM ENTAL LAUNCHING OR PUSH-OUT Figure 1.59. Each unit is cast directly against the
C O N STR U C TI O N previous unit. After sufficient concrete strength is
reached, the new unit is post-tensioned to the pre-
This concept was first implemented on the Rio Ca- vious one. The assembly of units is pushed forward
roni Bridge in Venezuela, built in 1962 and 1963 in a stepwise manner to permit casting of the suc-
by its originators, Willi Baur and D r. Fritz ceeding segments, Figure 1.60. Normally a work
Leonhardt of the consulting firm of Leonhardt cycle of one week is required to cast and launch a
and Andra (Stuttgart, Germany).” segment, regardless of its length. Operations are
Various Methods of Construction 25
deck in the forward part of the superstructure. ft (1035 m). The incremental launching technique
A system using a tower and provisional stays is was used successfully for the first time in the
attached to the front part of the superstruc- United States for the construction of the Wabash
ture. The tension of the stays and the corre- River Bridge at Covington, Indiana.
sponding reaction of the tower on the deck are
automatically and continuously controlled
during all launching operations to optimize the 1 .I 0 Applications of Segmental Construction
stress distribution in the deck, Figure 1.63. in the United States
After launching is complete, and the opposite The state of the art of designing and constructing
abutment has been reached, additional prestress- prestressed concrete segmental bridges has ad-
ing is added to accommodate moments in the final vanced greatly in recent years. A wide variety of
structure, while the original uniform prestress structural concepts and prestressing methods are
must resist the varying moments that occur as the used, and at least a thousand segmental bridges
superstructure is pushed over the piers to its final have been built throughout the world. We may
position. conclude that segmental prestressed concrete con-
Today, the longest incrementally launched clear struction is a viable method for building highway
span is over the River Danube near Worth, Ger- bridges. There are currently no known major
many, with a maximum span length of 550 ft (168 problems that should inhibit utilization of seg-
m). Two temporary piers were used in the river for mental prestressed concrete bridges in the United
launching. The longest bridge of this type is the States. They have been successfully consummated
Olifant’s River railway viaduct in South Africa with in other countries and are increasingly being em-
23 spans of 147 ft (45 m) and a total length of 3400 ployed in the United States.
Applications of Segmental Construction in the United States 27
fbJ
Cd)
with spans of 270, 340, 450, 380, and 276 ft (82.3, 1 .I 1 Applicability and Advantages of Segmental
103.6, 137.2, 115.8, and 84.1 m). Construction
As indicated previously, numerous segmental
bridge projects have been constructed or are con- Segmental construction has extended the practical
templated in the United States. Many of them will range of span lengths for concrete bridges. Practi-
be discussed in detail in the following chapters. cal considerations of handling and shipping limit
Among the most significant are the Houston Ship the prestressed I-girder type of bridge construc-
Channel Bridge with a clear span of 750 ft (228 m), tion to spans of about 120 to 150 ft (37 to 46 m).
which will be the longest concrete span in the Beyond this range, post-tensioned cast-in-place
Americas, Figure 1.67, and the Seven Mile Bridge, box girders on falsework are the only viable con-
which will be the longest segmental bridge in crete alternative. At many sites, however, falsework
North America, Figure 1.68. is not practical or even feasible, as when crossing
deep ravines or large navigable waterways.
Falsework construction also has a serious impact
upon environment and ecology.
Prestressed concrete segmental construction has
been developed to solve these problems while ex-
tending the practical span of concrete bridges to
about 800 ft (250 m) or even 1000 ft (300 m). With
cable-stayed structures the span range can be ex-
tended to 1300 ft (400 m) and perhaps longer with
the materials available today.13 Table 1.1 sum-
marizes the range of application of various forms
of construction by span lengths.
Although the design and construction of very-
long-span concrete segmental structures pose an
FIGURE 1.68. Rendering of’ Seven Mile Bridge. important challenge, segmental techniques may
Applicability and Advantages of Segmental Construction 29
Sp a n Brid ge Types
o- 150 ft I-type pretensioned girder
loo- 300 ft Cast-in-place post-tensioned box girder
loo- 300 ft Precast balanced cantilever segmental, constant depth
250- 600 ft Precast balanced cantilever segmental, variable depth
200- 1000 ft Cast-in-place cantilever segmental
800-1500 ft Cable-stay with balanced cantilever segmental
“1 fi = 0.3048 tn.
find even more important applications in moderate cates how precast segments may be handled while
span lengths and less spectacular structures. Espe- traffic is maintained with a minimum disturbance.
cially in difficult urban areas or ecology-sensitive 6. Segmental construction contributes toward
sites, segmental structures have proven to be a val- aesthetically pleasing structures in many different
uable asset. sites. A long approach viaduct (Brotonne, Figure
Today most sites for new bridges can be adapted 1.70), a curved bridge over a river (Saint Cloud,
for segmental concrete construction. The principal Figure 1.7 l), or an impressive viaduct over a deep
advantages of segmental construction may be valley (Pine Valley, Figure 1.66) are some examples
summarized as follows: where nature accepts human endeavor in spite of
its imperfections.
1. Segmental construction is an efficient and 7. Materials and labor are usually available lo-
economical method for a large range of span cally for segmental construction. The overall labor
lengths and types of structure. Structures with requirement is less than for conventional con-
sharp curves and variable superelevation may be struction methods. For the precast option a major
easily accommodated. part of the work force on site is replaced by plant
2. Concrete segmental construction often pro- labo r.
vides for the lowest investment cost. Savings of 10 8. As a consequence, quality control is easier to
to 20% over conventional methods have been perform and high-quality work may be expected.
realized by competitive bidding on alternate de- 9. Segmental bridges when properly designed
signs or by realistic cost comparisons.
and when constructed by competent contractors
3. Segmental construction permits a reduction under proper supervision will prove to be practi-
of construction time. This is particularly true for cally free of maintenance for many years. Only
precast methods, where segments may be man- bearings and expansion joints (usually very few for
ufactured while substructure work proceeds and continuous decks) need to be controlled at regular
be assembled rapidly thereafter. Further cost sav- intervals.
ings ensue from the lessening of the influence of
inflation on total construction costs.
4. Segmental construction protects the envi-
ronment. Segmental viaduct-type bridges can
minimize the impact of highway construction
through environmentally sensitive areas. Whereas
conventional cut-and-fill type highway construc-
tion can scar the environment and impede wildlife
migration, an elevated viaduct-type structure re-
quires only a relatively narrow path along the
alignment to provide access for pier construction.
Once the piers have been constructed, all con-
struction activity proceeds from above. Thus, the
impact on the environment is minimized.
5. Interference with existing traffic during
construction is significantly reduced, and expen- FIGURE 1.69. Saint Cloud Bridge, segments placed
sive detours can be eliminated. Figure 1.69 indi- over traffic.
30 Prestressed Concrete Bridges and Segmental Construction
6. Anon., “Long Spans with Standard Bridge Girders,”
PC1 Bridge Bulletin, March-April 1967, Prestressed
Concrete Institute, Chicago.
7. “Recommended Practice for Segmental Construc-
tion in Prestressed Concrete,” Report by PC1 Com-
mittee on Segmental Construction, Journal of the
Prestressed Concrete Instztute, Vol. 20, No. 2, March-
April 1975.
8. Ulrich Finsterwalder, “Prestressed Concrete Bridge
Construction,” Journal oj the Amerzcan Concrete Instz-
tute, Vol. 62, No. 9, September 1965.
9. F. Leonhardt, “Long Span Prestressed Concrete
FIGURE 1.70. Brotonne Bridge approach.
Bridges in Europe,” Journal of the Pre.,tressed Concrete
Institute, Vol. 10, No. 1, February 1965.
10. During construction, the technique shows
10. Jean Muller, “Long-Span Precast Prestressed Con-
an exceptionally high record of safety. crete Bridges Built in Cantilever,” Fzrst International
Symposium, Concrete Bridge Design, AC1 P u b l i c a t i o n
Precast segmental construction today is compet- SP-23, Paper 23-40, American Concrete Institute,
itive in a wide range of applications with other Detroit, 1969.
materials and construction methods, while it adds a 11. Jean Muller, “Ten Years of Experience in Precast
further refinement to the recognized advantages Segmental Construction,” Journal of the Prestressed
of prestressed concrete. Concrete Instatute, Vol. 20, No. 1, January-February
1975.
12. Man-Chung Tang, “Koror-Babelthuap Bridge-A
World Record Span,” Preprint Paper 3441, ASCE
Convention, Chicago, October 16-20, 1978.
13. C. A. Ballinger, W. Podolny, Jr., and M. J. Ab-
rahams, “A Report on the Design and Construction
of Segmental Prestressed Concrete Bridges in West-
ern Europe- 1977,” International Road Federa-
tion, Washington, D.C., June 1978. (Also available
from Federal Highway Administration, Offices of
Research and Development, Washington, D.C., Re-
port No. FHWA-RD-78-44.)
14. Ulrich Finsterwalder, “New Developments in Pre-
stressing Methods and Concrete Bridge Construc-
tion,” Dywzdag-Berzchte, 4-1967, September 1967,
Dyckerhoff & Widmann KG, Munich, Germany.
FIGURE 1.71. Saint C lo ud Bridge, France, curved 15. Ulrich Finsterwalder, “Free-Cantilever Construction
bridge over a river. of Prestressed Concrete Bridges and Mushroom-
Shaped Bridges,” First International Symposaum, Con-
crete Bridge Deszgn, AC1 Publication SP-23, Paper SP
References 23-26, American Concrete Institute, Detroit, 1969.
16. C. A. Ballinger and W. Podolny, Jr., “Segmental
1 . H. G. Tyrrell, History of Bridge Engineeting, Henry G. Construction in Western Europe-Impressions of
Tyrrell, Chicago, 1911. an IRF Study Team,” Proceedings, Conference con-
2. Elizabeth B. Mock, The Architecture of Bridges, The ducted by Transportation Research Board, National
Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1949. Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., TRR 665,
3. T. Y. Lin, Design of Prestressed Concrete Structures, Vol. 2, September 1978.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1958. 17. Willi Baur, “Bridge Erection by Launching is Fast,
4. Anon., “Highway Design and Operational Practices Safe, and Efficient,” Czvzl Engineerzng-AXE, Vol.
Related to Highway Safety,” Report of the Special 47, No. 3, March 1977.
AASHO Traffic Safety Committee, February 1967. 18. Walter Podolny, Jr., and J. B. Scalzi, “Construction
5 . Anon., Prestressed Concrete for Long Span Bridges, Pre- and Design of Cable-Stayed Bridges,” John Wiley &
stressed Concrete Institute, Chicago, 1968. Sons, Inc., New York, 1976.
2.5
2.6
INTRODUCTION
BENDORF BRIDGE, GERMANY
SAINT ADELE BRIDGE, CANADA
BOUGUEN BRIDGE IN BREST AND LACROIK FAL-
GARDE BRIDGE, FRANCE
SAINT JEAN BRIDGE OVER THE GARONNE RIVER
AT BORDEAUX, FRANCE
SIEGTAL AND KOCHERTAL BRIDGES, GERMANY
2 zy
Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
zyxwv
h’
,w--. ---.-._ -_-..--._ - _._.._- _______ _ ..*gr- _ _ ._- -.__. --I .- ._-__ ____L_
z :: --/
I .! : : :
I- .Izyxwvutsrqponml
il
required to balance the cantilever moments pro- Used successfully in 1950 and 195 1 by Finsterwal-
duced the tendency toward cracking inherent in der with the German firm of Dyckerhoff & Wid-
an overreinforced slab subject to permanent ten- mann for the construction of the two bridges of
sile stresses. Balduinstein and Neckarrews, balanced cantilever
The introduction of prestressing in concrete construction of prestressed concrete bridges ex-
structures dramatically changed the situation. perienced a continuous popularity in Germany
FIGURE 2.6. Bouguen Bridge in Brest, France. First continuous rigid-frame structure
built in balanced cantilever.
Bendorf Bridge, Germany 35
Plan
FIGURE 2.10. Bendorf Bridge, Part Two (East), longitudinal section and plan, from
ref. 1 (courtesy of Beton- und Stahlbetonbau).
signed to transmit shear and torsion forces only, The maximum concrete compressive stress in the
thus allow ing the su p erstru c tu re to b e c ast bottom flange at the pier is 1800 psi (12.4 MPa). As
monolithically with the main piers.1,2 After con- a result of the three-dimensional prestress the ten-
struction of the piers, the superstructure over the sile stresses in the concrete were negligible. The
navigable portion of the Rhine was completed longitudinal prestressing is incrementally de-
within one year. The repetition of the procedure in creased from the pier to the hinge at midspan and
240 segments executed one after the other offered to the adjacent piers; thus, shear stresses in the
numerous occasions to mechanize and improve the webs on both sides of the main piers are almost
erection method.3,4 constant. Therefore, the web thickness remains
The deck slab has a longitudinally varying thick- constant and the diagonal prestressing remains
ness from 11 in. (279.4 mm) at midspan to 16.5 in. very nearly constant.
(419 mm) at the piers. The bottom flange varies in Construction began on March 1, 1962. After
thickness from 6 in. (152 mm) at midspan to 7.87 ft completion of the foundations and piers, balanced
(2.4 m ) at the p iers. To reduce dead-weight cantilever operations began from the west river
bending-moment stresses in the bottom flange pier in July 1963 and were completed at the end of
concrete, compression reinforcement was used that year. Segments were 12 ft (3.65 m) in length in
extensiv ely in reg io ns aw ay fro m the p iers. the river span and 11.4 ft (3.48 m) in the remaining
Thicknesses of the various elements of the cross spans. Segments were cast on a weekly cycle. As the
section are controlled partly by stress requirements segments became shallower, the construction cvcle
and partly by clearance requirements of the ten- was advanced to two segments per week. During
dons and anchorages. winter months, to protect operations from inclem-
The stru c tu re is three-dimensionally pre- ent weather, the form traveler was provided with
stressed: longitudinal prestressing uniformly dis- an enclosure, Figure 2.12.
tributed across the cross section; transverse
prestressing in the top flange; and inclined pre-
stressing in the webs. A total of 560 Dywidag bars
la-in. (32 mm) in diameter resists the negative bend-
ing moment produced by a half-span, Figure 2.11.
FIGURE 2.11. Bendorf Bridge, cross section showing FIGURE 2.12. Bendorf‘ Bridge, protective covering
tendons in the deck, ref. 2, (courtesy of the American for form traveler (courtesy of Ulrich Finsterwalder).
Concrete Institute).
Saint Adele Bridge, Canada
FIGURE 2.13. Ste. Adele Bridge, elevation, from ref. 5 (courtesy of Eng$mritzg ~V~7o.~-R~cord).
In the construction of the approach spans, the The variable-depth girder is 16 ft 3 4 in. (4.96 m)
five spans from the east abutment were built in a deep at the piers and 6 ft (1.83 m) deep at midspan
routine manner with the assistance of falsework and its extremities, Figure 2.14. Each dual struc-
bents. The four spans over water were constructed ture consists of a single-cell rectangular box 23 ft (7
by a progressive placement cantilever method (see m) wide with the top flange cantilevering on each
Chapter 6), which employed a temporary cable- side 9 ft (2.75 m) for a total width of 41 ft (12.5 m),
stay arrangement to reduce the cantilever stresses. Figure 2.15, providing three traffic lanes in each
direction. Thickness of bottom flange, webs, and
top flange are respectively 1 ft l# in. (0.35 m), 1 ft 6
in. (0.46 m), and 1 ft (0.3 m).5
2.3 Saint Adele Bridge, Canada A total of 70 prestressing tendons were required
in each girder. Each tendon of the SEEE system
This structure, built in 1964 (the same year as the consists of seven strands of seven 0.142 in. (3.6
Bendorf Bridge), represents the first segmental mm) wires. The seven strands are splayed out
bridge, in the contemporary sense, constructed in through a steel ring in the anchorage and held in a
North America. It crosses the River of the Mules circular pattern by steel wedges between each of
near Ste. Adele, Quebec, and is part of the the strands. The number of tendons anchored off
Laurentian Autoroute. It is a single-cell box girder at each segment end varies with the distance from
continuous three-span dual structure with a center the pier, increasing from an initial six tendons to
span of 265 ft (80.8 m) and end spans of 132 ft 6 in. eight tendons at the eighth segment, then de-
(40.4 m), Figure 2.13. At one end is a prestressed creasing to two tendons at the eleventh segment at
concrete 55 f-t (16.8 m) simple span. The bridge has midspan. There are an additional 44 positive-
a 100 ft (30.5 m) vertical clearance over the river in moment tendons in the center span located in the
the canyon below. bottom flange.5
FIG U RE 2.14. Stc. A dele HI idge, v i e w 01 variable- FIGURE 2.15. Ste. Adele Bridge, view of end of box
depth box girder (courtesy of the Portland Cement AS- girder segment (courtesy of the Portland Cement As-
sociation). sociation) .
38 Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
counterweighted with 70 tons (63.5 mt) of concrete
block, which was gradually diminished as con-
struction proceeded and the depth of the segments
decreased. The first pair of segments (at the pier),
each with a length of 21 ft 23 in. (6.47 m), were cast
on a temporary scaffolding braced to the pier,
Figure 2.18, which remained fixed in position
throughout the erection process.5
Construction of four segments per week, one at
each end of a cantilever from two adjacent piers,
was attained by the following five-day construction
cycles:
FIGURE 2.16. Ste. Adele Bridge, dual structure First day: Traveling forms moved, bottom flange
under construction by the balanced cantilever method, formed, reinforced, and cast. In the parallel span
from ref. 5 (courtesy of Engineering New s- Reco rd). there was a one-day lag such that crews could shift
back and forth between adjacent structures.
Second day : Reinforcement placed for webs and
Forty-seven segments are required for each top flange.
structure, eleven cantilevered each side of each
Third day : Concrete placed for webs and top
pier, a closure segment at midspan of the center
flange, cure begun.
span, and a segment cast in place on each abut-
ment. Segments cast by the form traveler were 10 Fourth day : T e n d o n s p l a c e d a n d p r e s t r e s s i n g
ft 78 in. (3.24 m) in length.5 Four traveling forms jacks positioned while concrete was curing.
were used on the project: one pair on each side of Fifth day : Prestressing accomplished. Forms
the pier for each of the dual structures, Figures stripped; preparations made to repeat cycle.
2.16 and 2.17.
The forms were supported by a pair of 42 ft The cycle began on Monday. Since there was a
(12.8 m) long, 36 in. (914.4 mm) deep structural lag of one day on the parallel structure, a six-day
steel beams spaced 15 ft (5.57 m) on centers, that work week was required. Upon completion of the
cantilevered beyond the completed portion of the eleventh segment in each cantilever the contractor
structure. Initially the cantilevered beams were installed temporary falsework to support the
abutment end and then cast the closure segment at
midspan. Counterweights were installed at the
abutment end to balance the weight of the closure
forms and segment weight. After installation and
stressing of the continuity tendons, abutment seg-
ments were cast and expansion joints installed.5
piers elastically built-in on rock foundations with box girder is 10 ft (3 m); web thickness also is con-
span lengths of 147,268, and 147 ft (45,82, and 45 stant throughout the deck and is equal to 9$ in.
m). At one end the deck rests on an existing (0.24 m).
masonry wall properly strengthened; at the other Piers consist of two square box columns 10 ft by
end a shorter rigid frame with a clear deck span of 10 ft (3 x 3 m) with wall thickness of 9$ in. (0.24 m)
87 ft (26.5 m) provides the approach to the main located under each deck girder. Two walls 84 in.
bridge. (0:22 m) thick with a slight recess used for ar-
The deck consists of two box girders with vertical chitectural purposes connect the two columns.
webs of variable height, varying from 15 ft 1 in. Both piers are of conventional reinforced concrete
(4.6 m) at the support to 6.5 ft (2 m) at midspan construction, slip-formed at a speed reaching 14 ft
and the far ends of the side spans. Width of each (4.25 m) per day in one continuous operation.
(b)
FIGURE 2.19. Bouguen Bridge, France, general dimensions. (a) Longitudinal section.
(6) Cross sections.
40 Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
struction, the deck was temporarily fixed to the The deck consists of three box girders. The con-
piers by vertical prestress. The structure is pre- stant depth of 10.8 ft (3.30 m) has been increased
stressed longitudinally by tendons of twelve 8 mm to 13 ft (3.90 m) over a length of 50 ft (15 m) on
strands and transversely by tendons of twelve 7 each side of the piers to improve the bending
mm strands. capacity of the pier section and reduce the amount
of cantilever prestress. No diaphragms were used
except over the supports. The results of a detailed
2.5 Saint Jean Bridge over the Garonne River at analysis performed to determine the transverse
Bordeaux, France behavior of the deck confirmed this choice (see
detailed description in Chapter 4).
Completed in April 1965, the Saint Jean Bridge in Longitudinal prestressing consists of tendons
Bordeaux is a remarkable application of the new with twelve 8 mm and twelve t in. strands. Trans-
concepts developed at that time in cast-in-place verse prestressing consists of tendons with twelve 8
cantilever construction. The main structure has an mm strands at 2.5 ft (0.75 m) intervals. Vertical
overall length of 1560 ft (475 m) and is continuous prestressing is also provided in the webs near the
with expansion joints only over the abutments. The supports.
deck is f’ree to expand on neoprene bearings lo- As indicated in Figure 2.26, three separate pier
cated on all river piers, Figure 2.24. A very columns support the three deck girders. They are
efficient method of pier and foundation construc- capped with large prestressed transverse dia-
tion was also developed, which will be described in phragms. The piers are founded in a gravel bed lo-
more detail in Chapter 5. cated at a depth of 45 ft (14 m) below the river level
The bridge was built in the heart of the city of by means of a reinforced concrete circular caisson
Bordeaux over the Garonne River between a 175-
year-old multiple-arch stone structure and a 120-
year-old railway bridge designed by Eiffel, the en-
gineer who designed the Eiffel Tower.
The main structure includes six continuous
spans. The central spans are 253 ft (77 m) long and
allow a navigation clearance of 38 ft (11.60 m)
above the lowest water level, while the end spans
are only 222 ft (67.80 m) long. Short spans at both
ends, 50 ft (15.40 m) long, provide end restraint of
the side spans over the abutments. The overall
width of the bridge is 88 ft (26.80 m), consisting of
six traffic lanes, two walkways, and two cycle lanes.
Superstructure dimensions are shown in Figure FIGURE 2.24. Saint Jean at Bordeaux, view of the
2.25. completed structure.
COUPE LONGITUDINALE
CULEE R D CVLEE NE
- _
5
FIGURE 2.25. Saint Jean ar Bordeaux. (a) Longitudinal and (6) cross sections.
FIGURE 2.26. Saint Jean Bridge at Bordeaux, typical section at river piers.
42
Siegtal and Kochertal Bridges, Germany 43
one year, as shown on the actual program of work
summarized in graphic form in Figure 2.29. To
meet the very strict construction deadline of the
contract, it was necessary to bring to the project site
another set of three travelers to cast the last can-
tilever on the left bank and achieve continuity with
the southern river pier cantilever. Altogether,
meeting the two-year construction schedule was
recognized as an engineering achievement.
Exactly one hundred years earlier, Gustave Eif-
fel had built the neighboring railway bridge in
exactly two years-food for thought and a some-
what humbling reflection for the present genera-
FIGURE 2.27. Saint Jean Bridge at Bordeaux, work tion.
progress on piers and deck.
18.5 ft (5.60 m) in diameter and 10 ft (3 m) high, 2.6 Siegtal and Kochertal Bridges, Germany
floated and sunk to the river bed and then open-
dredged to the gravel bed. Precast circular match- The Siegtal Bridge near the town of Sieger, north
cast segments prestressed vertically make up the of Frankfort, Germany, represents the first indus-
permanent walls of caissons, while additional seg- trial application of cast-in-place cantilever con-
ments are used temporarily as cofferdams and struction with an auxiliary overhead truss. This
support for the deck during cantilever construc- method was initially developed by Hans Wittfoht
tion. A lower tremie seal allows dewatering and and the firm of Polensky-und-Zollner and sub-
placing of plain concrete fill inside the caisson. The sequently used for several large structures in Ger-
reinforced concrete footing and pier shaft are many and other countries. One of the most recent
finally cast in one day. and remarkable examples of this technique is the
The superstructure box girders were cast in Kochertal Bridge between Ntiremberg and Heil-
place in 10 ft (3.05 m) long segments using twelve bron, Germany. Both structures will be briefly de-
form travelers, allowing simultaneous work on the scribed in this section, while a similar application in
three parallel cantilevers at two different piers. Denmark is covered in another section of this
The 20 ft (6.1 m) long pier segment was cast on the chapter.
temporary supports provided by the pier caissons, Siegtal Bridge is a twelve-span structure 3450 ft
allowing the form travelers to be installed and can- (1050 m) long resting on piers up to 330 ft (100 m)
tilever construction to proceed. Six working days high, with maximum span lengths of 344 ft (105
were necessary for a complete cycle of operations m), Figure 2.30. Two separate box girders carry
on each traveler. Work progress is shown in Fig- the three traffic lanes in each direction for a total
ures 2.27 and 2.28. Total construction time for the width of 100 ft (30.5 m), Figure 2.31. Structural
entire 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m*) was approximately height of the constant-depth box girder is 19 ft (5.8
m), corresponding to a span-to-depth ratio of 18.
The deck is continuous throughout its entire
length, with fixed bearings provided at the three
highest center piers and roller bearings of high-
grade steel for all other piers and end abutments.
Piers have slip-formed reinforced concrete hollow
box shafts with a constant transverse width of 68
ft (20.7 m) and a variable width in elevation with
a slope of 40 to 1 on both faces.
The superstructure w as cast in place in balanced
cantilever from all piers in 33 ft (10 m) long seg-
ments with an auxiliary overhead truss supporting
the two symmetrical travelers, and a cycle of one
FIGURE 2.28. Saint Jean Bridge at Bordeaux, can- week was obtained without difficulty for the con-
tilever construction on typical pier. struction of two symmetrical 33 ft (10 m) long seg-
PONT USCttAMPS
- - -
I I ~ 1
-
..-. / \ /\ I \
L- / -
DEC ~cLAvAGE / \i
JANV . .kETON
2 FEV UPPHASE
F
MARS / EWEIJVES 2 AWL 1965
Elevation t
Cross section 1
‘Cross section 2
Horizontal section
Jo.M
II 59
_ t.7~ 1125 .n . -.fl
_ 2.m
niL
0u.9757 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIH
3s _
i
‘.IS
1so
I
L9.m
I
T.W
<rn
3.75
Lzyxwvutsr
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
5m 3.?5
merits. The auxiliary truss w as also first used to cast April 1968. The truss and travelers were im-
the pier segment above each pier, Figure 2.32, be- mediately transferred to the second box girder,
fore cantilever construction could proceed, Figure which was completed in September 1969. Thus,
2.33. Because the pier shafts are flexible and have the average rate of casting was as follows:
limited bending capacity, it was inadvisable to sub-
ject them to unsymmetrical loading conditions First bridge: 3450 ft (1050 m) in 25 months, or 140
during deck construction. Thus, the overhead ft (42 m) per month
truss also served the purpose of stabilizing the can- Secohd bridge: 3450 ft (1050 m) in 17 months, or
tilever arms before continuity was achieved with 200 ft (62 m) per month
the previous cantilever. Both bridges: 6900 ft (2100 m) in 42 months, or
The auxiliary steel truss is made of high-strength 160 ft (50 m) per month
steel (50 ksi yield strength). Prestressing is applied
to the upper chord, which is subjected to high ten- An outstanding contemporary example of the
sile stresses in order to reduce the weight of the same technique is the Kochertal Bridge in Ger-
equipment. The overall length of the truss is 440 ft many, shown in final progress in Figure 2.36. Gen-
(135 m) long to accommodate the maximum span eral dimensions of the project are given in Figure
length of 344 ft (105 m). The total weight of the 2.37. Total length is 3700 ft (1128 m) w ith typical
truss and of the two suspended travelers, allowing spans of 453 ft (138 m) supported on piers up to
casting of two 33 ft (10 m) long segments, was 660 t 600 ft (183 m) in height. The single box girder
(600 mt). Deck concrete was pumped to the various superstructure with precast outriggers carries six
segments through pipes carried from the finished traffic lanes for a total width of 101 ft (30.76 m).
deck bv the auxiliary truss, Figures 2.34 and 2.35. Box piers were cast in climbing forms with 14.2 ft
Work commenced on the superstructure in (4.33 m) high lifts. The top section is constant for
March 1966. The first box girder was completed in all piers with outside dimensions of 16.4 by 28.2 ft
FIGURE 2.32. Sicgtal Bridge, pier segment ca5ting. FIGURE 2.33. Siegtal Bridge, canClever construction.
II
:
105m 105m
4
FIGURE 2.34. Siegtal Bridge, elevation of overhead truss and travelers.
(5 by 8.6 m). The four faces are sloped to inc re a se equipped with a launching nose to move from pier
the dimensions at foundation level to a maximum to pier and two suspended travelers working in
of 31.2 by 49.2 ft (9.5 by 15 m) for the highest balanced cantilevers, casting segments on a one-
piers. Wall thickness varies progressively from top we e k cycle, Figure 2.39.
to bottom, to follow the load stresses, from 20 in.
(0.5 m) to 36 in. (0.9 m).
The constant-depth superstructure is cast in two 2.7 Pine Valley Creek Bridge, U.S.A.
stages, Figure 2.38: (1) the single center box with a
width of 43 ft (13.1 m) and a depth of 23 ft (7 m), The first prestressed concrete cast-in-place seg-
and (2) the two outside cantilevers resting on a se- mental bridge built in the United States was the
ries of precast struts. To meet the very tight con- Pine Valley Creek Bridge on Interstate I-8 between
struction schedule of 22 months it was necessary to San Diego and El Centro, California, Figures 1.66
use two sets of casting equipment, working simul- and 2.7, opened to traffic late in 1974. This struc-
taneously from both abutments toward the center. ture is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) east
Each apparatus w as made of an overhead truss of San Diego and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the
FIGURE 2.35. Siegtal Bridge, typical section of truss F I G U R E 2 . 3 6 . Kochertal Bridgr, gt~nenl vim o f
and travelers. project.
FIGURE 2.37. Kochertal Bridge, elevation, plan and
cross section.
ELEVATION
FIGURE 2.40. Pine Valley Creek Bridge, elevation and typical section, from ref. 8.
Pine Valley Creek Bridge, USA. 49
Hinges were provided in spans 2 and 4 at the (6.7 m) high lifts, and they were given a teflon
end of the main cantilevers. In the preliminary de- coating to facilitate stripping while producing a
sign, consideration was given to the concept of a high-quality finished concrete surface.
continuous structure for abutment to abutment Construction of the pier caps was especially
without any intermediate joints. Continuity has challenging. The pier caps, Figure 2.41, consist of
manv advantages insofar as this particular struc- two arms 60 ft (18.3 m) in height, which project
ture’is concerned. However, it has the significant outward at an approximate angle of 60” from each
disadvantage of large displacements under seismic stem of the pier shafts. These arms are constructed
loading conditions. Because of the extreme dif- in four lifts in such a manner that the forms for
ference in height and stiffness between piers, it was each lift are tied into the previous lift. Upon com-
determined that all the horizontal load was being pletion of the pier cap arms they are tied together
transmitted to the shorter piers, which were not and the top strut is formed, reinforcement placed,
capable of accepting it.s and cast. The pier cap is prestressed transversely in
The pier foundations posed some interesting order to overcome side thrust from-the super-
construction problems. The top 20 ft (6 m) of the structure.
rock material at the structure site was badly The superstructure consists of two parallel
fissured, with some fissuring as deep as 40 ft (12 trapezoidal box girders 42 ft ( 12.8 m) wide and 19 ft
m). Narrow footings only 1 ft (0.3 m) wider than (5.8 m) deep with a 38 ft (11.6 m) space between
the pier shafts, tied down with rock anchors, were the boxes, such that an additional box girder may
preferred to the conventional spread footings to be constructed for future widening, Figures 2.40
minimize the amount of excavation. and 2.42. The boxes, in addition to being post-
Although the piers are spectacular because of tensioned longitudinally, have transverse prestress-
their size, they are not unique in concept. The two ing in the deck slab, together with sufficient mild
main piers, 3 and 4, are approximately 370 ft (113 steel reinforcement to resist nominal construction
m) in height and are made up of two vertical cellu- loads, allowing the transverse prestressing opera-
lar sections interconnected with horizontal ties. In tions to be removed from the critical path. The
a transverse direction the piers have a constant.
width to facilitate slip-form construction, while in
the longitudinal direction the section varies
parabolically, with a minimum width of 16 ft (4.9 -
zyxwvutsrqponmlk
I
slip-forming technique for construction of the FIGURE 2.41. Pine Valley Creek Bridge, elevation,
piers, the contractor finally elected to use a self- side view, and cross section of pier, from ref. 7 (courtesy
climbing form system. Steel forms permitted 22 ft of the Portland Cement Association).
50 Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
+L
\
stage 2
from pier 4
\
Stage 3
from pier 3
Stage 5
cOmpletion
52 Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
construction was started again. This cycle was re- 2.8 Genneuilliers Bridge, France
peated until closure was achieved in span l-2.
The use of the auxiliary truss had the following The Gennevilliers Bridge, Figures 2.45 and 2.46, is
advantageslO: a five-span structure with a total length of 2090 ft
(636 m). At its southern end it is supported on a
1. Men and materials for the superstructure common pier with the approach viaduct from the
could reach the location of construction from port of Gennevilliers. It crosses successively an en-
abutment 6 over the auxiliary bridge and the trance channel to the port, a peninsula situated
already completed portion of the superstruc- between the channel, and the Seine River itself,
ture without interfering with the valley below. Figure 2.47. It is part of the Al5 Motorway, which
traverses from the Paris Beltway through Gen-
2. The construction equipment (tower cranes and
nevilliers, Argenteuil, the valley d’Oise, and on to
hoists) at the piers was required only for the
the city of Cergy-Pontoise. The present structure
actual construction of the piers and could be
provides a four-lane divided highway with provi-
relocated from pier to pier without waiting for
sion for a future twin structure.
completion of the superstructure.
The superstructure is a variable-depth two-cell
3. Except for construction of abutment 1 and box girder with spans of 345, 564, 243, 564 and
pier 2, site installation for the entire project 371 ft (105, 172, 74, 172 and 113 m). Depth varies
was located at one location, near abutment 6. from 29.5 ft (9 m) at intermediate piers to 11.5 ft
(3.5 m) at midspan of the 564 ft (172 m) spans and
Concrete was supplied from a batching plant lo- its extremities, with a depth of 23 ft (7 m) at
cated approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from the site. midspan of the short center span, Figure 2.46.
Ready-mix trucks delivered the concrete at abut- Depth-to-span ratios of the 564 ft (172 m) spans at
ment 6. The concrete was then pumped through 6 midspan and at the piers are respectively l/49 and
in. (152 mm) pipes down the slope to the foot of l/19. The curved portion of the structure has a
piers 5 and 4. The concrete for the superstructure radius, in plan, of 2130 ft (650 m). The longitudi-
was pumped through a pipeline installed in the nal grade is a constant 1.5 percent within the zone
auxiliary truss right into the forms. A second of curvature. Because the short center span is sub-
pump with a similar installation was located at jected to negative bending moment over its entire
abutment 1 to supply concrete for abutment 1 and length, the structure behaves much as a continuous
pier 2.1° three-span beam.
A 5000 psi (35 MPa) concrete was specified for In cross section, Figure 2.48, the two-cell box
the superstructure, presenting no unusual prob- girder has a bottom flange varying in width from
lems. However, to maintain a short cycle for the 42.2 ft (12.86 m) at midspan to 30.5 ft (9.3 m) at
construction of the individual segments it was nec- the pier, for the 564 ft (172 m) span. Thickness of
essary to have sufficient strength for prestressing the bottom flange varies from 47 in. (1.2 m) at the
30 hours after concrete placement. This was pier to 8 in. (20 cm) at midspan. The top flange has
difficult to achieve, since the specifications did not
allow type III cement and certain additives. A so-
lution Gas to prestress the individual tendons nec-
essary to support the following segment to 50 per-
cent of their final force. The form carrier could
then be advanced and the remainder of the pre-
stressing force applied after the concrete reached
sufficient strength and before casting the next
segment.r”
Prestressing was achieved using lf in. (32 mm)
diameter Dywidag bars. Longitudinal tendons
were provided in 33 ft (10 m) lengths and coupled
as the work progressed. Temporary corrosion
protection of the bars was obtained by blowing
“VPI” powder into the ducts and coating each bar FIGURE 2.45. Gennevilliers Bridge, view of curved
with vinyl wash or “Rust-Van 310.“* five-span structure.
Gennevilliers Bridge, France
FIGURE 2.46. Gennevilliers Bridge, plan and elevation, from ref. 11.
an overall width of 60.6 ft (18.48 m) with a 6 ft from 16 in. (400 mm) at the pier to 12 in. (300 mm)
(1.83 m) overhang on one side and 6.2 ft (1.88 m) at midspan. Diaphragms, Figure 2.49, are located
on the other. Thickness of the top flange is a con- at the supports. The superstructure is prestressed
stant 8 in. (20 cm). The center web has a constant in three directions, with strand tendons being
thickness of 16 in. (400 mm). Exterior webs, which utilized longitudinally and transversely and bar
are inclined 18” to the vertical, vary in thickness tendons utilized for the webs. Interior anchorage
la55
I1
1 366 356 , 364 ,m@ 366 , 366 ‘ m
side of the pier connecting the superstructure to and debris above bedrock. The river flow at the
pier base. bridge site is 3.6 ft/ sec (1.1 m/ set).
During the preliminary design stage in 1973 and
2.9 Grand’Mere Bridge, Canada 1974, several structural solutions were considered.
The u se o f sho rt sp ans o f p rec ast c o nc rete
This three-lane cast-in-place segmental bridge is AASHTO sections or structural steel girders re-
located on Quebec Autoroute 55 and crosses the quiring a number of piers was immediately aban-
St. Maurice River approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) doned because of river depth and current velocity
north of Grand’Mere, Quebec, Figure 2.52. Water at the site. Site conditions required the develop-
depth at the bridge site is over 110 ft (35.5 m), with ment of an economical long clear span with as few
an additional 150 ft (45.75 m) depth of sand, silt, piers as possible in the river. Options available
FIGURE 2.51. Gennevilliers Bridge, superstructure FIGURE 2.52. GrandMere Bridge, general view
under construction. showing parabolic soffit of center span, (courtesy of the
Portland Cement Association).
56 Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
z
allowed an overall saving of approximately 20% of
the project cost. pair of 4 ft by 4 ft (1.2 by 1.2 m) bearing capped
The two identical 170 ft (5 1.9 m) long land spans piers. The 40 ft (12.2 m) wedge-shaped shore ends
cantilever from the main piers and act as counter- of the land spans taper from the secondary piers to
weights for the main span. From a depth of 32 ft grade at the top of the abutment. The abutments,
(9.8 m) at the main piers they taper to a depth of 28 which are just 16 in. (406 mm) thick, are designed
ft (8.5 m) at a point 130 ft (39.6 m) from the main to support the approach slab only, Figure 2.54.
ELEVATION
TYPICAL SECTION
DETAIL OF ABUTMENT
ElevationzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFE
fb)
over the rock. Upon completion of concreting and double-cell box girders that vary in depth from 6.5
curing, the sand was hosed out from under the ft (2.0 m) at midspan to 17 ft (5.3 m) at the piers.
formwork, allowing it to be stripped.‘” The western rectangular box girder has a width of
49 ft (14.8 m) with 10 ft (3 m) top flange cantilevers
for an overall width of 68.4 ft (20.84 m). The east-
2.10 Arnhem Bridge, Holland ern rectangular box girder has a width of 35.4 ft
(10.8 m) with top flange cantilevers of 8.6 ft (2.62
The Arnhem Bridge, Figure 2.55, is a cast-in- m) for a total width of 52.6 ft (16.04 m), Figure
place, lightweight concrete, segmental bridge cross- 2.56a.
ing the Rhine River with a center span of 448 ft Construction of the main spans is by the conven-
(136 m), a south end span of 234 ft (71 m), and a tional cast-in-place segmental balanced cantilever
north end span of 238 ft (72 m) connecting to ap- method with form travelers. The form travelers
proach ramps. It is a dual structure composed of are owned by the Dutch Government and leased to
two-cell box girders, Figure 2.56a. The western the contractors. Strand tendons were used for
structure has two 30 ft (9.1 m) roadways for au- post-tensioning, and the lightweight concrete had a
tomobile traffic. The eastern structure has a 23 ft weight of about 110 lb/ ft3 (1780 kg/ m3), Figure
(7 m) roadway reserved for bus traffic, a 17 ft (5.3 2.57.
m) roadway for bicycles and motorcycles, and a 7 ft Temporary supports at the pier were used for
(2.1 m) pedestrian walkway. Ramp structures are unbalanced loading during construction, Figure
of prestressed flat slab construction, Figure 2.566. 2.58. Precast exposed aggregate facia units were
The main three-span river crossing with an used for the entire length of the structure and its
overall width of 122.7 ft (37.4 m) consists of two approaches, Figures 2.59 and 2.60.
0.13 j 2.62 1
E,
VAR
fb) zyxwvu
FIGURE 2.56. Arnhem Bridge, typical cross sections of main bridge and flat-slab
ramp. (a) M ain structure. (6) Prestressed flat-slab ramp.
Napa River Bridge, U.S.A. 59
FIGURE 2.58. Arnhem Bridge, temporary pier sup- FIGURE 2.60. Arnhem Bridge, precast exposed
ports for unbalanced moments. aggregate facia units.
Pier 2 3 4 5 6 7 i 9 IO II I2 13
ELEVATION
Contllever Segmental P / S
CmveAmolzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
t ip P/ S Lightweight Cone B o x Gtrder
Llghtwelght Cone B o x Girder Welded Steel Box Girder
ALTERNATIVE A ALTERNATIVE B ALTERNATIVE C
FIGURE 2.62. Napa River Bridge, profile grade, elevation, and alternate sections.
FIGURE 2.65. Napa River Bridge, falsework bents FIGURE 2.66. Napa River Bridge, longitudinal loop
(courtesy of Phil Hale, CALTRANS). tendo ns.
62 Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
main pier and then to 21 in. (0.53 m) at an inter-
mediate diaphragm located in the end span. This
diaphragm and the one at the end pier form a bal-
last compartment. Another ballast compartment is
located between the end-pier diaphragm and the
abutment. The bottom flange under the ballast
compartments is 3 ft (0.9 m) thick in order to sup-
port the additional load of ballast material. Top
flange thickness varies from 11 in. (0.28 m) at
midspan of the main span to 17 in. (0.43 m) at the
main pier and has a constant thickness of 17 in.
(0.43 m) in the end spans.15
The superstructure is monolithic with the main
FIGURE 2.67. Koror-Babelthuap Bridge, location
map, from ref. 15. piers, with a permanent hinge at midspan to ac-
commodate concrete shrinkage, creep, and ther-
mal movements. The hinge can only transfer verti-
In elevation this structure has a center span of
cal and lateral shear forces between the two
790 ft (241 m) with side spans of 176 ft (53.6 m)
cantilevers and has no moment-transfer capacity.15
that cantilever another 61 ft (18.6 m) to the abut-
The superstructure was constructed in segments
ments, Figure 1.30. Depth of this single-cell box
w ith the end spans on falsew ork and the main span
girder superstructure varies parabolically from 46
in the conventional segmental cantilever manner,
ft (14 m) at the pier to 12 ft (3.66 m) at midspan of
using form travelers. After f-oundations were com-
the main span, Figure 2.68. The side span de-
creases linearly from the main pier to 33 ft 8 in. pleted, a 46 ft (14 m) deep by 37 ft (11.3 m) pier
segment was constructed, Figure 2.69, in three op-
(10.26 m) at the end piers and then to 9 ft (2.74 m)
erations: first the bottom flange, then the webs and
at the abutments. The structure has a symmetrical
diaphragm, and finally the top flange. Upon com-
vertical curve of 800 ft (243.8 m) radius from
pletion of the pier segment, form travelers were
abutment to abutment with the approach roadways
installed and segmental construction begun. Two
at a 6% grade.15
form travelers were used to simultaneously ad-
Superstructure cross section, Figure 1.30, is a
single-cell box 24 ft (7.3 m) in width with the top
flange cantilevering 3 ft 9$ in. (1.16 m) for a total
top flange width of 31 ft 7 in. (9.63 m), providing
two traffic lanes and a pedestrian path. The webs
have a constant thickness of 14 in. (0.36 m). Bot-
tom flange thickness varies from 7 in. (0.18 m) at
midspan of the center span to 46 in. (1.17 m) at the
m
CAST I FlXCD rcmuwan
USTw4nEw.Y
_----
zyxwvutsrqpo
_------
-_..,--- R E D PDII
I L ErsS
0 150 CM
as1
MICACEOUS
,‘,“‘,‘.‘,‘,‘,‘,
FIG U RE 2.71. Vejle Fjord Bridge, fjord piers FIGURE 2.72. Vejle
I Fjord
_ Bridge, land .piers founded
founded on driven reinforced concrete piles. on bored piles.
bored reinforced concrete piles, 59 in. (1500 mm) 0.6 in. diameter strand) tendons, as are the trans-
in diameter, Figure 2.72. On the north bank one verse prestress in the top slab and the continuity
pier is founded on driven reinforced concrete piles prestress in the bottom slab.
and one is supported directly on a spread footing. A 492 ft (150 m) long steel launching girder and
The cross section of the bridge, Figure 2.73, two special form travelers were used for casting in
which carries four traffic lanes with a median bar- place the full width of the 11.3 ft (3.4 m) long seg-
rier, is a variable-depth single box with a vertical ments in balanced cantilever. Insulating forms
web and prestressed transverse ribs. Total width followed the form travelers in order to prevent the
between edge guard rails is 87 ft (26.6 m). Box formation of fissures due to adverse temperature
girder width is 39.4 ft (12 m), with a depth vary- gradients. In addition, the steel girder stabilized
ing from 19.7 ft (6 m) at the pier to 9.8 ft (3 m) the concrete structure during construction and was
at midspan. Each segment is cast with a length of used for the transportation of materials, equip-
11.3 ft (3.44 m). Transverse top flange ribs are ment, and working crew. The total weight of the
spaced at 22.6 ft (6.88 m) centers-that is, every girder including the two travelers was approxi-
other segment joint. mately 660 t (600 mt). A typical longitudinal sec-
The total bridge length is divided into four sepa- tion of a cantilever is shown in Figure 2.74, along
rate sections by three expansion joints located at with the structure erection procedure.
the center of spans 4-5, 8-9, and 12-13. Lon- Work on the bridge started in the summer of
gitudinal prestress is achieved by Dywidag (twelve 1975 and was scheduled for completion in 1980.
C R O S S S E C T I O N 1:200
2660
l
I
I
FIGURE 2.74. Vejle Fjord Bridge, longitudinal section and erection sequence.
Vejle Fjo rd Bridge, D enmark 67
:: ,:< >~‘
\\\ \\ \ \
\ \\\\ \\
\\ .:,
FIGURE 2.75. Vejle Fjord Bridge, launching girder. FIGURE 2.77. Vejle Fjord Bridge, pier segment with
diaphragm.
\ ;->, :
\ I_\\ 1
2.14 Houston Ship Channel Bridge, U.S.A. shrinkage, superimposed dead loads, and live
loads). They are, therefore, heavilv reinforced;
This bridge, a rendering of which is shown in Fig- their dimensions are:
ure 1.67, includes a main structure over the Ship
Channel in Houston, Texas, and tw o approach Total height (from top of footing to bottom of pier
viaducts. The main structure is a three-span con- segments): 160 ft 10 in. (49 m)
tinuous box girder, cast in place in balanced can- Length (parallel to centerline of highway): 20 ft
tilever. Span lengths are 375, 750, and 375 ft (114,
constant (6.1 m)
229, and 114 m). The navigation channel is 700 ft
(213 m) wide at elevation 95 ft (29 m) and 500 f-t Width: variable from 38 ft at the bottom to 27 ft 7
(752 m) wide at elevation 175 ft (53.4 m), Figure in. at the top (11.6 to 8.4 m)
2.80. Pier cross section: rectangular box, with 2 ft (0.6 m)
The three-web box girder carries four traffic constant w all thickness
lanes separated by a 2 ft 3 in. (0.7 m) central bar-
rier and has two 3 ft 9 in. (1.14 m) parapets. The The transition piers support the last segment of
box girder is fixed to the top of the main piers to the main structure side span and the last span of
make the structure a three-span rigid frame. Sup- the approaches. The pier shaft is a rectangular box
port for the box girder is provided by elastomeric with 1 ft 4 in. (0.4 m) thick walls. Their heights are
bearings on top of the transition piers, where it is 152 ft (46 m) at one end and 164 ft (50 m) at the
separated from the approach viaducts by expan- other end of- the bridge. The length, parallel to the
sion joints. centerline of the highway, varies from 18 to 8 ft
(5.5 to 2.4 m); the width is 38 ft (11.6 m) constant.
Foundations The two center piers and two tran- Atop the pier, a 6 ft 8 in. (2 m) cap carries the per-
sition piers rest on 24 in. (610 mm) diameter manent elastomeric bearings and all the temporary
driven steel pipe piles. The center piers each rest jacks and concrete blocks that will be used at the
upon 255 piles w ith a unit pile capacity of 140 t time of the side-span closure pour. All four piers
(127 mt). Footings are 81 ft (24.7 m) wide, 85 ft (26 are slip-formed.
m) long, and 15 ft (4.6 m) deep. These footings are Box Gzrder Superstructure Dimensions of the
surrounded by a sheet pile cofferdam and are variable-depth box girder were dictated by verv
poured on a 4 ft (1.2 m) thick subfooting seal con- stringent geometry requirements. Vertical align-
crete. The transition pier footings are 50 ft (15.2 ment of the roadway was determined by the
m) wide, 35 ft (10.7 m) long, and 5.5 ft (1.7 m) maximum allowable grade of the approach via-
thick and rest on 70 piles each of 100 t (90 mt) ducts and the connection thereof with the roadway
bearing capacity. system on both banks. The clearance required fat
the ship channel left, therefore, only a structural
Piers The main piers provide for the stability of depth of 2 1.8 ft (6.6 m) at the two points located
the cantilevers during construction (unbalanced 250 ft (76 m) on either side of the midspan section.
construction loads and w ind loads) and participate The soffit is given a third-degree parabolic shape
in the capacity and behavior of the structure under to increase the structural depth near the piers in
service loads (long-term loads due to creep and order to compensate for the very lirnited height of
tzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcb
k Br i dge
/ /
zyxwvutsrqpon
(a)
FIGURE 2.84. Xlrti~av Bridge, U.K. ((I) I‘)pical COII- This bridge is located very high over a deep canyon
struction sequence. (h) View of’ finished bridge.
of the Rio Sil. Cantilever cast-in-place was the ideal
answ er to allow construction w ith a minimal con-
ments or for any deviation of the deflections from tact with the environment, Figures 2.87 and 2.88.
the assumed camber diagram used for construc- 2.15.4 SCHUBENACrlDIE BRIDGE, CANADA
tion.
Provisions have been made for unexpected ad- This three-span bridge with a center span of 700 ft
ditional concrete shrinkage and creep problems; (213 m) crosses the Schubenacadie River, near
empty ducts have been placed in the pier segment Truro, Nova Scotia. High tidal range, swift cur-
diaphragms and at midspan to allow for future rents, ice, and adverse climatic conditions made
possible installation of additional tendons located the construction of this structure very challenging,
inside the box girder but outside the concrete sec- Figures 2.89 and 2.90.
tion, should the need for such tendons arise.
2.15.5 INCIENSO BRIDGE, GUATEMALA
2.15 Other Notable Structures
The main three-span rigid frame structure with a
There are so many outstanding and interesting center span of 400 ft (122 m) is of cast-in-place bal-
cast-in-place cantilever bridges in the world today anced cantilever construction, and the approach
that it is impossible to discuss the subject ade- spans are of precast girders, Figures 2.91 and 2.92.
quately in the space available here. Mention should The very severe 1977 earthquake left the center
be made, however, of several notable structures structure completely undamaged, while the usual
not yet covered by a detailed description. damage took place in the approach spans.
72 Cast-in-Place Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
1 1.72S j6.55
1 1.725 1
FIGURE 2.85. Rio Tocantins Bridge, Brazil, typical elevation and cross section.
2.15.6 SETUBAL BRIDGE, ARGENTINA width of 118 ft (36 m) to accommodate six traffic
lanes, three in each direction, and consists of two
This three-span structure with a main span of460 double-cell box girders of constant depth with
ft (140 m) rests on two main river piers with twin interior spans of 2.50 ft (76.2 m), Figures 2.95 and
vertical walls and piles, with a transition footing at 2.96. Construction was by cast-in-place cantilever
water elevation, Figures 2.93 and 2.94. with segments 15 ft 3 in. (4.65 m) long. The bridge
has pleasant lines, which blend aestheticallv with
2.15.7 KIPAPA STREAM BRIDGE, U.S.A. the rugged deep-valley site.
This bridge is located in the Island of Oahu in the 2.15.8 PARROTS FERRY BRIDGE, U.S.A.
State of Hawaii. The dual structure has an overall
This structure, built in California for the Corps of
Engineers, represents a major application of light-
weight concrete for cast-in-place cantilever con-
struction, Figure 2.97.
*
I d
FIGURE 2.87. Puente de1 Azufre, Spain, typical elevation and sections.
2.15.10 PUTE4UX BRIDGE, FRANCE ft (65.3 m) span, making both structures very slen-
der, Figures 2.101 and 2.102. Stiff “V” piers in
These are twin bridges crossing the Seine River both structures help reduce the flexibility of the
near Paris. Because of very stringent clearance and deck.
geometry requirements, the available structural
depth was only 5.9 ft (1.8 m) for the clear 275 ft 2.15.11 TRICASTIN BRIDGE, FRANCE
(83.8 m) span and 4.8 ft (1.47 m) for the clear 214
This structure spans the Rhone River with no piers
in the river, which necessitates a long center span
and two very short side spans anchored at both
ends against uplift. The center portion of the main
span is of lightweight concrete, while the two zones
over the piers where stresses are high are of con-
ventional concrete, Figures 2.103 and 2.104.
16'~0" 1 16’4”
Q
I
,6,-o” i 16’4”
Section at Midspan
II 20’~0” 4
74
ELEVATION
@@Gp 7 50
MAIN BRIDGE
‘/2 SECTION ‘/2 SECTION
ON SUPPORT ON SPAN
Abut 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Elevation
~~,2,,
-- - -
FIGURE 2.95. Kipapa Stream Bridge, elevation and cross section.
COUPE LONGITUDINALE
=2? 0 T ?? 99 00 @ UC
FIGURE 2.99. Ilagnan Viaduct, view of a cantilever. FIGURE 2.100. Magnan Viaduct, aerial view of the
completed bridge.
FIGURE 2.101. Puteaux Bridge, aerial view of the completed bridge.
Ill1 rlnrn - Ml
5 00
hzyxw
“t/ \
10.00
5.00
1 2 . 4 0 ++-j 2 . 4 0
79
FIGURE 2.104. Tricastin Bridge, view of finished bridge.
FIGURE 2.105. Eschachtal Bridge, casting flange FIGURE 2.106. Eschachtal Bridge, view of outrigger
cantilevers. struts.
80
References 81
streshing .\Iethotls and C o nc re te Brid g e Construc- IS. “N a pa Ri v e r Bri d g e , Sapa, Calif~~rnia,” Po rtland
rioti.” I)~711/,/1~-Br,-rchlr, 4-1967, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 6 7 , C e m e nt A sso c iatio n, Brid g e Re p o rt, SR 194.01 E,
I)\ckerhof’t K- Widmann Kc;, hlunich, Germanv. 1977.
4 . L‘lt-ic-h Fiiister~valder, “ Fi-ee Cantilever Construction 14. “ A lte rnate Bid d ing f o r C alif o rnia’ s Napa Ri v e t
01 Prestressed CoIlcrete Brid g e s an d Mushroon- Bridge Won by Cast-in-Place Prestressed Concrete
Shaped Bridges,” I;/ ,.\[ I~tprrccct~or~rtl Svmpo.tiu~, Cow Segmental Construction,” Prestressed Concrete In-
or/ r Hr/f/gfj Dr.\rgt/ , r\Cl Pu b lic atio n- SP- 23, Papet stitu te, Post-‘I‘ensioning D iv isio n , Sp e c ial Brid g e
SP23-26. A m eric an C o nc rete Institu te. D etro it, Rep o rt.
1969. 1 5 . hian-Chung ‘T a ng, “ Koror-Babelthuap B r i d g e - A
.5. “ Bridge Built :Itop the Scenery With Cantilevered World Record Span,” Preprint Paper 3441, ASCE
I‘m\ elcrc,” Etrgitrwrttcg .\‘Pu~.\-RPCO~, June 18, 1964. Convention, Chicago, October 16-20, 1978.
6. Dale F. I)o\vning, “ Cantilever Segmental Prestressed 1 6 . D . W . Macintosh and R. A . W hitm an, “ The
Cast-in-Place Construction of’ the Pine Valley Creek Shubenacadie Bridge, .Maitland, Nova Scotia,” An-
Bridge.” presented to the X.-\SHO Annual &leering, nual Conference Preprints, Roads and ‘I‘ransporta-
I.0 .-\ngeles. Caliti~rnia. So\,ember 1 I- 15, 19i3. tion Xssociation of Canada, Ottawa, 1978.
, “ Pine \‘alle\ Creek Bridge, Calit’ornia,” Bridge Re- 15. “ C o nc re te A lte rn ate W in s C o m p e titiv e Bid d in g
port SK 16 1 .O 1 E. Portland Cement Association, Contest f’or Long Span California Bridge,” Bridge
Skokie. 111.. 19i4. Report, PostGensioning Institute, April 1977.
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
INTRODUCITON
CHOISY-LE-ROI BRIDGE AND OTHER STRUC-
TURES IN GREATER PARIS, FRANCE
PIERRE BENITE BRIDGES NEAR LYON, FRANCE
OTHER PRECAST SEGMENTAL BRIDGES IN PARIS
3.4.1
3.4.2
3.4.3
3.4.4
Paris Belt (Downstream)
Paris Belt (Upstream)
Juvisy Bridge
Twin Bridges at GmfIans
zy
3
Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
zyxwvut
3.10 JFK MEMORIAL CAUSEWAY, U.S.A.
3.11 SAINT ANDRk DE CUBZAC BRIDGES, FRANCE 3.18.11 F-9 Freeway, Melbourne, Australia
3.12 SAINT CLOUD BRIDGE, FRANCE REFERENCES
3.13 SALLINGSUND BRIDGE, DENMARK
82
Choisy-le-Roi Bridge and Other Structures in Greater Paris, France 83
bled in the structure. The front face of a segment, The first precast segmental bridge to be built on
thus, serves as a bulkhead for casting the rear face the N o rth A m eric an C o ntinent w as the Liev re
of the subsequent segment. Methods of fabrication River Bridge on Highway 35,s miles (13 km) north
of precast segments will be discussed in Chapter of Notre Dame du Laus, Quebec, with a center
11. span of 260 ft (79 m) and end spans of 130 ft (40
Seg m ents are erec ted in b alanc ed c antilev er m), built in 1967. It was followed in 1972 by the
starting from a segment over the pier, which is the Bear Riv er Brid g e, Digby, N o v a Sc o tia (Sec tio n
first to be placed. Modifications to the initial prin- 3.9), with six interior spans of 265 ft (81 m) and
ciple hau e further inc-rea>& the %,ex;lbcl(clty of eye<- end spa-m of ‘Lo4 ft (65i -i-ix\. The 3FU KcnQxia(
tion procedures. Two major modifications are (1) Causeway, Corpus Christi, Texas (Section 3.10),
temporary prestress ties to secure two or more suc- opened to traffic in 1973, was the first precast seg-
cessive segments and thus free the erection equip- mental bridge to be constructed in the United
ment, and (2) cantilever prestressing tendons an- States. In the United States, as of this writing, the
chored inside the box sections instead of at the authors are aware of more than 30 precast seg-
segment face as on early structures. These refine- mental bridge projects that are either completed,
ments mean that the placing of segments and the under construction, or in the design stage. Some
threading and stressing of tendons become inde- are listed in Table 3.1 .3
pendent operations.
Efficient application of this method has resulted
in the use of cantilever construction in moderate- 3.2 Choisy-le-Roi Bridge and Other Structures in
to small-span structures where it had previously Greater Paris, France
been considered uneconomical. Examples are the
B-3 So u th V iad u c t (Sec tio n 3.14) c o m p o sed o f The first bridge to use the precast segmental can-
spans ranging from 98 ft (30 m) to 164 ft (50 m) tilever technique with epoxied match-cast joints
and the Alpine Motorway Bridges (Section 3.15) was built at Choisy-le-Roi near Paris between 1962
where the spans range between 60 ft (18 m) to 100 and 1964. It carries National Highway 186, a part
ft (30 m). of the Paris Great Belt system, over the Seine River
It is interesting to note a constant evolution to- just east of Orly Airport, Figure 3.1. This structure
ward increased transverse dimensions and weight is a three- sp an c o ntinu o u s b rid g e o f c o nstant
o f p rec ast seg m ents. Pro b lem s in p rec asting , depth with end spans of 123 ft (37.5 m) and a
transporting, and placing segments that are con- center span of 180 ft (55 m), Figures 3.2 and 3.3.
stantly b ec o m ing heav ier and w id er are b eing This bridge replaced one constructed in 1870,
progressively resolved. Chapter 4 will deal with this which had a superstructure of six steel girders with
progressive evolution as applied to some French fiv e sp ans o f ap p ro xim ately 75 ft (23 m ). This
precast segmental bridges and will discuss typical structure, determined to be no longer adequate as
cross sections of some precast segmental bridges early as 1939, was severely damaged during World
constructed or in the design stage in the United War II. It in turn had replaced an ancient bridge
States.‘.* of five 66 ft (20 m) oak arch spans designed by
In continuous structures expansion joints may the fam o us m athem atic ian Claud e-Lo uis-M arie
be spaced very far apart. Continuous bridges up to Navier.4
3300 ft (1000 m) in length have been constructed In 1961, a stu d y b y the A d m inistratio n o f
without intermediate joints; however, this may not Bridges and Roads allowed two options, one in
be an upper limit, provided that the design of prestressed concrete and the other in steel, each
bearings and piers is correctly integrated into the having three continuous spans of 123 ft (37.5 m),
total design of the structure. Free longitudinal 180.4 ft (55 m), and 123 ft (37.5 m). Four pre-
movement of the bridge due to creep and temper- stressed concrete solutions were considered. The
ature change is allowed for by placing the structure successful solution is illustrated in Figure 3.2.
on elastomeric or sliding (teflon) bearings. We can The overall width of the superstructure for this
also u se p ier flexib ility to ac c o m m o d ate these dual bridge is 93.2 ft (28.4 m), Figure 3.3. Each
movements by fixing the superstructure to the bridge consists of two single-cell rectangular box
piers. In this case, flexibility can be obtained either girders. The superstructure accommodates dual
by pier height or by the use of single or double two-lane roadways of 23 ft (7 m), two 13 ft (4 m)
thin-slab walls, thus reducing the piers flexural re- sidewalks, and a 10 ft (3 m) median.4*5 Individual
sistance. box girders have a constant depth of 8.2 ft (2.5 m),
84 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
top flange width of 21.65 ft (6.6 m), and a bottom crown, Figure 3.3. The bottom flange thickness is
flange width of 12 ft (3.66 m). Webs have a con- 6 in. (0.15 m), except near the river piers where
stant thickness of la in. (0.26 m), and the top the thickness increases to 15.75 in. (0.4 m) to ac-
flange is of constant section throughout its length commodate cantilever b e n d i n g s t r e s s e s . T h e
with a minimum thickness of 7 in. (0.18 m) at its downstream half of the bridge (consisting of two
Choisy-le-Roi Bridge and Other Structures in Greater Paris, France 85
19 .Joinville 74-76
20 Neuillv sul- Marnc 6 6 - 6 8
FIGURE 3.1. Location map of’ segmental bridges in greater Paris, France.
box girders) ~\‘as constructed first, alongside the which were 16.4 ft (5 m) in length and weighed
esisting b rid g e. A f ter rem o v al o f the existing 60.6 tons (55 mt). The pier segments also con-
b rid g e. the sec o nd o r u p stream half w as c o n- tained two diaphragms which provided continuitv
structed. Each dual structure was constructed b\ with the inclined wall piers, Figure 3.3.
the balanced cantilever method utilizing Frevssinet The segments were fabricated in a precasting
tend o ns f’or the lo ng itu d inal p restressing . Bo x vard on the left bank of the Seine approximately a
girder segments \vere 8.2 ft (2.5 m) in length and mile (1.6 km) upstream of the project site, Figure
lveighed 22 tons (20 nit), except the pier segments 3.4. Although this bridge might be considered of
moderate importance with respect to span lengths,
its importance lies in the method of fabrication. It
was the first to use segments precast by the match-
casting technique. Segments were cast in the pre-
casting yard as a series of 8.2 ft (2.5 m) long units,
one against the other, on a continuous soffit form
which had been carefully adjusted to the intrados
profile of the bridge with allowance for camber.
This came to be known as the “ long-line” method
(see Chapter 11). Two sets of steel forms riding the
soffit form and overnight steam curing allowed the
production of two segments per working day. To
prevent bonding of the segments to each other in
the casting form, a special peel-off bond breaker
w as sprayed over the end of the segment before
FIGURE 3.2. Choisv-lc-Roi Bridge. the adjacent segment was cast. The segments were
86 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
Elevation
P------ -J
FIGURE 3.5. Choisy-le-Roi Bridge, retractable erection jig.
l3cdes1208
) / 8cablesl2# 7
to a substantial reduction in the shear forces in the additional short tendons were located in the top
webs as a result of the vertical component of the flang e to ac hiev e fu ll reinfo rc em ent c o ntinu ity
prestress. The side spans were constructed in a with the longest cantilever tend0ns.j
similar manner. The three precast segments adja- The same construction technique used for the
c ent to the ab u tm ents w ere assem b led o n Choisy-le-Roi Bridge was used for the Courbevoie
f alsew o rk. A f ter a c lo su re p o u r b etw een these Bridge, built between 1965 and 1967, which also
segments and the cantilever from the river pier, crosses the Seine in the northwest suburb of Paris,
positive-moment tendons were placed and stressed Fig u re 3.1. The b rid g e has three sy m m etric al
in the end span to achieve continuity. Because the spans of 130,200, and 130 ft (40,60, and 40 m) for
midspan area of the center span had little capacity a total length of 460 ft (140 m), Figure 3.8. Four
to withstand moment reversal under ultimate load, box girders of constant depth carry the 115 ft (35
259,OO
/
(a)
7500zyxwvuts
FIGURE 3.12. Pierre Benite Bridge, longitudinal sections. (a) Bridge over draft chan-
nel. (b) Bridge over Rhone River.
16.92 ..?.O 16 30
structural depth over the piers to a maximum of 14 line precasting method, whereby the segments are
ft (4.28 m) for the 276 ft (84 m) span. All piers rest cast in a formwork located in a stationary position.
on compressed-air caissons and are made of solid Each segment is cast between a fixed bulkhead and
cylindrical columns 6.5 ft (2 m) in diameter which the preceding segment, in order to obtain a perfect
support the cast-in-place pier segment, including match. After a learning curve of a few weeks, each
skew diaphragms between the two individual box of the two short-line-method casting machines was
girders of each bridge. This pier segment served as used to cast one segment every day. Details and
the starting base for precast segment placing in specific problems of the short-line method will be
balanced cantilever for the superstructure. described in Chapter 11. Figure 3.14 shows the
The 528 segments were precast near the southern precast segments as they were fabricated, tem-
bank of the draft channel. This application of pre- porarily stored, loaded on barges by a very simple
cast segmental construction was the occasion to portal structure equipped with winches, and finally
conceive and develop for the first time the short- transported to the construction site.
Other Precast Segmental Bridges in Paris 91
FIGURE 3.14. Pierre Henitc Bridge, precasting yard These twin bridges, Figure 3.17, carry four traffic
and loading portal. (a) Precasting yard. (6) Loading portal. lanes. Dimensions are shown in Figures 3.18 and
3.19. Maximum span length is 302 ft (92 m) and
the structural depth of the four box girders is 11 ft
(3.4 m), increased toward the piers to a maximum
Placing of all segments in the two twin structures of 21.3 ft (5.5 m) by straight haunches. Because of
was achieved in balanced cantilever, using the the skew between the axis of the bridge and the
cast-in-place pier segments as a starting base. This flow of the Seine, the pier shafts were given a spe-
project used the newly developed “beam-and- cial lozenge shape, which proved very efficient for
winch” erection system, illustrated in Figure 3.15 the hydraulic flow and is of pleasant appearance.
together with a close-up view of a typical seg- The limited bending capacity of the shafts called
ment-placing operation. Electric winches are sup- for temporary supports during cantilever con-
ported in a cantilever position from the com- struction operations.
pleted part of the deck to allow each segment to be Precast segments were manufactured on the
lifted off the barge and placed in its final position. bank of the Seine with two casting machines
Because of high-velocity river currents on one (short-line method). For the part of the bridge
structure, it was considered advisable to transfer superstructure located over the river, segments
the segments from the barge to the winch system were placed with a floating crane, Figure 3.20. In
close to the piers to allow temporary anchorage of fact, almost half the bridge length was placed over
the barge. Therefore, segments had to be moved land out of reach of the floating crane. The beam-
longitudinally from the barge position to thtir final and-winch equipment used at Pierre Benite Bridge
location. A special trolley carried the winches and was substituted for the crane to place these seg-
the suspended segment while riding along rails ments. There was also need of additional falsework
fixed to the finished deck. A general view of the on one bank to compensate for the unusually long
FIGURE 3.16. Pierre Benite Bridge, under- construction.
FIGURE 3.15. Pierre Benite Bridge, segment placing FIGURE 3.17. Paris Belt (Downatrearn), \ itw o f
scheme (left and top right). finished bridge.
92
FIGURE 3.18.
9950
-------r-
ng.3
._._ ~i6_~-~~j~~--rlps--~
end span, which could not be changed because of direction, Figure 3.21. The twin bridges have di-
stringent pier location requirements. mensions similar to those of the downstream
bridge, and each structure has two parallel box
3.4.2 PARIS BELT (UPSTREAM ) girders connected by transverse prestress. Dimen-
sions are show n in Figures 3.22 and 3.23. A circu-
On the other sihe of Paris another segmental lar intrados profile was used in lieu of the straight
structure, also carrying the Belt Motorway over the haunches. All segments were precast on the river
Seine, was designed for five traffic lanes in either bank in the immediate vicinity of the bridge, using
56,62 asa
Id GAUCHE I
-.
FIGURE 3.22. Paris Belt (Upstream), longitudinal section.
w4. 0
4.50
E
II 18zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
m
g 3.50 m 3.50 m 3.50 m
i Ill I
3.50 m 3.50 n-l 3.50 m 3.50 m 3.50 3.50 m 3.50 m
1 1 II 71 1 I -
IlII A /\
the same two casting machines used previously for crane, either on crawlers or on a barge, together
the downstream bridge. with the beam-and-winch equipment handled all
Placing segments in the structure posed some segment placing.
interesting problems, as shown in the sequence
diagrams of Figure 3.24. Pier segments were too
3.4.3 JUVISU BRIDGE
heavy to be handled as one unit and were sub-
divided into two segments, assembled upon the
This bridge, Figure 3.25, is also on the Seine just
pier shaft before cantilever placing could start. A
south of Choisy-le-Roi; see the location map, Fig-
ure 3.1. Dimensions are shown in Figure 3.26.
Segments were cast by the short-line method near
the site and placed w ith a floating crane. An aux-
iliary falsework on both banks allowed segment
placing and assembly beyond the reach of the
floating crane.
Cl
I 24:3@ 1 2413’ IO’
Ed
.-
1
I33 z
3sllo’
3!2’ j 2916’ , 3!2’
I I I I
zyxwv
t
FIGURE 3.29.
i 18'
34!9”
c
/
3.30. Throughout the total length of structure The precasting plant was located in the vicinity
there are ten expansion joints: one at each abut- of the mainland abutment. Production in this plant
ment and eight intermediate ones. The latter are was scheduled so that the 24 segments required for
located at points of contraflexure in a typical a typical 260 ft (79 m) central span could be fabri-
interior span subjected to a continuous uniform cated in nine working days. Segments were pro-
load.” The segments with the expansion joint have duced by the long-line method, described in
the same length as typical segments and are in fact Chapter 11. Four sets of steel forms rode a bench
two half-segments that are temporarily preassem- that was carefully aligned to the longitudinal
bled with bolts, with a special layout of temporary profile of the roadway and the variable-depth soffit
and permanent prestressing tendons. It is then with due provision for camber. Segments were
possible to maintain the balanced cantilever erec- match-cast in the same relative order in which they
tion procedure beyond the expansion joint to were subsequently assembled at the site.5 An aerial
midspan. Later on, when continuity has been view of the casting yard is shown in Figure 3.31.
achieved in the adjacent spans, the expansion- Handling of segments in the casting and storage
.joint segment is ‘!unlocked” to perform in the in- yard w as accomplished by a special railway-
tended manner. mounted gantry capable of handling loads varying
FIGURE 3.30. Oleron Viaduct, typical center span elevation, from ref. 5 (cour-
tesy of the American Concrete Institute).
Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
from 45 tons (42 mt) for the center-span segment view of the final structure is shown in Figures 3.28
to 80 tons (73 mt) for the pier segment. A lowboy and 3.34.
dolly riding on rails of the finished bridge and The Oleron Viaduct was the first application of
pushed by a farm tractor transported the segments the launching-gantry concept for placing segments
from storage to their location for assembly. in cantilever. Several structures were later de-
Cantilever erection at the site was accomplished signed and built with the same construction
by a launching gantry, Figure 3.32. This gantry method. Mention should be made here of three
was the key to the successful operation of this proj- special bridges:
ect. Although the structure is erected over water,
the use of floating equipment would have been 1. Blois Bridge over the Loire River The princi-
difficult, expensive, and subject to uncertainty be- pal dimensions are given in Figure 3.35. The
cause of the great tidal range and the shallowness superstructure box girders rest on the pier shafts
of water in most of the area traversed by the through twin elastomeric bearings, which allow
structure. Floating equipment would have been thermal expansion while providing partial re-
able to reach the approach piers only at high tide. straint for bending-moment transfer between deck
During low tide the marsh area, which is the loca- and piers. Consequently, savings are obtained both
tion of France’s famed Marennes oyster beds, in the deck and in the foundations. All segments
could not accept any tire-mounted or crawler- were placed in the bridge with an improved ver-
mounted equipment. Consequently, it was decided sion of the launching gantry first designed for the
to work entirely from above with a launching Oleron Viaduct. High-strength steel and stays
gantry. This new technique was developed for the were used to provide minimum weight with a sat-
first time for this structure and was later refined isfactory stiffness during operations, Figure
for other structures. For the typical central spans 3.36. High-strength bolt connections were used
the erection cycle required between eight and ten throughout to make the gantry completely capable
working days.5 of dismantling and easily transportable to other
Construction began in May 1964, three months construction sites.
after design work had started. The first segment
was cast in July and placed in August 1964. Side 2. Aramon Bridge over the Rhone River This was
spans laid on a curve were completed in December the next structure where the same gantry could be
and the launching gantry was then modified for used, Figure 3.37.
construction of the center spans. The last of the
870 precast segments was in place in March 1966, 3. Seudre Viaduct Located just a few miles
and the bridge opened to traffic in May, after an south of Oleron over the Seudre River, this 3300 ft
overall construction time of two years5; see the (1000 m) long viaduct was also of precast segmen-
summary of the work program in Figure 3.33. A tal construction and used the same launching gan-
Chillon Viaduct, Switxerland 99
CONTINENT OLERON
try. The finished structure is shown in Figure 3.38. Twin rectangular slip-formed shafts were used
Foundations for the center spans were built inside for the piers, varying in height from 10 to 150 ft (3
sheet pile cofferdams in spite of very swift tidal to 45 m). Stability during construction was excel-
currents. lent and required little temporary bracing except
between the slender walls to prevent elastic insta-
bility.’ With the exception of three piers in each
3.6 Chillon Viaduct, Switzerland
t
61.50 I
1
9.1 m
Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
@ MVATlOli
1
Ec h l/ZCd
-ELEVATION
P\OO I
zyxw 9l.00
1
L 61,SO
C RO SS
Erh : IIlOO=
SEC TIO N
zyxwvutsrqpon
zqoo
,l
I I
D
too L 7,oo I zoo $00
",
to 4.79 m at midspan I
viaduct, all piers are hinged at the top. The piers ment of the superstructure.
that are less than 72 ft (22 m) high are hinged at The superstructure consists of a single-cell rec-
the base; taller piers are fixed at their base, being tangular box with a cellular cantilever top flange,
sufficiently flexible to absorb longitudinal move- Figure 3.40, and with a depth varying from 18.5 ft
z
midspan. Widths of top and bottom flange are re- length w as 13.15 ft (4 m). An alternative would
spectively 42.7 ft (13 m) and 16.4 ft (5 m). Dimen- have been to provide stiffening ribs as used in the
sions of the tw& typical cantilevers are noted in Saint Andre de Cubzac Viaducts (Section 3.11) and
Figure 3.4 1. Maximum segment weight was 88 tons the Sallingsund Bridge (Section 3.13).
(80 nit). A cellular cantilever top flange was used Segments were precast in a yard at one end of
because the overall width of the top flange ex- the structure with five casting machines, allowing i
O ve r sup p o rts
(4
b
4 500
At m id- spa n
(b)
FIGURE 3.40. Chillon Viaduct, cross sections. (a) Over supports. (b) At midspan.
PORTIQUE - TYPE 48.OOm
PORTIOUE-TYPE 4 2 OOm
.,a0 I
**lo 1 O,Q20
73x320
boo CDNSOlC 42 00
EOXSOIE 42 00 i L---
82 DO
zyxwvutsr
cast against the preceding segment. The pier seg-
ment was positioned on bearings on top of the pier,
Figure 3.47, and the two adjoining segments were
positioned (one after the other) and the joints
glued with epoxy resin. Temporary high-tensile
FIGURE 3.43. Chillon Viatiuct, c a n tile v e r c o nstrUC - bars located on the top of the deck slab and in the
tion with launching gantry. bottom flange were stressed to prestress the three
Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
III IV
Flevation
FIGURE 3.44. Hartel Bridge, typical dimensions: elevation, cross sections of the origi-
nal design, cross sections of the redesign (courtesy of Brice Bender, BVNLSTS).
segments together. After the epoxy had hardened, of the outside struts of a steel scaffolding bearing on
the permanent tendons were placed and stressed. the pier foundation. Thus, the flat jacks were used
The two segments adjoining the pier segment were for adjustment of the segments to achieve proper
supported during erection on flat jacks on the top geometry control. The remaining segments were
Real Front
3.8 Rio-Niteroi Bridge, Brazil Total project length is approximately 10.5 miles
(17 km), of which about 5.65 miles (9.1 km) is over
The Rio-Niteroi Bridge crosses the Guanabara Bay water. The alignment begins at the Rio side with a
connecting the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi, 3940 ft (1200 m) radius curve, then a straight sec-
thereby avoiding a detour of 37 miles (60 km). This tion, within which are located steel box girder
structure also closes the gap in the new 2485 mile navigation spans totaling 2872 ft (848 m) in length.
(4000 km) highway that interconnects north and This is followed by an island, where the viaduct is
south Brazil and links the towns and cities on the interrupted by a road section of 604 ft (184 m), and
eastern seaboard, Figure 3.51. Although the route finally another 3940 ft (1200 m) radius curve ar-
taken by the bridge across the Bay seems somewhat riving at Niteroi.
indirect, it was selected because it avoids very deep The precast segmental concrete viaduct sections
water and is clear of the flight path from Santos have a total length of 27,034 ft (8240 m) repre-
Dumont Airport. senting a total deck area of 2,260,OOO sq ft (210,000
The _.RmdeJaneir
- Rio-Niteroi
/n Brii
Cross section
Elevation
fb)
FIGURE 3.53. Rio-Niteroi Bridge, cross section and elevation. (a) Cross section. (b)
Elevation.
Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
ELEVATION
FIGURE 3.54. Rio-Niteroi Bridge, typical span dimensions and tendon layout.
278 precast segments per month were installed in 3.9 Bear River Bridge, Canada
the structure by the four launching gantries, rep- The Bear River Bridge is about 6 miles (9.7 km)
resenting an area of 180,000 sq ft (17,000 m’) of east of Digby, Nova Scotia, on trunk route 101
finished bridge per month. At the same speed, between Halifax and Yarmouth, near the An-
Oleron Viaduct could have been built in two napolis Basin; it replaces an 85-year-old structure.
months. Such is the measure of the determination Preliminary studies showed, and construction bid
and enthusiasm of engineers and constructors of prices verified, that precast segmental was more
the New World. economical than steel construction by nearly 7%.7*8
JFK Memorial Causeway, U.S.A. 109
zyxwv
completion of erection of the segments in a span
and the closure pour consummated. All positive-
moment tendons were anchored in the top flange.
F I G U R E 3 . 5 5 . RIO-NIICI oi 131 dgc, wnrile\el COII- The precast segments are typically 14 ft 2 in. (4.3
strut tion. m) in length and the closure pour at midspan is 4
ft 4 in. (1.3 m) long.7,R
Total structure length is 1998 ft (609 m) with six The precast segments are reinforced with pre-
interior spans of 265 ft (SO.8 m) and end spans of fabricated mild steel reinforcement cages, in addi-
204 ft (62.1 m), Figure 3.57. The layout has very tion to the primary longitudinal prestressing ten-
severe geometry constraints. In plan, the east end dons, Figure 3.60, and transverse prestressing in
of the bridge has two sharp horizontal curves con- the top flange. Web shear reinforcement varies
nected to each other and to the west end tangent by depending on the location of the segment. The 145
two spiral curves; minimum radius is 1150 ft (350 precast segments were cast in a plant located near
m). In elevation, the bridge has a 2044 ft (623 m) the bridge. This plant was equipped with two cast-
vertical curve with tangents of 5.5 and 6.0 percent. ing molds, each producing one segment per day. A
Two sets of short-line forms employed by the con- 12-hour steam curing period w as used and a con-
tractor to cast the segments met the variable crete strength at 28 days of 5000 psi (34.5 MPa)
geometry requirements admirably. The accuracy w as achieved .’
of casting was such that only nominal elevation Because of the curved layout of the bridge and
adjustments were required at the abutments and its relative shortness, the use of a launching gantry
the center-span closure pours.s would have been uneconomical. Segments were
The single-cell box girder superstructure is con- placed by a 200 ton (180 mt) mobile crane on land,
tinuous for the total length of the bridge. Typical or on a barge over water, Figure 3.61. Construc-
cross-section dimensions are indicated in Figure tion of this bridge started in May of 1971, and it
3.58. Prestressing tendon layout is illustrated in was opened to traffic on December 18, 1972.
Figure 3.59 for a typical interior span. Fifty-five
tendons were required for negative moments and
22 for positive-moments. The majority of nega- 3.10 JFK Memorial Causeway, U.S.A.
ELEVATION
FIGURE 3.57. Bear River Bridge, elevation, f’ron~ ref. 8 (courtesy of the Prestressed
Concrctc Institute).
2-6’!
I--- %
39’-6”
zyxwv ROADWAY
I5’-0’ 6’4
I’-()”
yI_ 4”
Ia’-0”
I - I
FIGURE 3.58. Bear River Bridge, typical cross section, from ref. 8 (Courtesy
of the Prestressed Concrete Institute).
TENDON DISTRIBUTION
FIGURE 3.59. Bear River Bridge, typical center-span tendon elevation and
distribution, from ref. 8 (courtesy of the Prestressed Concrete Institute).
111
112 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
’ P
Sym. B Q
28 ft. (8.53 m)
L -m
2
z l---l h .?
8 al
:- s
FIGURE 3.63. JFK Memorial Causeway, typical cross section. Bottom slab
thickness varies from 10 in. (254 mm) at pier to 6 in. (152 mm) at 25 ft (7.62
m) from pier center.
FIGURE 3.64. JFK Memorial Causeway, precast seg- 3.11 Saint And& de Cubzac Bridges, France
ment in casting yard (courtesy of J. E. Breen). Opened to traffic in December 1974 after a con-
struction period of 29 months, this important
structure crosses the Dordogne River north of
Bordeaux on the South Atlantic Coast. A view of
the finished bridge is shown in Figure 3.68. The
main river crossing has a total length of 3800 ft
(1162 m) with approach land spans of 190 ft (59 m)
and main river spans of 312 ft (95.3 m), Figure 3.69.
Two intermediate expansion joints located at the
point of contraflexure in the transition spans sepa-
rate the deck into three sections for concrete vol-
ume changes. The center section has a length of
1920 ft (585 m). The main piers have rectangular
hollow box shafts supported by circular open-
dredged caissons 30 ft (9 m) in diameter. Ap-
proach piers have an I section.
FIGURE 3.65. J FK Xlemorial Causeway, construction Another structure, constructid under the same
view showing pier segments with diaphragms (courtesy contract, consisted of twin bridges 1000 ft (307 m)
of J. E. Breen). in length with typical 162 ft (49.5 m) spans in an
114 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
I I
I I
(0
a
N
0,”
8
---Hm
I
6,00
/ 1 ,
FIGURE 3.69. Saint Andrk de Cubzac Bridge, elevation and cross section.
B E A M
01 02 03
FIGURE 3.72. Saint Andrk de Cubzac Bridge, placing precast pier segments.
the balanced cantilever method of construction, tribution by varying the bottom flange thickness,
submitted by the contractor, permitted substantial which decreases from 3 1.5 in. (800 mm) at the river
savings and was accepted by the authorities. piers to 7 in. (180 mm) at midspan. To accommo-
The bridge has a total length of 3618 ft (1103 m) date the curvature of the bridge the segments in
with a constant-depth superstructure. It includes this area are cast, in plan, in a trapezoidal shape. A
two sections: the bridge over the Seine, which is a 4.5% superelevation is obtained by placing the
1736 ft (529 m) long curved structure; and a 1883 units over the piers in an inclined position.
ft (574 m) long viaduct, which follows a straight Three-dimensional prestressing was used in the
layout along the bank of the Seine and then crosses superstructure: the main longitudinal prestress,
the Place Clemenceau, on a 2260 ft (690 m) radius transverse prestress in the deck, and a vertical pre-
curve, by an access ramp to the Saint Cloud Tun- stress in the webs to accommodate shear. After the
nel. It includes 16 spans divided as follows (refer to closure joint at midspan was cast, additional lon-
Figure 3.76): gitudinal prestress tendons were installed to pro-
vide continuity.
Seine Bridge: 160.8,288.7,333.8,296.0,150.9,and Superstructure segments were precast in a plant
two 219.5 ft spans (49, 88, 101.75, 90.25, 46, and on the right bank of the Seine. Two casting molds
two 66.9m) were used for fabrication of the segments. Each
Common area: 66.4 ft (20.24 m) up to the expansion mold had an external formwork and an internal
joint, and then 153.1 ft (44.66 m), total 219.5 ft retractable formwork. The adjacent, previously cast
(66.9 m) segment was used as a bulkhead to achieve a
V iaduct: five219.5; 285.4,210.0,and 137.8ftspans match-cast joint.
(five 66.9; 87, 64, and 42 m) For erection, segments were transported on a
trolley to a cable-stayed launching gantry of un-
Architectural considerations led to the choice of usual size and capacity. It was of high-yield steel
a 11.8 ft (3.6 m) constant-depth three-cell box construction, 402 ft (122.5 m) in length and
girder with slopingexternalwebs with nooverhangs, weighing 250 tons (235 mt), with a maximum load
Figure 3.77. Segments are 7.4 ft (2.25 m) in length capacity of 143 tons (130 mt). The constant-depth
with a record width of 67 ft (20.4 m), their average gantry truss was supported on central and rear
weight varying from 84 to 143 tons (76 to 130 mt). legs, which were tunnel shaped to allow passage of
Since the superstructure has a constant depth, the the precast segments endwise. At the central sup-
bending capacity is adjusted to the moment dis- port, a 52.5 ft (16 m) high tubular tower topped
,.,. 59
_ls .,’
- --
FIGURE 3.77. Saint Cloud Bridge, longitudinal and typical cross section.
120 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
with a saddle provided a large eccentricity to sliding on pads placed at the central and rear legs.
the three pairs of cable stays, which improved the The launching girder, in cross section, was trian-
negative-moment capacity at this support location. gular in shape. The base of this triangle included
At the forward end of the gantry an additional leg two structural steel I sections, which served as
was used as a third support point during launching tracks for the segment transportation trolley. The
and pier segment placing, Figure 3.78. The diagonal bracing of the launching girder consisted
launching girder was moved forward on rails of tubular steel members. The girder was fabri-
mounted on the completed superstructure, by cated in ten sections, approximately 39 ft (12 m)
AVANCEMENT DU
+ORTlQUE D E
LANCEMENT.
MOVING THE TRUSS
MISE E N PLACE
DES
P L A C I N G T H E U N I T S I N CANTELIVER
FIGURE 3.79. Saint Cloud Bridge, sequence of operations in moving launching girder.
Saint Cloud Bridge, France 121
in length, so as to be transportable over the high- temporary front leg supported just in front of the
ways. These units were assembled at the job site by pier.
prestressing bars. Launching The gantry slid on rails at
of the gantry :
The seq u enc e o f o p eratio ns in m o v ing the the rear leg and rolled over an auxiliary support
launching girder forward is illustrated in Figure p lac ed ato p the p ier seg m ent. The c entral leg ,
3.79 and included the following operations: during this travel, crossed the gap between the
cantilever end and the pier unit.
The gantry was supported on
Placing pier se<gment: In this phase
Placing ty pical segments in cantilever:
three points: the rear leg, the central leg placed the gantry was supported at two points: the central
near the end of the completed cantilever, and the leg placed over the pier and the rear leg anchored
“2
3F6
FIGURE 3.80. Saint Cloud Bridge, sequence of operations of launching gantry over
the river.
122 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
at the end of the last completed cantilever. The deck slab units identical to the sections used at
segments were lifted by the trolley at the rear end Saint Andre de Cubzac. The construction contract
of the girder, moved forward, after a rotation of a was signed in August 1974 and the superstructure
quarter turn, and then placed alternatively at each was completed in May 1975. All segments were
end of the cantilevers under construction. placed between January and May 1975, in a little
less than five months, corresponding to an aver-
As a result of the horizontal curvature of the age erection speed of 26 ft (8 m) per day of fin-
structure, the transverse positioning of a segment ished deck.
was accomplished both by moving the segment
3.13 Sallingsund Bridge, Denmark
transportation trolley sideways relative to the
girder [possible side travel of 3 ft (0.9 m) on ei-
Sallingsund in Northern Jutland between Arrhus
ther side] and by moving the launching gantry it-
and Thisted is a site of great natural beauty. Con-
self sideways relative to its bearing support on the
struction of a bridge in such an environment was
bridge. Thus, the construction of a cantilever re-
the object of careful study, which concluded, after
quired one, two, or three different positions of the
an international competition, in the selection of a
gantry, according to the curvature radius and
precast segmental structure, Figure 3.83, resting
length of span, as shown in Figure 3.80. Work
on piers of a unique design.
started in October 1971 and was completed in Dk-
This structure has two end spans of 167 ft (5 1 m)
cember 1973. Placing the 527 precast segments in
and 17 interior spans of 305 ft (93 m). There are
the 3600 ft (1097 m) long superstructure took
18 piers between the two abutments. The level of
exactly one year.
the roadway reaches 100 ft (30.5 m) above the
In terms of erection speed, a more interesting
water at the center span and 82 ft (25 m) at the
project was successfully carried out on a precast
abutments. The two center spans are navigation
segmental bridge awarded,to Campenon Bernard.
spans requiring 85 ft (26 m) vertical clearance over
A unique set of circumstances arose where a bridge
a width of 197 ft (60 m). The bridge deck accom-
over the Loire River at Angers could be fitted to
modates two traffic lanes, approximately 13 ft (4
use simultaneously the dimensions and casting
m) each, two cycle paths, and two sidewalks for a
machines of Saint Andre de Cubzac Bridge, which
total width of 52.5 ft (16 m), Figure 3.84. The
had recently been completed, and the gantry of
Saint Cloud Bridge.
The 2577 ft (786 m) long structure rests on 10
piers and has 280 ft (85.1 m) typical spans, Figures
3.81 and 3.82, using a single box girder with ribbed
FIGURE 3.82. Angers Bridge, view of the completed FIGURE 3.83. Sallingsund Bridge, view of the com-
structure. pleted structure.
t
f
FIGURE 3.84. Sallingsund Bridge, typical dimensions.
124 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
superstructure consists of precast concrete box
girder segments 11.7 ft (3.57 m) in length, with
epoxy match-cast joints, which are prestressed to-
gether. Segment depth varies from 8.2 ft (2.5 m) at
midspan to 18 ft (5.5 m) at the pier.
The precast superstructure segments were
match-cast by the short-line method (see Chapter
11). There are altogether 453 segments varying in
weight from 86 t (78 mt) to 118 t (107 mt). The
typical segment shown in Figure 3.85 has web cor-
rugated shear keys together with top and bottom
flange keys. Hinge segments equipped with a
roadway expansion joint for thermal movement of
the superstructure are placed every other span
near the point of contraflexure. A hinge segment
with its diaphragm is shown in Figure 3.86. Seg-
ments are placed in the structure in cantilever with
a cable-stayed launching gantry. Transfer from the
casting area and the storage yard to the construc-
tion site and the launching gantry is achieved by a
low-bed dolly pushed by a tractor, Figure 3.87.
The gantry shown in Figure 3.88 should look
FIGURE 3.85. Sallingsund Bridge, view of a typical FIGURE 3.87. Sallingsund Bridge, segment rrans-
segment. p o rt.
1 5 . 2 5 in
T -- - - - - - 1 T Y P E 1 795VOUSSOlR5.L.1,50ou2,5Om
SUD
SOUTH
RN3
+
FIGURE 3.91. B-3 South Viaduct, plan showing segment type location.
lo c ated in sp ec ial hing e jo ints near a p ier. 8. Transfer of the segment, eight hours after
Superstructure spans vary from 89.6 to 174 ft (27 curing, to a more permanent storage until re-
to 53 m), with 90% of them being in the range of quired for erection.
111 to 125 ft (34 to 38 m). 9. Return of the mold bottom, after temporary
This project required 2225 precast segments, all storage, to the casting area for reuse.
manufactured by the short-line method (see
Chapter 1 l), which involved the following opera- Curing of the segments was accomplished with
tions: low-pressure steam in the following 4&-hour cycle:
(b)
FIGURE 3.93. B-3 South Viaduct, erection sequence. (a) Placing the units: The two
trolleys bring the units V2 and V’2 which will be placed, after rotation at 90” , against
the units VI and V’l. During this time, the lorry carries the units V’3, then V3, and so on.
(b) Launching the truss: The rear and the central legs are lifted above the piers PO and Pl.
‘The truss is supported by trestles and trolleys in Pl and P2 and moves forward by the
action of the trolley motors until the legs reach Pl and P2. Thus the truss has advanced
along one span length and can place the pile-unit in P3 and the cantilevers from P2.
Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
zyxwvutsrqpo
ment transportation dolly. The truck-mounted
crane could easily be used along the centerline of
the structure to place segments at outboard can-
tilever ends. However, its use became complicated
in the midspan area, particularly when it was used
to place the closure segments. To solve this prob-
-- t.*
lem, an auxiliary truss equipped w ith a w inch w as
FIGURE 3.94. B-3 South Viaduct, placing two seg-
ments in balanced cantilever. used in conjunction with the mobile crane. This
truss was supported at one end over the pier where
cantilever construction proceeded and at the other
end over the last completed cantilever arm, which
larger spans, the pier segment was placed after clo- might or might not require a temporary support
sure of the preceding completed spans and ad- pier, Figure 3.95. The segments were lifted by a
vancement of the launching gantry. The center leg trolley-mounted winch traveling along the truss.
was advanced out onto the last completed half- This truss was also used to stabilize the cantilevers
span cantilever, but it remained in the proximity of during erection, since it was fixed to the pier and
the pier. Launching of the gantry to the next span the completed portion of the superstructure. After
was achieved by using the two segment transporta- the pier segment was positioned by the mobile
tion dollies temporarily fixed on the completed crane, the frame was launched with the trolley in a
superstructure by two auxiliary steel trusses. The counterweight position at the rear of the frame.
high degree of mechanization of the gantry to- When the span exceeded 65 ft (20 m), the front of
gether with the repetitive nature of the project al- the frame was held by the crane,
lowed speedy erection. A typical 130 ft (39 m) span This structure exemplifies an innovative appli-
was erected and completed in two working days. cation of precast balanced cantilever segmental
To maintain the construction schedule 2nd construction to a difficult urban site and shows its
minimize required erection equipment, the super- adaptability to almost any site conditions.
FIGURE 3.95. B-3 South Viaduct, auxiliary truss for segment assembly (crane placing).
(1) Auxiliary truss, (2) winch for segment lifting, (3) precast segment, (4) possible tempn-
rary support (as required), and (5) concrete cantilever stability device.
Alpine Motorway Structures, France 129
3.15 Alpine Motorway Structures, France optimize the structures in terms of initial invest-
ment and low maintenance costs.
The new Rhone-Alps Motorway system in South The underpasses had to accommodate a variable
East France includes 220 miles (350 km) of toll- and often considerable depth of fill to reduce the
ways, of which 60 miles (100 km) are an optional constraints of the longitudinal profile in this
section, between the cities of Lyons, Grenoble, mountainous region. The ideal answer was found
Geneva, and Valence in order to improve com- in the use of reinforced concrete arch structures,
munications between Germany and Switzerland on which proved extremely well adapted and had a
one hand and South France and Spain on the cost approximately half that of conventional girder
other. The motorway is situated among the beauti- bridges.
ful western slopes of the Alpine mountain range Apart from the first section of the motorway
(see the location map, Figure 3.96). The first 160 (East of Lyons), which had to be built immediately
miles (250 km) include the following structures: and therefore called for conventional solutions
(cast-in-place prestressed concrete slab), and ex-
Ten viaducts varying in length between 500 and cept for certain special situations (excessive skew,
1300 ft (150 to 400 m) railroad crossing, and so on), a careful study
showed that the remaining 150 overpass bridges
Two hundred overpass bridges
should be of precast concrete segmental construc-
Fifty underpasses tion, which were 20% more economical than other
methods and practically maintenance free. The
Such a project afforded an exceptional occasion to study further showed that segmental construction
\ I -4
+.. ---. 4.m -. (.
fb)
lb)
SPAN I8 te 30 m zyxwvutsrq
J
Overpass structures of two spans could be pass bridge with a mobile crane. Temporary pre-
erected using the technique illustrated above for stress over the deck slab is shown in Figure 3.106.
three-span structures, Figure 3.104. As would be The viaducts required the manufacture of larger
expected, the longer spans required the use of ad- segments in the same precasting factory used for
ditional falsework towers. An overpass bridge, the overpass segments, but with casting proceeding
foundations plus piers and superstructure, could in the usual short-line horizontal fashion. Three
be constructed in less than two weeks. Figure 3.105 casting machines were used simultaneously to pro-
shows a typical segment being placed in the over- duce all viaduct segments.
134 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
HYORAULIC JAcu5 EMFORARY PRE5TR6’59
SLIDE _ 5ilDE
FIGURE 3.104. Alpine Motorway Bridges, erection scheme for two-span overpass
bridges.
Erecting segments in the various structures re- eluding 25 segments, one pier segment weighing
quired the use of a launching gantry of an excep- 48 t (44 mt), and 24 typical segments weighing 36 t
tionally light and elaborate design, allowing easy (33 mt) could be accomplished in six to eight
transportation and erection from site to site, Figure working days, including launching the gantry to
3.107. A typical 200 ft (60 m) long cantilever in- the following pier and achieving continuity with
the preceding cantilever. The maximum rate of
segment placing w as 12 units in a single day.
This project is another interesting application of
mass-production techniques and the standardiza-
tion of segmental construction.
FIGURE 3.105. Alpine Motorway, segment placing in FIGURE 3.106. Alpine Motorway, provisional pre-
overpass with crane. stress over deck slab.
Br-idge Over the Eastern Scheldt, Holland 135
600 tons
FIGURE 3.112. Bridge over the Eastern Scheldt, FIGURE 3.113. Bridge over the Eastern Scheldt, ae-
schematic of erection sequence (courtesy of the Portland rial view of construction showing various phases (cour-
Cement A sso ciatio n). tesy of the Portland Cement Association).
ELEVATION
FIGURE 3.114. Capt. Cook Bridge, plan and elevation, f‘rom ref.. 17.
138 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
structure of prestressed concrete segmental two- ing bearing location and rubber and steel finger
cell boxes, Figures 3.115 and 3.1 16.17 joints at the remaining locations.”
Steel rocker bearings were used to support the The box girder segments have a maximum
superstructure at piers 1, 3, and 4, and large- depth of 32 ft (9.75 m) and a minimum depth of 6
diameter single steel roller bearings were used at ft (1.83 m). Segment length is 8 ft 8 in. (2.64 m). A
pier 2. Lubricated bronze bearings sliding on 16 in. (0.4 m) cast-in-place, fully reinforced joint
stainless steel were used at the north abutment and was used between segments. Maximum segment
for the movable bearings at the suspended spans. weight is 126 tons (114 mt). A total of 364 precast
Steel finger joints, allowing a 10 in. (250 mm) segments were required in the superstructure with
maximum movement, were provided at each slid- the two segments over the tie-wall in the south
abutment being cast in place.”
The ContracEor chose to locate the precasting
operation on the river bank near the south abut-
ment. This casting yard consisted of a concrete
mixing plant, steam-curing plant, three adjustable
steel forms, segment tilting frame, and a gantry
crane to transport the segments to a storage area
along the river bank. Segments were designed so
that the top flange and upper portion of the webs
had a constant thickness. The depth and lower
portion accommodated all variations, allowing the
contractor to cast in two sets of adjustable forms.
Segments were cast with their longitudinal axis in a
II H-=--- vertical position for ease of concrete placement
around the prestressing ducts. Separate interior
forms were constructed for each box to permit
variations in the bottom flange and web thickness
and size of fillets. Aft.er casting and curing, seg-
ments were lifted into a tilting frame to realign the
segment into its normal position ready for han-
dling and storage.i7
A floating crane, designed and built by the con-
tractor, was used for erection of the segments. It was
essentially a rectangular pontoon with mounted
FIGURE 3.115. Capt. Cook Bridge, cross section at
A-frame lifting legs rising to 120 ft (36.6 m) with
pier 3, from ref. 17. adequate clearance to service the finished deck
level, while the stability was sufficient to transport
the segments to the erection position, Figure 3.117.
An extended reach was required to position seg-
ments on the first two spans in the shallow water
near the bank.17
Segments on each side of the pier were sup-
ported on falsework anchored to the pier shafts,
Figure 3.118. From this point additional segments,
as they were erected, were supported on a can-
tilever falsework from the completed portion of
the structure. This falsework was fixed under the
completed girder and supported from deck level,
Figure 3.119. When the capacity of the pier to
carry the segment unbalanced load was reached, a
temporary prop support on driven piles was con-
FIGURE 3.116. Crpt. Cook Bridge, two-cell box gir- structed before cantilever erection could continue..
der segment being erected (courtesy of G. Beloff, Main Segment erection then proceeded on each side
Roads Department). until either the joint position of the suspended
Other Notable Structures 139
FIGURE 3.118. Capt. Cook Bridge, support for seg- FIGURE 3.120. Capt. C o o k Brid g e, c o m p leted
ments on each side of pier (courtesy of G. Beloff, Main structure (courtesy of G. Beloff, Main Roads Depart-
Roads Department). ment).
140 Precast Balanced Cantilever Girder Bridges
3.h2 1.39
13.42
e L
17.400
MOTORWAY
CENTRAL
zyxwvutsrqpo
L RESERVE 4
-
INSITU JOINT
\
WEST I-
El e v at i o n
3.18.6 KENTUCKY RIVER BRIDGE, U.S.A. 3.18.7 I-205 COLUMBIA RIVER BRIDGE, U.S.A.
This structure crossing the Kentucky River is lo- This large project represents one of the major ap-
cated in Franklin County just south of Frankfort, plications of precast segmental construction in the
Kentucky. It is a three-span structure with a 323 ft United States. The 5770 ft (1759 m) long structure
(98.5 m) center span and 228.5 ft (70 m) side spans. carries Interstate I-205 from Vancouver, Wash-
In cross section the superstructure consists of two ington, across the North Channel of the Columbia
rectangular boxes. It is,the first precast segmental River to Government Island near Portland, Ore-
bridge to be constructed in the United States using gon. Twin structures carry two 68 ft (20.7 m) wide
the long-bed casting method, Figure 3.131. A view roadways with span lengths varying between 600 ft
during construction is show n in Figure 3.132. (183 m) and 242 ft (74 m). Typical dimensions ofzyxwvutsrq
170’-0’
I_--
ELEV 694.0
-TRANSVERSE
POST-TENSIONIN
210
-!k-Ao.‘-L+- ._
fb) fcJ
FIGURE 3.129. Kishwaukee River Bridge, superstructure elevation and cross sections.
(a) Elevation. (b) Section at midspan. (c) Section at pier. (From ref. 18.)
Other Notable Structures 143
the main spans over the river are shown in Figure tion allowed in the bidding documents to select
3.133. Dimensions of the cross section, as designed, his own construction method and proceeded with
are shown in Figure 3.134. However, the contrac- casting in place in conventional travelers the two
tor, under a value engineering option in the con- cantilevers adjacent to the main navigation chan-
tract documents (see Chapter 12), elected to re- nel (piers 12 and 13), w hile all other spans are
design the cross section to a two-cell box section, of precast segmental construction. Figure 3.136
Figure 3.135. The contractor exercised the op- shows a rendering of the structure.
ll'-10"
I 67'-10" 1 I 67'-11" I
I I
11.70
I
FIGURE 3.138. Ottmarsheim Bridge, general dimensions.
3.18.9 OTTM ARSHEIM BRIDGE, FRANCE This very important project is a recent application
of precast segmental construction to urban ele-
This bridge in East France close to Germany and vated structures. The constraints relating to loca-
the Rhine River at the Ottmarsheim hydroelectric tion of piers and construction over highway and
plant is today the longest clear span of precast railway traffic are comparable to the conditions en-
segmental construction and the first major appli- countered at the B-3 South Viaducts in Paris,
cation of lightweight concrete to this type of France.
structure. Principal dimensions are shown in Fig- The principal project dimensions are shown in
ure 3.138. As shown in the longitudinal section, Figure 3.142. All segments will be placed in the
lightweight concrete was used only in the center twin bridge using two launching gantries, which
portion of the two main spans over the navigable incorporate the latest technological developments
waterway and over the outlet channel of the power in safety and efficiency.
plant. Figure 3.139 is a view of the completed
structure.
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjih
Sand Cement 3 :
Riprap. (Typ.1
L2ig”
LOLO”
t, I
al
4.4
INTRODUCTION
LIVE LOAD REQUIREMENT?3
OF CONSTRUCTION
Design of Segmental
4.10
Bridges
4.5 TYPF, SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS OF THE SUPER- 4.11 JOINTS BETWFEN MATCH-CAST SEGMENTS
sTRu- 4.12 DESIGN OF SUPERSTRUCl-URE CROSS SECl’ION
4.5.1 Box Sections 4.13 SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN SUPmUCIWRE DESIGN
4.5.2 Sbape of Superst~ cture in Elevation 4.13.1 Diapluagms
4.5.3 Choice of Typical Cross Section 4.13.2 Superstructure over Piers
4.5.4 Dimensions of the Typical Cuss Section 4.13.3 End Abutments
4.6 TRANSVERSE DISI’RIBUI’ION OF LQADS BETWEEN 4.13.4 Expansion Joint and Hinge Segment
BOX GIRDERS IN MULTIBOX GIRDERS 4.14 DEFLECITONS O F CAN TI LE V E R B R I D GE S AN D
4.7 EFFECT OF TEMPFXATI-JRF, GRADIENTS IN BRIDGE CAMBER DESIGN
suPFRsl-RucrUREs 4.15 FATIGUE IN SEGMENTAL BRIDGES
4.8 DESIGN OF LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS FOR FLE- 4.16 PROVISIONS FOR FUTURE PmIN G
XURE AND TENDON PROFILES 4.17 DEhGN FXAMPLE
4.8.1 Principle of Pre&ess Iayout 4.17.1 Longitudinal Beding
4.8.2 Draped Tendons 4.17.2 Redktribution of Moments
4.8.3 Shaight Tendons 4.17.3 Stresses at Midspan
4.8.4 Summary of Tendon Profiles and Anchor Locations 4.17.4 shear
4.8.5 Special Problems of Continuity PresWss and An- 4.17.5 Design of the Cross-Section Frame
cbonge Thereof 4.18 QUANTITIES OF MATERIALS
4.8.6 Iayout of Pmskess in Strucaups with Hinges and 4.19 POTENTL4L PROBLEM ARF.AS
Expansion Joints REFERENCES
4.8.7 Redistribution of Moments and Stresses Through
concrete creep
aware of to produce a satisfactory design. Both The depth-to-span and width-to-depth ratios for
concepts are viable ones, and both have been used segmental construction presently advocated in the
to produce successful structures. United States have been adopted from European
In general, the segmental technique is closely practice. The lighter live loads used in the United
related to the method of construction and the States should permit further refinements in our
structural system employed. This is why segmental design approach.
construction, either cast in place or precast, has
been often identified with the cantilever construc-
tion use d in so many applications. It is logical to 4.3 Span Arrangement and Related Principles
ta ke bridge structures built in cantilever as a basis of Construction
for the design considerations developed in this
chapter. Where other methods, such as incremen- In the balanced cantilever type of construction,
tal launching or progressive placement, require segments are placed in a symmetrical fashion about
special design considerations, such problems are a pier. The designer must always remember that
discussed in the appropriate chapters. construction proceeds with symmetrical cantilever
deck sections centered about the piers and not with
completed spans between successive piers.2
4.2 Live-Load Requirements For a typical three-span structure, the side spans
should preferably be 65 percent of the main center
In comparing practices in other countries to those span instead of 80 percent in conventional cast-
in the United States, an important parameter to in-place structures. This is done to reduce to a
keep in mind is that of live-load requirements. Fig- minimum the length of the deck portion next to
ure 4.1 illustrates the considerable differences the abutment, which cannot be conveniently built
among code requirements in various countries.’ in balanced cantilever, Figure 4.2~.
For a simple span of 164 ft (50 m) and width of Where span lengths must vary, as between a
24.6 ft (7.5 m), the German specification requires a main span and an approach span, it is best to intro-
live-load design moment 186% greater and the duce an intermediate span whose length will aver-
French requires one 290% greater than that of age the two flanking spans, Figure 4.26. In this
AASHTO. Some Canadian provinces use the manner the cantilever concept is optimized.
AASHTO specifications but arbitrarily increase the Individual cantilever sections are generally made
live load by 25%.
M km)
f
P(m)
50
100 loo
AASHTO 100%
A A S H T O IRC
100 138
138
DIN 1072
186
173
CPC zyxwvutsr
continuous by insertion of positive-moment ten-
290
177
5000
P
t A
//
4 0 0 0 l- q M a x . M France- / / /
8 I DIN l07i /
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 loo ah)
Span
(a)
I
LI ‘ 2 (LITL2) L2
, ..I
(b)
Section A-A
joint into slots provided in the main abutment duced by the use of lightweight concrete in the
w all, Fig u re 4.7. The neo p rene b earing s are center of the main span.
placed above the web cantilever rather than below Puteaux Bridges over the Seine River, near Paris
to transfer the uplift force while allowing the deck (Section 2.15.10).
to expand f-reely.
Interesting examples of such concepts are given A few bridges have even been built in cantilever
in the three following bridges: entirely from the abutments. The Reallon Bridge
in Frarice is one such structure, Figure 4.10, where
G iv o rs Brid g e o v er the Rho ne Riv er, Franc e, very special site conditions with regard to bridge
shown in Figure 4.8. The main dimensions are profile and shape of the valley were best met with
given with the typical construction stages of the this concept.
superstructure. Another set of circumstances may be encoun-
Tric astin Brid g e o v er the Rho ne Riv er, Franc e tered when it is not possible to select the desired
(Section 2.15.11). No river piers were desired for span lengths to optimize the use of cantilever con-
the structure, which dictated a main span of 467 ft struction. Such was the situation of the bridge over
(142.50 m), and there w as no room on the banks to the Seine River for the Paris Ring Road, where a
increase the side spans so as to avoid the end uplift. side span on the left bank could not be less than 88
Two very short side spans of only 83 ft (25.20 m) percent of the main river span over the river, while
provide the end restraint of the river span. The very stringent traffic requirements governed the
uplift is transferred to the abutments, which are placement pattern of precast segments on the right
earth tilled to provide a counterweight, Figure 4.9. bank, Figure 4.11.
The magnitude of the uplift force has been re-zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
FIGURE 4.8. Givors Bridge over the Rhone River, France, span dimensions and typical
construction stages. (1) Construction of left bank river pier segment. The eight segments
either side of the pier are erected, and pier stability is assured by temporary props. (2)
The connection between deck and abutments is made. Temporary props are removed
and the seven remaining segments are placed in cantilever. (3) The above operation is
repeated on the right bank. The central pier segments are poured. Two segments are
erected on either side of each pier, supported by scaffolding. (4) The last segment is
placed in the central span, continuity is achieved between the two cantilevers, and the
scaffolding is removed. (5) The remaining 16 segments on either side of the central piers
are placed. (6) The 110 m spans are completed by pouring the closure segments and
152
tensioning the continuity prestress. The superstructure is now complete.
Elevation
Section A-A ’ ’
I I
Plan
154
Deck Expansion, Hinges and Continuity 155
I
Cc)
FIGURE 4.11. Paris Belt (Downstream). (0) Typical
construction stages. (b) Segment assembly-right bank.
(c) Segment assembly-left bank.
was thus obtained in terms of vertical displacement Because of the various hinges at midpoints of the
but not insofar as rotation at the hinge point was spans, there is no restraint to the vertical and an-
concerned. gular displacements of the cantilever due to the ef-
Remember that in this type of structure the deck fect of creep. Steel relaxation and the corre-
is necessarily fixed at the various piers, which must sponding prestress losses tend to make matters
be designed to carry the unbalanced moments due worse, while concrete creep is responsible for a
to unsymmetrical live-load patterns over the deck. progressive lowering of the center of each span.
On the other hand, these structures are simple to With time, there is an increasing angle break in the
design because they are statically determinate for deck profile at the hinge. The magnitude of the
all dead loads and prestressing, and the effect of deflection has been reported to be in excess of one
live load is simple to compute. Because there are foot (0.03 m).
no moment reversals in the deck, the prestressing The difficulties experienced with this type of
tendon layout is simple. construction are such that most government offi-
Some disadvantages were accepted as the price cials in Western Europe will no longer permit its
of simplicity of design: use.3
4.4.2 CONTINUOUS SUPERSTRUCTURES
The deck has a lower ultimate capacity as com-
pared with a continuous structure, because there is
Further research concerning the exact properties
no possible redistribution of moments.
and behavior of materials for such structures hav-
Hinges are difficult to design, install, and operate ing a midspan hinge would enable more accurate
satisfactorily. prediction of the expected deflection and thus
There are many expansion joints, and regardless better control. A far more positive approach is to
of precautions taken in design, construction, and eliminate the fundamental cause of the phenome-
operation they are always a source of difficulty and non by avoiding all permanent hinges and achiev-
high maintenance cost. ing full continuity whenever possible.
To show the relative behavior of a continuous
The major disadvantage, revealed only by experi- structure and one with hinges at midspan, a nu-
ence, related to the exceeding sensitivity of such merical application was made for the center span
structures to steel relaxation and concrete creep. of the Choisy-le-Roi Bridge in two extreme cases:
156 Design of Segmental Bridges
E ? 0 E ? 6J
No. Load Stage ( lo6 psi) (in.) (in. X 103/ in.) ( lo6 psi) (in.) (in. X 103/ in.)
Explication of symbols:
E = modulus of elasticity for each particular loading stage
y = vertical deflection at crown
o = total angular break at crown (expressed in thousandths of inch per inch)
Derivation of results:
(3) = (1) + (2) girder weight and initial prestress
(7) = (3) + (5) + (6) finished structure (initial stage)
(9) = (7) + (8) finished su-ucture (final stage)
Cast-in-place cantilever with a hinge at midspan, the p restress o f f sets a g reater p erc entag e o f
and dead-load moments, 83 percent instead of 58 per-
Precast segmental continuous construction. cent.
LIYE’ LILI
3 I.0
2’ -
=
= CISI II me cloIIoIIII
E m 11 rince
,= nln181 struclnrc I rrecna Wrrlrre = I Clntlnrl~:
llnltd Strwri rrecul ltrrclrre
FIGURE 4.12. Comparison of deflection under dead
load and prestressing (hinged versus continuous struc- FIGURE 4.14. Comparison of deflections caused by
ture). live load (hinged versus continuous structure).
Deck Expansion, Hinges and Continuity 157
When the effect of concrete creep is considered, 7% in the c o ntinu o u s stru c tu re. Theref o re, the
however, there is a significant difference between continuous structure is three times less sensitive to
the tw o ty p es o f stru c tu res, Fig u re 4.13. The possible deviations from the assumed material
hinged structure has a vertical deflection of 1.1 in. properties.
(28 mm) and a corresponding total angle break of Live-load deflections of the continuous structure
0.0028 in./ inch. This value is twice that shown in are three times more rigid than the hinged struc-
Table 4.1 and Figure 4.13 for the angle change of ture, Figure 4.14. The deflection of a typical span
one cantilever, the value of 2.8 being the total angle of the Oleron Viaduct in France is compared with a
break of the two abutting cantilevers. The continu- continuous span and with a crown hinged span in
ous structure indicates a camber of 0.1 in. (3 mm), Figure 4.15.
and no angle break will ever appear because of full From these data it is obvious that the fullest use
continuity. o f c o ntinu ity and the elim inatio n o f hing es at
Further, the effect of deviation of actual pre- midspan w henev er p o ssib le is b enef ic ial to the
stress load from the design prestress load points structural behavior of the bridge, to safety and
out an important difference in the sensitivity of the comfort of traffic, and to the structure’s aesthetic
two systems. Assuming the actual prestress in the appearance.
structure to differ from the design assumption by In practice, the continuity of the individual can-
5%, the corresponding maximum deflection is in- tilever arms at midspan is obtained by another set
creased by 23% in the hinged structure but only of prestressing tendons, usually called continuity
\ /’ I ’
\( 0 , 6 I. %
Y I
2 6 0 I-L
prestressing, which is installed along the span in a Maximum deflection under live load is reduced in
continuous structure. Details of the design aspects the ratio of 2.2 to 1.
of this prestress will be discussed in Section 4.8. Maximum angle break under live load is reduced
in the ratio of 3.0 to 1.
4.4.3 EXPAMSIO,V O F LOAVG BRIDGES
For dead-load deflections the difference is even
When the continuity of the superstructure is se- more significant, such that there is no substantial
lected as optimum for the behavior of the struc- difference between the actual structure and a fully
ture, one must keep in mind that proper measures continuous one.
should be concurrently taken to allow for expan- The variation of the angle break at the hinge
sion due either to short-term and cyclic volume point versus the hinge location along the span
changes or to long-term concrete creep. length is shown in Figure 4.16. There seems to be
The piers may be made flexible enough to allow little doubt that the structure is improved by selec-
for such expansion or may be provided with elas- tion of a proper location for the hinge and the ex-
tomeric bearings to reduce the magnitude of hori- pansion joint.
zontal loads to acceptable levels when applied to Theoretically, the ideal hinge position is between
the su b stru c tu re. This im p o rtant asp ec t o f the points ,4 and B, which are the contraflexure points
o v erall b rid g e d esig n co ncep t is co nsid ered in f o r d ead and liv e lo ad s. Fro m a c o nstru c tio n
Chapter 5. standpoint, such a location f-or the hinge compli-
Several structures are currently made continu- cates the erection process, for the hinge must be
ous in lengths of 1000 to 2000 ft (300 to 600 m) tem p o rarilv b lo c ked and subsequentlv released
and in exceptional cases even 3000 ft (900 m). For w hen the sp an is c o m p lete and continuitv is
longer structures, full c o ntinuity b etw een end achieved. We will consider this subject in detail
abutments is not possible because of the excessive after exam ining the lay o u t o f lo ng itu d inal pre-
magnitude of the horizontal movements between stress in cantilever bridges (Section 4.8.6).
superstructure and piers and related problems. It was recently discovered, in the designing of
Therefore, intermediate expansion joints must be the Sallingsund Bridge, that the optimum location
provided. For long spans they should not be placed
at the center of the span, as in the early cantilever
bridges, but closer to the contraflexure point to
minimize the effect of a long-term deflection. Such
a concept was developed initially for the Oleron
Viaduct and is currently used on large structures
such as the Saint Clo ud Brid g e in Paris, Sal-
lingsund Bridge in Denmark, and the Columbia
River and Zilwaukee Bridges in the United States.
Detailed computations were made in the case of
the Oleron Viaduct to optimize the location of the
expansion joint in a typical 260 ft (80 m) span, Fig-
ure 4.15 shows the shape of the deflection curve
for a uniform live loading with the three following
assumptions:
The advantages of having moved the hinge away MID- SPAN AND PIER
from the center toward the quarter-span point are FIGURE 4.16. Variation of angle break at the hinge
obvious: with hinge location along the span.
Type, Shape, and Dimensions of the Superstructure 159
of the hinge to control the deflections under least amount of prestressing steel. The efficiency of
service-load conditions does not simultaneously a section is usually measured by the following di-
permit achievement of the overall maximum mensionless coefficient:
capacity under ultimate conditions. This question
r2zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSR
will be discussed later in this chapter. p=-
C&2
The preceding discussion of hinge location
applies particularly for very long spans or for slen- with the notations as given in Figures 4.17 and
der structures. For moderate spans with sufficient 4.18, where some basic formulas are presented.
girder depth it has been found that careful detail- The efficiency would be p = 1 if the concrete
ing of the prestress in the hinged span can allow were concentrated in thin flanges with webs of
the hinge to be maintained at the centerpoint for negligible thickness. On the other hand, a rectan-
simplicity (spans less than 200 ft with a depth to gular section has an efficiency of only l/3. The
span ratio of approximately 20). Such was the case usual box section efficiency is p = 0.60, which is
for the cantilever alternatives of the Long Key and significantly better than that of an I girder.
Seven Mile Bridges in Florida. 2. Another advantage of the large bottom
flange is that the concrete area is sufficiently large
4.5 Type, Shape, and Dimensions of
at ultimate load to balance the full capacity of the
the Superstructure
prestressing tendons without loss in the magnitude
of the lever arm. ’
4.5.1 BOX SECTIONS
3. The elastic stability of the structure is excel-
The typical section best suited for cantilever con- lent both during construction and under service
struction is the box section, for the following rea- conditions, because the closed box section has a
sons: large torsional rigidity.
4. In wide bridge decks where several girders
1. Because of the construction method, dead- must be used side by side, the large torsional stiff-
load moments produce compression stresses at the ness of the individual box girders allows a very
bottom fiber along the entire span length, and satisfactory transverse distribution of live loads
maximum moments occur near the piers. The without intermediate diaphragms between piers.
typical section therefore must be provided with a 5. Because of their torsional rigidity, box
large bottom flange, particularly near the piers, girders lend themselves to the construction of
and this is achieved best with a box section. curved bridge superstructures and provide
The efficiency of the box section is very good, maximum flexibility for complicated tendon trajec-
and for a given amount of concrete provides the tories.
(0) 6)
Longitudinal section Typical tramverSe section
FIGURE 4.17. Typical characteristics of a box section: Total section height: h; cross-
section area: A; moment of inertia: I; position of centroid; c,, c2; radius of gyration: r
given by rp = Z/A; efficiency ratio: p = r%,c,; limits of central core: r*/c, = PC,; r%, = pc2;
for the usual box girder: p = 0.60.
160 Design of Segmental Bridges
dl
px
,c2/ I
h
- FzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCB
Cl
Y
Ph h
I
(a) Cc)
zyxwvuts
box girder. (u) For maximum negative moment over the
pier (LX + LL): total moment = M; required prestress =
F = M/z with z = c, - cf, + cp; usually over the piel- z =
0.75 12. (b) For maximum positive moment at midspan
(LX + IL): total moment = ‘M; required prestress = F =
M/i with z = cp - cf2 + c ,; usually at midspan z = 0.70h. (c)
For variable moments (LL): total moment variation =
A M (sum of positive and negative L.C. moments); re-
(b) quired prestress = F = hM/ph (p = 0.60).
The optimum selection of the proportions of the All these factors are closely related to each other,
box section is generally a matter of experience. A and they also depend largely upon the construc-
careful review of existing bridges provides an ex- tio n req u irem ents- f o r exam p le, the siz e o f the
cellent basis for preliminary design. The various p ro jec t that w ill req u ire a larg e inv estm ent in
parameters that should be considered at the start sophisticated casting equipment.
of a design are:
4.5.2 SHAPE OF SUPERSTRUCTURE IiY
Constant versus variable depth ELEVz4TlOh’
Span-to-depth ratio
Constant depth is the easiest choice and affords the
Number of parallel box girders best solution for short and moderate spans, up to
Shape and dimensions of each box girder, includ- 200 ft (60 m). However, constant depths have been
ing number of webs, vertical or inclined webs, used for aesthetic reasons for spans to 450 ft (140
thickness of webs, top and bottom flanges m), such as the Saint Cloud Bridge in Paris and the
Type, Shape, and Dimensions of the Superstructure 161
Pine Valley and Columbia River Bridges in the The semiconstant depth, where the concrete re-
United States, Figure 4.19~. quired in the bottom flange near the piers is placed
When the span increases, the magnitude of outside the typical section rather than inside the
dead-load moments near the piers normally re- box (constant dimension for the interior cell). This
quires a variation of structural height and a curved solution has been used on two bridges in France
intrados. When clearance requirements allow, a and is aesthetically satisfactory, Figure 4.196.
circular intrados is the easier and more aestheti-
cally pleasing choice, although in some cases (such Straight haunches (bridge for the Ring Road in
as the Houston Ship Channel Bridge) a more com- Paris). In this case caution must be exercised to in-
plex profile must adjust to the critical corners of sure compatibility of the local stresses induced by
the clearance diagram. Between the constant- the abrupt angle change of the bottom soffit at the
depth and the curved-intrados solutions, Figure start of the haunch, where a full diaphragm is usu-
4.19, intermediate options may be used, such as: ally needed inside the box, Figure 4.19~.
_.,
1/16<h,lL<1/20
1/30<holL < l/50
o p t i m u m l/l8
I
Circular intrados or
third-degree parabola
Cd)
FIGURE 4.19 Longitudinal profile for segmental bridges. (k) Constant depth.
(b) Semiconstant depth. (c) Straight haunches. (d) Variable depth.
162 Design of Segmental Bridges
4.53 CHOICE OF TYPICAL CROSS SECTION 10 in. (250 mm) when small ducts for either verti-
cal or longitudinal post-tensioning tendons occur
Web spacing is usually selected betw een 15 and 25 in the web
ft (4.5 and 7.5 m) to reduce the number of webs to 12 in. (300 mm) when ducts for tendons (twelve 3
a minimum, simplifying construction problems in. diameter strands) occur in the web
while keeping transverse bending moment in the 14 in. (350 mm) when an anchor for a tendon
top and bottom flanges within reasonable limits. (twelve 4 in. diameter strands) is anchored in the
A superstructure up to 40 ft (12 m) in width is web proper
thus normally made up of a single cell box girder
with two lateral cantilevers, the span of which is Most codes underestimate the capacity of two-
slightly less than one-fourth the total width (7 to 8 way slabs, such as the roadway slab or top flange of
ft for a 40 ft width). a box girder bridge, whether prestressed trans-
For wide bridges, multicell box girders may be versely or mild-steel reinforced. There is a great
used: reserve of strength due to the frame action be-
tween slabs and webs in the transverse direction.
Three webs, two cells: as in the B-3 South Viaduct The minimum slab thickness to prevent punch-
and the Deventer Bridge ing shear under a concentrated w heel load is ap-
Four webs, three cells: as in the Saint Cloud Bridge proximately 6 in. (150 mm). However, it is recom-
and the Columbia River Bridge mended that a slab thickness of not less than 7 in.
(175 mm) be used to allow enough flexibility in the
Alternatively, large lateral cantilevers and a large layout of the reinforcing steel and prestressing
span length between webs are accepted with special ducts and obtain an adequate concrete cover over
provisions to carry the deck live loads transversely: the steel and ducts.
Recommended minimum top flange thickness
Transverse flange stiffeners as in the Saint Andre versus the actual span length between webs should
de Cubzac, Vejle Fjord, and Zilwaukee Bridges be:
Side boxes as in the Chillon Viaduct
Span less than 10 ft (3 m) 7 in. (175 mm)
Alternatively several boxes may be used side by Span betw een 10 and 15 ft 8 in. (200 mm)
side to make up the superstructure. Figures 4.20 (3 to 4.5 m)
through 4.24 give the dimensions of a few struc- Span betw een 15 and 25 ft 10 in. (250 mm)
tures selected at random from various countries (4.5 to 7.5 m)
throughout the world. Over 25 ft (7.5 m), it is usually more economical to
substitute a system of ribs or a voided slab for a
4.5.4 DIM ENSIONS OF THE TYPICAL
so lid slab.
C R O SS SEC TI O N
-I--=-+ (b)
(4
zyxw
s,
(e)
163
164 Design of Segmental Bridges
FIGURE 4.20 (Continzx~) (f) Viosne (1972), 197. (g) J o i n v i l l e (twin deck) (1976), 354. (h)
Gennevilliers (1976), 564.
(175 mm) be used, regardless of the stress re- sideration should be given to the design of such
quirements. Where longitudinal ducts for prestress members with particular emphasis on the follow-
are distributed in the bottom flange, a minimum ing points:
thickness of 8 to 10 in. (200 to 250 mm) is usually
necessary, depending on the duct size. Distribution of load between box girders in mul-
Near the piers, the bottom slab thickness is pro- tibox girder bridges
gressively increased to resist the compressive Effect of temperature gradients in the structure
stresses due to longitudinal bending. In the Ben-
dorf Bridge, 680 ft (207 m) span, the bottom
flange thickness is 8 ft (2.4 m) at the main piers 4.6 Transverse Distribution of Loads Between Box
and is heavily reinforced to keep the compressive Girders in Multibox Girders
stresses w ithin allo w able limits.
After this brief review of the various conceptual We noted earlier that wide decks can conveniently
choices for dimensioning the deck members, con- consist of two or even three separate boxes trans-
0 3 4.60
(1))
10.92 I
! 10.60 1
I 1 5.50 g I -t 7
1 ’ 10.60 ’ ,
FIGURE 4.21. Typical dimensions of some precast segmental cantilever bridges in
France. Year of construction and maximum span length (ft): (a) Choisy-le-Roi (1965),
180; (b) Courbevoie (1967), 197; (c) Oleron Viaduct (1966), 260; (d) Seudre (1971), 260;
(e) B-3 South Viaduct (1973), 157; cf) St. Andre de Cubzac (1974), 312; (g) St. Cloud
(1974), 334; (h) Ottmarsheim (1976), 564.
165
%I 900 ,96, %1 9cKl 196
1 1
(4
c_- 9 50
(e) t
I
c zyxwvutsrqp
.-
(h)
166
zyxwvutsrqpo
Cc)
(4 zyxw
(ft): (a) Koblenz, Germany (1954), cast in place,
374; (b) Bendorf, Germany (1964), cast in
place, 682; (c) Chillon, Switzerland (1970), pre-
cast, 341; (d) Sallingsund, Denmark (1978),
.precast, 305; (e) Vejle Fjord, Denmark (1979),
cast in place, 361.
167
(b)
(c) zyxwvutsrqpo
FIGURE 4.23. Typical dimensions of some segmental cantilever bridges in Europe.
Year of construction and maximum span length (ft): (a) Felsenau, Switzerland (1978),
cast in place, 512; (6) Tarento, Italy (1977), cast in place, 500; (c) Kochertal, Germany
(1979), cast in place, 453.
168
Transverse Distribution of Loads Between Box Girders in Multibox Girders 169
Typical Cross Section girders, on one hand, and the torsional rigidity of
such box girders on the other hand, would result in
a very satisfactory transverse distribution of live
loads between box girders. There is no need for
diaphragms between girders as normally provided
!22'-6"!
!22'-;q6,
for I-girder bridgers.
Comprehensive programs of load testing of sev-
t 4 eral bridges, including accurate measurements of
deflections for eccentric loading, fully confirmed
the results of theoretical analysis. This analysis has
been reported in various technical documents, and
only selected results will be presented in this sec-
tion.
The first bridge analyzed in this respect was the
Choisy-le-Roi Bridge. A knife-edge load P is con-
sidered with a uniform longitudinal distribution
along the span, Figure 4.25. When this load travels
, 20'4 1 crosswise from curb to curb, each position may be
r r
3a'-6" analyzed with respect to the proportion of vertical
t 4
load carried by each box girder, together with the
corresponding torsional moment and transverse
, 17'-5" , moment in the deck slab. These analyses have
' 38'-6" T made it possible to draw transverse influence lines
t 4
for each effect considered, such as longitudinal
bending m o m e n t s ( o v e r t h e s u p p o r t o r a t
midspan), torsional moments, or transverse mo-
ments.
For longitudinal moments it is convenient to use
a dimensionless coefficient, Figure 4.25c, which
represents the increase or decrease of the load car-
ried by one box girder in comparison with the
average load, assuming an even distribution be-
, 36' 1 tween both girders. Numerical results show that
T 59'-3" r
m
4 the transverse distribution of a knife-edge load
placed on one side (next to the curb) of a twin box
I 381 girder produces bending moments in each box that
1
1 T are 1.4 and 0.6 times the average bending moment.
For the same configuration, a typical deck with I
FIGURE 4.24. Typical dimensions of some segmental
cantilever bridges in the Americas. Year of construction girders would have an eccentricity coefficient of
and maximum span length (ft): (n) Rio Niteroi, Brazil approximately 4 compared with 1.4 for the box
(1971), precast, 262: (h) Pine Valley, U.S.A. (1974), cast girders. There are, however, two side effects to
in place, 450; (c) Kipapa, U.S.A. (1977). cast in place, such an encouraging behavior, which relate to tor-
250; (n) Kishwaukee, U.S.A., precast, 250; (e) Long Key, sion stresses and transverse bending of the deck
U.S.A., precast, 118;(r) Seven Mile, U.S.A., precast, 135; slab.
(y) Columbia River, U.S.A., cast in place and precast,
600: (h) Zilwaukee, U.S.A., precast, 375; (i) Houston Torsional M oments in the Box Girder An unsym-
Ship Channel, U.S.A., cast in place, 750. metrical distribution of live loads in the transverse
direction tends to warp the box girders and cause
versely connected by the top flange. A detailed shear stresses. It is their high torsional rigidity
analysis was made of such decks with regard to the which produces a favorable distribution of loads
distribution of live load between the various boxes. between girders. However, the maximum torsional
It was found that in normal structures of this type, moments usually occur when only one-half the
the combined effect of the flexural rigidity of the structure (in cross section) is loaded, and the re-
roadway slab acting transversely as a rigid frame sulting stresses do not cumulate with the shear
with the webs and bottom slab of the various box stresses produced by the full live-load shear force.
170 Design of Segmental Briees
Span length,
L P
I
(A)
(z
I 4 41 4
I +
ho (at midspan) (
2d
c---h
Center of span
h, (over support) 2d’
* 4
67)
Transuer M oments in the Deck Slab The deck slab girders is ignored. As a matter of practical interest,
cannot be considered as a continuous beam on actual num erical v alues fo r sev eral b rid g es in
fixed supports because of the relative displace- France with either two or three box girders that
ments on the two boxes due to unsymmetrical have all shown excellent performance for more
loading. Figure 4.25d shows the consequence. If than 10 years are presented in Figures 4.26 and
the slab w ere resting o n f ixed su p p o rts, the 4.27.
influence line for the moment in a section such as
(A) would be the typical line (1). Because the box
girders undergo certain deflections and rotations, 4.7 Effect of Temperature Gradients in
the effect is to superimpose the ordinates of an- Bridge Superstructures
other line such as (2).
Numerically, the difference is not as great as Experience has shown the sensitivity of long-span
may be expected at first sight, because line (1) per- cantilever bridges to concrete creep. This resulted
tains to the effect of local concentrated truck loads in the p referenc e f o r c o ntinu o u s rather than
w hile line (2), b eing the resu lt o f d ifferential hinged cantilevers. How ever, tw o more problems
movements between box girders, pertains to the arose from this significant change in design ap-
effect of uniformly distributed loads. In summary, proach, both being the immediate result of con-
deck moments are increased by only 20 to 30% tinuity. These problems are (1) effect of tempera-
over their normal values if flexibility of the box ture gradient in bridge decks and (2) redistribution
Effect of Temperature Gradients in Bridge Superstructures
29.5 6.6/18.0
0 Givors 7360' 1 ,- (1lOiy 15.'
0 5 ,
Juvisy 220'
yp 14.6 24.9 5.2/10.7 1.23
__- -.- t
@ Choisy-le- \ 1
Roi y 180' 7 (55m) 11.1 22.3 1 co;;fant 1 1.28
i
: t
?d' I
I 1 zyxwvuts
tzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
2d
FIGURE 4.26. Transverse distribution of loads between box girders, numerical values
for several two-box girders.
of internal stresses due to long-term effects (steel measurements on existing structures confirm this
relaxation and concrete creep). The importance of assumption. The average concrete section under-
these two new problems was discovered experi- goes a progressive shortening due to shrinkage
mentally. All structures are designed, according to and concrete creep superimposed naturally with
the provisions of the various codes, for changes of the usual seasonal temperature variations, Figure
temperature that are assumed to apply to the en- 4.286. The to tal c o nc rete strain o f 120 X 10m6
tire section. Significant bending moments in the in./ in. w as v ery m o d erate f o r a p erio d o f f o u r
superstructure occur only as a result of the frame years.
action with the piers where a rigid connection is Daily readings, on the same bridge, of strains
achieved between sub- and superstructure. Actual and magnitude of reactions over the abutment
172 Design of Segmental Bridges
1 I Calculated deflection
2 I (E = 6.4 X lo6 psi)
Measured deflection
Measured deflection
Calculated deflection
(E = 6.9 X lo6 psi)
0 I I 1 I
II ,
..~
Measurec 1 deflection
,
/I
I
--- --
Calculated deflection
I- (E = 7.4 X lo6 psi)
brought to light a factor that had previously been flange concentrates the sun’s radiation. Within a
ignored. This was the differential exposure of the 24-hour period the reaction over the abutment
bridge deck to the sun on warm summer days. This c o uld v ary as m uc h as 26%, Fig u re 4.28~. The
situation is aggravated for bridges crossing a river, equivalent temperature difference between top
where the bottom flange is kept cool by the water and b o tto m f lang es reac hed 18° F ( 10° C ) . The
and the usual black pavement placed over the top maximum stress at the bottom flange level, due
Design of Longitudinal Members for Flexure and Tendon Profile 173
only to this temperature gradient, reached 560 psi 1. As construction in cantilever proceeds, the in-
(3.9 MPa), a value completely ignored in the design creasing dead-load moments are resisted at
assumptions. each step of construction by tendons located in
Various countries of Western Europe have now the top flange of the girder and symmetrically
incorporated special provisions on temperature placed on either side of the pier, Figures 4.30
gradients as a result of this knowledge. In France, and 4.31~. These are known as cantilever ten-
the following assumptions are required: dons.
2. Up o n co m p letio n o f ind iv id ual cantilev ers,
1. Add the effect of a 18°F (10°C) temperature continuity is achieved by a second family of
gradient to the effect of dead loads and normal tendons essentially placed at the center of the
volume changes (such as shrinkage, creep, and various spans, Fig u re 4.316. Bec au se g ird er
maximal temperature differences). The effect lo ad m o m ents are sm all, exc ep t thro u g h
of gradient is computed with an instantaneous long-term redistribution, because of the con-
modulus of elasticity (usually 5 million psi). struction procedure, the continuity prestress is
2. Add the effect of a 9°F (5°C) temperature gra- designed to resist essentially the effect of:
dient to the combined effect of all loads (in- a. Su p erim p o sed lo ad s ( p av em ent, c u rb s,
clud ing liv e lo ad and im p act) and v o lum e and the like).
changes, again using an instantaneous mod- b . Liv e lo ad s.
ulus of elasticity. C. Temperature gradient.
174 Design of Segmental Bridges
I
I 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 ho
-L
d. Subsequent redistribution of girder load dons (such as twelve 3 in. diameter strands). For
and cantilever prestress. very long spans (above 500 ft) large-capacity ten-
dons (such as nineteen 0.6 in. diameter strands)
Tensile stresses are large at the bottom flange with a final prestress force of about 700 kips afford
level, but seldom will continuity prestress gain the a very practical solution for cantilever prestress.
full advantage of the available eccentricity because For continuity prestress the size of tendons is gov-
of the stress conditions at the top flange level. Usu- erned by the possibility of locating the tendon an-
ally this prestress is divided into tendons, B 1 or B2, chors in such areas and w ith such provisions as to
located in the bottom flange, and a few tendons allow a proper distribution of the concentrated
such as B3 which overlap the longer cantilever load to the surrounding concrete section. Units
tendons, Figure 4.3 lb. such as twelve 3 in. diameter or twelve 0.6 in.
For the best selection of prestressing methods, it diameter are usually well adapted with careful de-
is essential to use prestressing units of a capacity tailing for this purpose.
large enough to reduce the number of tendons in
the concrete section, particularly in very long 4.8.2 DRAPED TENDONS
sp ans. O n the o ther hand , there m u st b e a
sufficient number of tendons to match with the In early applications, both families of prestress
number of segments in the cantilever arms. Also, were given a draped profile in the web of the box
units w ith an excessive unit capacity w ill pose seri- section to take advantage of the vertical component
ous problems for the transfer of concentrated high of prestress to reduce the shear stresses. In such a
loads, particularly for cast-in-place structures, configuration there is a considerable overlapping
where concrete strength at the time of prestress is of tendons in the web, because the cantilever pre-
always a critical factor within the construction stress is anchored in the lower part of the web and
cycle. the continuity prestress is anchored at the top
In practical terms, prestress bars are as well flange level; see the layout in Figure 4.31~. Fo r a
adapted to short and medium spans as strand ten- constant-depth section and for segments of equal
Diagrams of moments in a cantilever
length, it is easy to completely standardize the lay- form, and good protection against water seepage
out of prestress in various segments. to the tendons in the finished structure is a critical
Mechanization of the casting operations is a very factor.
desirable feature, all prefabricated reinforcing
cages being identical, with ducts always at the same 4.83 STRAIGHT TENDONS
locations. A substantial amount of repetition may
still be obtained in variable-depth members as seen Tendons are in this configuration located in the
in Figure 4.32, which represents a typical span of upper and lower flange of the box girder and an-
the Oleron Viaduct. The two disadvantages of such chored near the web in their respective flanges.
a prestress layout are: There is no draped profile for the tendons within
the web and consequently no reduction of shear
Cantilever tendon anchors are located in the web stresses due to a vertical component of prestress.
and it is difficult to prevent web cracking, particu- This is a disadvantage of this scheme, w hich may
larly in cast-in-place structures, except through the often require vertical prestress to maintain shear
use of thicker webs and smaller tendons. stresses within allowable limits. On the other hand,
Continuity tendons extend above deck level at both the two advantages are:
ends. The installation of the anchor w ith the
block-out for stressing is difficult in the casting Simplicity in both design and construction
176 Design of Segmental Bridges
(AI )
span L
(b)
Q
.4 : cantilever tendons
B : continuity tendons 0 A A
FIGURE 4.3 1. Typical layout of longitudinal prestress. (a) Cantilever tendons. (b)
Continuity tendons. (c) Standardized layout of tendons for constant-depth segments.
15 I< 13 I? 1’1 ,o
Continuity prestress---
14-(12x l/2” @I
+ 4(12 x .315” $1
Detail B
Detail A
Transverse prestress
TOP PRESTRESS
Critical stresses near the pier are: c. In a block-out in the bottom flange proper
away from the webs.
Longitudinal compression 850 psi
Vertical compression 400 psi Configurations lc, 2b, and 2c all permit pre-
Maximum shear stress 580 psi stressing operations to be performed safely and
efficiently inside the box, Figure 4.37, permitting
Diago nal stresses - 110 psi (tensile),
such operations to be removed from the critical
an d
path of actual placement or construction of the
1360 psi
seg m ents. O nly tho se tend o ns req uired fo r
(compressive)
balancing the self-weight of the segments need to
be installed at each step of construction. The bal-
Typical details of tendon profiles and anchor-
ance of the required prestressing may thus be in-
ages are portrayed for Linn Cove Viaduct in North
stalled later, even after continuity is achieved be-
Carolina, U.S.A., in Figures 4.34, 4.35, and 4.36.
tween several cantilever arms. Tendons for the
additional prestress may then be given a profile
4.8.4 SUM M ARY OF TENDON PROFILES AND
comparable to that used in cast-in-place bridges
A N C H O R L O C A TI O N S
with a length extending over several spans. The
practical limit to this procedure is excessive so-
In the two preceding configurations, tendons were
phistication and related high friction losses in the
anchored in the following manner:
tendons.
1. For cantilever prestress:
a. On the face of the segment in the fillet 4.8.5 SPECIAL PROBLEM S OF CONTINUITY
between top flange and web. PRESTRESS AND ANCHORAGE THEREOF
\
c 8’ .I. e ; ” 3 SW 0 7”,1!4’
FIGURE 4.34. Linn Cove Viaduct, typical cross section showing prestress ducts.
given to that fact at the concept and detailed design gitudinal stresses vanish and consequently the par-
stages, difficulties are likely to develop; we may see tial negation of the effect of tendon curvature is
this by looking at Figures 4.38 and 4.39, which lost. Therefore, the effect of tendon curvature
show the free-body diagrams of stresses in the adds fully to the dead-load stresses of the concrete
bottom flange due to the curvature, together with a flange. The corresponding flexural stresses are
numerical example. Curvature of a tendon induces four to five times greater than the effect due to
a downward radial load, which must be resisted by dead load only, and if sufficient reinforcement is
transverse bending of the bottom flange between not provided for this effect, heavy cracking is to be
the webs. expected and possibly failure. Practically, the situ-
Longitudinal compressive stresses in the bottom ation may be aggravated by deviations in the loca-
flange similarly induce an upward radial reaction tion of the tendon ducts in the segments compared
in the flange, counteracting at least in part the ef- to the theoretical profile indicated on the drawings.
fect of the tendons. Unfortunately, when the full At the point between segments, ducts are usually
live load and variable effects, such as thermal gra- placed at their proper position; but if flexible tub-
dients, are applied to the superstructure, the lon- ing is used with an insufficient number of sup-
F zyxwvuts
ANCHORAGE A /
I
.?:o* I
i
zyxwvutsrqpon
t
__------------
180
:‘s HOLES FOR TEMPORARY PRESTRESSING 1’1)‘8
~-~--~ BARS
D U C T 3 ‘/I$’ 0
I
.--__~__-
--.-.--p.p.
FIGURE 4.36. Linn Cove Viaduct, bottom flange prestress details.
181
182 Design of Segmental Bridges
PARTIAL CROSS-SECTION
FIGURE 4.37. B-3 South Viaduct, prestressing oper-
ations in box girder.
a. = 15.67'
lo'-0" I_ lo'-0"
4
FIGURE 4.40. Ef‘fect of’ misalignment of’ continuity 4.8.7 REDISTRIBUTION OF MOME,VTS AND
prestress. STRESSES THROUGH CONCRETE CREEP
Cantilever &$qqq
5 4 3 2 1111
tendons
67)
Tendon
Cantilever tendons
for construction
If the load is applied for a short time, the value The additional deflection at midspan, y2, takes
of E to take into account is Ei (instantaneous mod- place in a beam with fixed ends under the effect of
ulus). Assuming that continuity is achieved be- its own weight and only because of the progressive
tween the cantilevers as shown in Figure 4.42c, change of the concrete modulus from the value Ei
there cannot be an angle break at the center, but to the value E,.
only a progressive deformation of the completed Considering the concrete strain at any point of
span. After a long time the concrete modulus has the structure, the total strain q is the sum of two
changed from its initial value Ei to a final value E,, terms:
which may be approximately 2.5 times less than Ei . Ef = E, + Ep
Because the external loads are unchanged and
the structure is symmetrical, the only change in (he where cr = strain before continuity is achieved,
state of the structure is an additional constant mo- E2 = strain after continuity is achieved.
ment M, developing along the entire span and in-
Hooke’s law relating stress and strain at a particu-
creasing progressively with time until the concrete
lar point in time states:
creep has stabilized. At all times the magnitude of
this moment adjusts in the structure to maintain
E, =g
the assumed continuity at the center. 1
Design of Longitudinal Members for Flexure and Tendon Profile zyxwv 185
E$ f2
=- The a b o ve derivation applies not only to exter-
EC nal loads but also to the effect of prestressing.
where E,, the creep modulus, is given by: Continuity prestress applied to a continuous
structure gives little internal redistribution of mo-
1
-= -1 - 1 - ments except in multispan structures, where the
E, Ef Ei spans react with one another according to the ac-
or tual construction procedure. Cantilever prestress,
which acts to offset an appreciable part of the
1 dead-load moments, tends to reduce the distribu-
l 2=f2 --+
i Ef 1 1 tion of moments due to external loads, Figure 4.43.
Up to now the concrete modulus has been as-
Thus:
sumed to ta ke only the two values Ei and E,
(short-term and long-term values). In fact, because
construction of a cantilever takes several weeks (or
even several months in the case of cast-in-place
The corresponding total stress in the structure then structures), account must be taken of the concrete
becomes: strains versus the age and the duration of loading.
186 Design of Segmental Bridges
a = L/2
I
Such relationships are presented for normal- 1. Relaxation of prestressing steel and prestress
weight prestressed concrete and average climate in losses. Because the stress in the prestressing
Figure 4.44. steel varies with time (a part of that variation
Concrete strains are presented for convenience being due precisely to the concrete creep), the
as a dimensionless ratio between the actual strain internal moments that produce the deforma-
and the reference strain of a 28-day-old concrete tion of the structure and therefore originate
subjected to a short-term load. the redistribution of stresses varv continuallv.
We see that short-term strains vary little with the This factor is important because’the resultant
age of the concrete at the time of loading except at moments in the cantilever arms (dead load and
a very early age. However, long-term strains are prestress) are given bv the difference of two
significantly affected by the age of the concrete. large numbers, and a variation on one usual+
For example, a three-day-old concrete will show a has an important effect upon the result, Figure
final strain 2.5 times greater than a three-month- 4.43.
old concrete. This is particularly important for
2. Change of the mechanical properties of the
cast-in-place structures with short cycles of con-
concrete section. For the sake of simplicity the
struction (two pairs of segments cast and pre-
gross concrete section is usually adopted for
stressed every week, which has now become com-
mon practice). computation of bending stresses. In fact, the
section to be used should be:
Two other factors play an important role in the
redistribution of stresses in continuous cantilever a. The net section (ducts for longitudinal
bridges: prestress deducted from the concrete sec-
Design of Longitudinal Members for Fkxure and Tendon Profile zyxwv 187
r2/c2 Cl r2
= PC2
r2
-= PC1
-I
s; CZ
p = efficiency factor
1 I r2/c1
c2 average stress = 2000 g
i
.fi
\ ~200~ psi
0.600 - I I I I I
-.---GrossArea
0.500 - Transformed Area
I I I I I
Cl lh 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65
As prestressing
steel
FIGURE 4.48. Ultimate moment of a prestressed section. (1) Dimensionless coefficient,
q’ = (A,lbd) f&/ f:), whereA, = area of prestressing steel, 6 = width of section,d = effective
depth of section (distance between centroid of prestress and extreme compression fiber),
f,i = ultimate tensile strength of prestressing steel,fi = ultimate compressive strength of
concrete. (2) Value of ultimate moment: for q’ < 0.07, M, = 0.96A&d; for 0.07 < q’ <
0.50, M, = (1 - O.Gq’)A,J-?‘d.
Support Midspan tain the overall safety factor by comparing the sum
of ultimate moments over the support and at
Girder load 116 0
midspan:
Superimposed load 10 -5
Total dead load (DL) 126 5 256 + 79 = 335
Total live load (LL) 29 22
- and the sum of simple span moment due to DL and
Total (DL + l.L) 155 27 LL:
Live-load moment in simple span: 37
DL: 126 + 5 = 131
LL 37
The ultimate moments have been computed for all
sections for both positive and negative bending. Total iii
The envelopes of ultimate moments are shown in
Figure 4.49.
The overall safety factor is thus:
Neglecting any moment redistribution, the situ-
K = $ =-
2.0
ation would be the following over the support and
at midspan:
approximately 20% higher than for the support
Section
section considered alone. In fact, it is more impor-
tant and more realistic to consider only an increase
Mo ment Support Midspan of the live load, which is the only variable factor in
the structure. Proceeding as before, the safety
IV” 256 79
DL 126 5
factor on LL only would be:
LL 29 22
K = 335 - 13’ = j j
M, = 1.65(DL + LL) 2.93(DL + LL) 37 .
or .M, = DL + 4.5 LL DL + 3.4LL
However, this is not the actual safety factor of the
The picture is substantially different when looking structure, because there exists a more aggressive
at redistribution due to plastic hinges. Assuming loading arrangement than that where all spans are
an overall increase of both dead and live load live loaded. In the case where the live load is
simultaneously (loading arrangement A), we ob- applied to only every second span [arrangement
r
I
260
!-
I
zyxwv 260
Elevation
I
260
*
I
I
I -
I Support ! , support I I
I I
I I 1 i-----f
izyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPO
FIGURE 4.49. Ultimate bending capacity of’ a continuous deck.
(b) in Figure 4.491, the first plastic hinge will ap- In such structures a very important characteristic
pear at the center of the unloaded spans w ith a must be emphasized. At the time of ultimate load
negative moment (tension at the top fiber) and the failure, due either to negative moment in the un-
support moment reaches the following limiting loaded spans or positive moments in the loaded
v alue: spans, the maximum moment over the support has
only slightly increased above the value at design
Ultimate negative moment at midspan: 38 load ( 169 against 155) and is far below the ultimate
Actual dead-load moment in simple span: moment of the section (256). Three interesting
126 + 5 = 131 consequences may be derived from this fact:
bottom flange for service-load conditions. The the beneficial effect of longitudinal compression
capacity for negative moments depends upon (either in columns subject to axial load or in pre-
the tendons placed at the top flange level to stressed members) is taken into account.
overlap the cantilever tendons of the two indi- The recent FIP-CEB code allows some proportion
iidual cantilever arms. The magnitude of this of the shear to be carried by the concrete.
overlap prestress does not appear as a critical
AC1 code allows a larger proportion of shear to
factor when designing the structure for service
be carried by the concrete with a consequent sav-
loads, yet it plays an important role in the ulti-
ings in stirrup requirements.
mate behavior of the structure.
3. At ultimate load, it was shown that the areas of 4.102 SHEAR TESTS OF REINFORCED
the members close to the supports are sub- CONCRETE BEAMS
jected to moments only slightly in excess of de-
sign load moments and in most cases below Tests were recently carried out in France in order
cracking moments. No early failure due to to increase the knowledge of this phenomenon,
combined shear and bending is anticipated. both on simply reinforced concrete and on pre-
stressed members.4 Static tests on reinforced con-
In long structures where hinges and expansion crete I beams showed that the steel stress in stir-
joints are provided in certain spans, the same de- rups increases linearly with the load and is three
sign principles may be applied to analyze the ulti- times smaller than it would be if the concrete car-
mate capacity. Hinges represent singular points ried no shear, Figure 4.50. In this respect, all codes
through which the moment diagrams must go re- are fully justified in taking the concrete into ac-
gardless of the loading arrangement under consid- count as a shear-carrying component.
eration. It was found that the optimum location of However, dynamic testing on the same beams
the hinge with regard to ultimate safety is some- showed a very different behavior. A cyclic load was
what different from the location allowing the best applied between one-third and two-thirds of the
control of long-term deflections. It may be of ultimate static load for one million cycles, where-
interest therefore to move the hinge slightly to- upon the beam was statically tested to failure, Fig-
ward the center of the span, which has a further ure 4.51. Before cracking, the elastic behavior of
advantage of simplifying construction. the homogeneous member kept the steel stress in
the stirrups very low. However, before 10,000 cy-
cles, a crack pattern had appeared that remained
4.10 Shear and Design of Cross Section
to the end of the test and became more and more
pronounced with a continuous increase of the in-
4.10.1 I,\‘TRODUCTIO,V
clined crack width. Crack opening reached &r in.
(1.5 mm) at the end of the dynamic test. Most
Designing prestressed concrete members for shear
probably stirrup rupture took place about 600,000
represents a challenging ta sk for the engineer, be- cycles, although the ultimate static capacity of the
cause there are many differences of opinion and
large variations in the requirements of the various
codes. In particular t h e AC1 c o d e a n d t h e
AASHTO specifications differ in several ways
from the FIP-CEB and other European codes.
It is common practice in many countries to de-
sign reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete
members for shear by allowing the concrete to
carry a proportion of the shear loads while stirrups
(formerly in conjunction with inclined bars) carry
the rest. A complete agreement has not yet been
reached on this aspect of design for shear:
FIGURE 4.53. Example of web cracking in a 400 ft span. (a) Typical cross
section. (6) Partial longitudinal section.
carries a larger proportion of’ the load, and shear Present design codes do not provide a consistent
stresses were underestimated for this web. (3) The margin of safety against web cracking when verti-
vertical web prestress was partially lost into the in- cal prestress is used. This margin decreases
termediate diaphragms, and the actual vertical significantly when the amount of vertical prestress
compressive stress was lower than assumed. (4) increases. In the present French code, the safety
196 Design of Segmental Bridges
d diameter of duct
(a)
diameter. Ducts for vertical prestress need not be the horizontal compression due to prestress is par-
taken into account because they are smaller and tially lost. In fact, if both horizontal and vertical
parallel to the vertical stirrups, which compensates compressive stresses are equal,f, = fU, the direc-
for the possible small effect of the prestress ducts. tion of the principal stress is given by /3 = 45” as in
Web-thickness dimensioning depends upon the
magnitude of shear stress in relation to the state of
Y
compressive stress. In the case of monoaxial com-
pression (only longitudinal prestress and no verti-
cal prestress) the diagonal principal tensile stress fx v ,‘p fx
must be below a certain limit to insure a proper -'\ I t-
u-
and homogeneous margin of safety against web
7
cracking with its resulting long-term damaging ef-
(a)
fects. Figure 4.56 suggests numerical values based
on the latest state of the art that are believed to be
realistic and safe. Numerical values for.allowable
shear stresses under design loads are given in Fig-
ures 4.5’7 and 4.58 for 5000 and 6000 psi concrete.
q1 l-&’u 1;”
Web thickness must therefore be selected in the
v ario u s sec tio ns alo ng the sp an to keep shear
stresses within such allowable values. It may be
that construction requirements or other factors
make it desirable to accept higher shear stresses.
It is necessary in this case to use vertical prestress (b)
to create a state of biaxial compression. Figure
4.566 ind ic ates the c o rresp o nd ing p ro c ed u re.
FIGURE 4.56. Allowable shear stress for mono- and
The vertical compressive stress must be at least 2.5
biaxial compression in box girders. (a) Monoaxial com-
times the excess of shear stress above the value pression: allowable shear stress = v = 0.05f:. + 0.2Of,;
for monoaxial compression. co rresp o nd ing d iago nal tensio n = fP given by v2 = fPcfs +
When vertical prestress is used, the beneficial ef- f,). (6) Biaxial compression: allowable shear stress = zl =
fect of increasing the length of the horizontal com- 0.05f:. + 0.2Of, + 0.4Of,; corresponding diagonal ten-
ponent of the potential crack in the web created by sion = fp given by v’ = cfs +f,) (fU +fP).
198 Design of Segmental Bridges
stresses higher than a limiting value of lo* be
accepted prior to careful investigation based on
specific experimental research.
In this respect, a very interesting case arose for
the construction of the Brotonne Viaduct in
France (described in Chapter 9), where an excep-
tionally long span called for minimum weight and
consequently high concrete stresses. The most
critical condition for shear stresses developed in
the 8 in. (0.20 m) webs near the piers of the ap-
proach spans, where a maximum shear stress of
640 psi (4.5 MPa) was accepted together with an
unusually low longitudinal compression stress of
500 psi (3.45 MPa). Vertical prestress was used in
this case. The chart for a 6000 psi concrete, Figure
4.58, would give:
In monoaxial state withf, = 500 psi, V = 400 psi.
In biaxial state withf, = 550 psi, V = 620 psi, which
FIGURE 4.57. r\llo\<able shear stresses forf:. = 5000 is substantially equal to the actual shear stress of
psi. 6 4 0 psi.
FIGURE 4.62. Typical segment in relation to the force system. (0) Provisional assembly
of segment(s). (b) Segment(s) in the finished structure.
tion such as R, given by the inclined face of the key, A crack pattern developed in the web when the
while the balance of the normal force is R, which test load was increased above design load, as shown
produces a distribution of longitudinal compres- in Figure 4.64. The epoxy joints had no influence
sive stresses. In the finished structure, all normal on the continuity of the web cracks, and the be-
and shear stresses are naturally carried through havior of the segmental structure up to ultimate
the joints by the epoxy material, which has com- was exactly the same as that of a monolithic struc-
pressive and shear strengths in excess of the seg- ture. Failure occurred for concrete web crushing
ment concrete. when the steel stress in the stirrups reached the
A series of interesting tests were performed for yield point. The corresponding shear stress was
the construction of the Rio-Niteroi Bridge in Brazil 970 psi (6.8 MPa) for a mean concrete cylinder
to verify the structural behavior of epoxy joints strength of 4200 psi (29.5 MPa).
between match-cast segments. A l-to-6 scale model The first bending crack had previously occurred
was built and tested to represent a typical deck for a load equal to 93 percent of the computed
sp an near the su p p o rt and the c o rresp o nd ing cracking load, assuming a tensile bending strength
seven segments as shown in Figure 4.63. of 550 psi (3.9 MPa). Other tests w ere performed
FIGURE 4.64. Rio-h’itcroi Bridge. ~vel) crack pattern at ultimate in model test.
in order to study the transfer of diagonal principal were prepared, some with and some without shear
compressive stresses across the segment joints as keys across the joint, and tested for various values
shown in Figure 4.65. Prismatic test specimens of p, the angle between the principal stress and the
neutral axis of the girder. In the case of the Rio
Niteroi Bridge the value of /3 is between 30 and
35”. For a reinforced concrete structure p = 45”.
A preliminary test showed that the epoxy joint
had an efficiency of 0.92 as compared to a
monolithic specimen with no joint (ratio between
the ultimate load P on the prismatic specimen with
an epoxy joint and with a monolith specimen). For
various directions of the joint the results are as
follows:
I
P 0” 15” 30” 45” 60”
fd zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
Efficiency 0.94 0.92 0.98 0.95 0.70
PRlSMATlC PRISMATIC
WITH KEYS
It can be seen that for values of p smaller than 45”
P (which covers the entire field of prestressed con-
P
I I crete members) the compressive strength is hardly
affected by the presence of the inclined joint. All
these tests confirmed earlier experimental studies
to show that epoxy joints are safe provided that
proper material quality together with proper mix-
ing and application procedures are constantly ob-
P P tained.
t 1 Several early incidents in France, and some more
(b) recently in the United States, have shown that
FIGURE 4.65. Rio-Niteroi Bridge, test specimens for these conditions are not always achieired. The logi-
web. (a) Crack pattern in web and related test specimen. cal step in the development and improvement of
(b) Actual test specimens. epoxy joints was therefore to relieve the epoxy of
202 Design of Segmental Bri&es
any structural function. The multiple-key (or 4.12 Design of Superstructure Cross Section
castellated-joint) design embodies this concept and
provides for simplicity, safety, and cost savings. The typical cross section of a box girder deck is a
Webs and flanges of the box section are provided closed frame subjected to the following loads, Fig-
with a large number of small interlocking keys de- ure 4.68:
signed to carry all stresses across the joint with no
structural assistance from the resin. Figure 4.66 Girder weight of the various components (top and
shows the comparison between the structural be- bottom flanges, webs)
havior of an early joint with a single web key and a Superimposed loads essentially applied to the top
joint with multiple keys, assuming that the epoxy flange (barrier, curbs and pavement) and some-
resin has improperly set and hardened. It is now times to the bottom flange, as when utilities are in-
recommended that multiple keys be used in all pre- stalled in the box girder
cast segmental projects, as shown in Figure 4.67.
Live loads applied on the deck slab
With the current dimensions used for depth and
height of multiple keys, the overall capacity of the
A typical box girder element limited by two parallel
joint is far in excess of the required minimum to
cross sections, Figure 4.686, is in equilibrium be-
transfer diagonal stresses safely up to the ultimate
cause the applied loads are balanced by the dif-
load state.
ference between shear stresses at the two limiting
sections. To design the typical cross section the as-
C o ntinuo us tra nsfe r
sumption is usually made that the shape of the sec-
o f she a r stre sse s tion remains unchanged and that the closed frame
may be designed as resting on immovable supports
such as A and B. Bending moments are created in
the various sections of the frame due to the applied
loads. Maximum moments occur in the deck slab
due to live loads in sections such as (a), (b), and (f).
(It) Cb)
Cd)
FIGURE 4.67. Precast segment with multiple keys. FIGURE 4.68. Design of deck cross section. (a) Typi-
cal loading on cross section. (b) Free-body diagram.
Special Problems in Superstructure Design 203
Because the webs are usually much stiffer than the 4.13.2 SUPERSTRUCTURE OVER PIERS
flanges and the side-deck slab cantilevers and the
center-deck slab between webs are built into the The simplest case is exemplified in Figure 4.69,
webs, most of the deck-slab moments are trans- where a deck of constant depth rests upon the pier
ferred to the web, with a maximum value in section cap with bearings located under the web of the box
(d) at the connection between web and top flange. girder. The reaction is transferred directly from
In bridges where transverse or vertical prestress or the web to the bearings, and there is need only for
both are used, the design of the deck cross section a simple inside diaphragm designed to transfer the
is not greatlv affected by the fact that moments and shear stresses, due to possible torsion moments, to
normal forces computed in the frame superimpose the substructure. A more complicated situation
their effects on the shear stresses due to longitudi- arises when the bearings are offset with regard to
nal bending mentioned in Section 4.10. the webs, Figure 4.70. Reinforcing and possibly
The case is more critical when only conventional prestressing must be provided in the cross section
transverse reinforcing steel is used in both flanges immediately above the pier to fullfill the following
and webs. A common method, based on experi- functions:
ence, is to compute the steel area required on
either face at critical sections such as (a) through Suspend all shear stresses carried by the web under
(e), shown in Figure 4.68, for the following: point A, w here a 45” line starting at the bearing
edge intersects the web centerline (hatched area in
the shear diagram).
1. Shear stresses in the longitudinal members.
Balance the moment (R * d) induced by the bear-
2. Transverse bending of the frame.
ing offset.
The minimum amount of steel should not be less Looking at other schemes, we find that decks of
than the larger of the following: variable depth pose several challenging problems.
Figure 4.71 shows an elevation of a box girder
resting on twin bearings designed to improve the
item 1 plus one-half of item 2,
rigidity of the pier-to-deck connection and con-
item 2 plus one-half- of item 1, or sequently reduce the bending moments in the
0.7 times the sum of item 1 and item 2. deck, which will be described in greater detail in
Chapter 5.
When the loading arrangement is symmetrical in
4.13 Special Problems in Superstructure Design the tw o adjacent spans, the transfer of the deck
reaction into the piers through the four bearings is
All design aspects covered in the preceding sec- just as simple as for the case show n in Figure 4.69.
, tions pertain to the design of deck members for Matters look very difficult for an unsymmetrical
bending and shear regardless of the local problems loading condition either in the completed struc-
encountered over the piers or abutments and at ture, Figure 4.71, or during construction, Figure
intermediate expansion joints when required. This 4.72. Let us assume that the total deck reaction is
section w ill now deal w ith such local problems, transferred to the pier through one line of bearings
which are of great practical importance. only (for example, R, in Figure 4.71, for an excess
of load in the left span). The compression C, car-
4.13.1 DIAPHRAGM S ried by the bottom flange at the right is no longer
balanced by the corresponding reaction R,, and an
It was mentioned in Section 4.6 that the combined abrupt change in the system of internal forces re-
capacities of the deck slab in bending and the box sults in a large vertical tensile force T,, w hich has to
girder in torsion allow a very satisfactory trans- be suspended on the total width of the box section
verse distribution of live loads between girders in by special reinforcement or prestress. In long-span
the case of multiple box girder decks. It has there- structures, these local effects are of no small mag-
fore been common practice to eliminate all trans- nitude. Taking the example of a 40 ft (12 m) wide
verse diaphragms between box girders except over box with a 20 ft (6 m) wide bottom flange and a
the abutments. Diaphragms inside the box section span of 300 ft (90 m), the load carried by the bot-
are still required over the intermediate piers in tom flange will probably be around 3000 t (2720
most projects. mt) and the angle change above the right bearing
t
zyxwvuts
Design of Segmental Bridges
~~~~ t-
b e a r in g s
FIGURE 4.69. Pier segment for deck of constant depth and simple support.
zyxwvutsrqponm
the box section, Figure 4.75.
One of the largest structures incorporating a hinge
segment of this type is the Saint Cloud Bridge, de-
scribed in Section 3.12. A typical detail of this seg-
ment is show n in Figure 4.76.
I
?
FIGURE 4.71. Deck of variable depth, permanent
4.14 Dejections of Cantilever Bridges and
deck-to-pie]- bearing arrangement.
Camber Design
I t
50 2.2 5
b
S E C TIO N AmA S E C T I O N c-c
, 2.25 I
-? +
3.43zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
SECTIOS A-A S E C TIO N C-C
6 30
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihg
bl.CTIOS B-B
COUPE A.A
B
20.40 P
&
COUPE B.B ELEVATION
A
1 4.00 r J 4.00
FIGURE 4.76. Saint CIOL~CI Br-idge, hinge segment \cith expansion joint
It is interesting to compare the relative impor- culational assumptions given in Figure 4.79 indi-
tance of deflections and camber for cast-in-place cate that in m o st c ases the d if f erenc e would b e
and precast construction. Figure 4.79 shows values even more significant if a cast-in-place cvcle of less
for an actual structure, where computations have than one week were emploved and if precast seg-
been made for the two different methods. The cal- ments w ere stored for more than tw o w eeks. Hove-
Segments N’ zyxwvu
ENVELOPE OF
DE’YECTION CURVES
t
Cl SUPPORT 45.00 CROWN
_z c
zyxw
I
d+5 d+b de7 i d*8 ~ d+9 d+lO d+ll dtl2
db24 d+24 d+25 dt25 ~ de26 d+26 d+27 ‘dc27
/ I
I
I
. I
1 I I
2
-.-L
in
I / ASSUMPTIONS :
g
E
PRECAST
_ __ __ __ __ : Casting : one segment per day 3 Y
Placing : two segments par day - LL
Segments at least 2 weeks old for x
placmg
CAST-IN-PLACE :
, -----_---_______
Casting : one segment per week - 4 -
P r e s t r e s s i n g : 30 days after casting
-L-
FIGURE 4.79. Comparison of deflections between precast and cast in place structures.
209
210 Design of Segmental Bridges
ever, one would normally expect a cast-in-place Figure 4.80 shows the resistance to fatigue of
cantilever arm to resist deflections two or three prestressing strands currently used in prestressed
times greater than the precast equivalent. concrete structures. The diagram shows the limit
of stress variation causing fatigue failure versus the
mean stress in the prestressing steel. For conve-
4.15 Fatigue in Segmental Bridges
nience, both values are expressed as a ratio with
respect to the ultimate tensile strength. For a steel
Basically, prestressed concrete resists dynamic and stress of 60% of the ultimate the acceptable range
cyclic loadings very well. Eugene Freyssinet dem- of variation is 28% of the ultimate for a number of
onstrated this fact fifty years ago. He tested two cycles between lo6 and 10’. Using, for example,
identical telegraph poles under dynamic loading. 270 ksi quality strand, this variation is therefore
One was of reinforced concrete and the other of 222,000 psi or a total range of 44,000 psi.
prestressed concrete; both were designed for the Because dynamic loading on a bridge is of a
same loading conditions. The reinforced concrete short-term nature, the concrete modulus is high
member failed after a few thousand cycles, while and the ratio between steel and concrete moduli is
the prestressed concrete member sustained the of the order of 5. Consequently, the maximum
dynamic load indefinitely (several million cycles). concrete stress in an untracked section that would
Fatigue in concrete itself has never been a prob- cause a fatigue failure would be 44,000/ 5 = 8800
lem in any known structure, because a variation of psi, a value which is probably ten times the stress
compressive stress in concrete may be supported variation under design live loads in highway box
indefinitely. When reference is made to fatigue in girder bridges. An untracked prestressed concrete
prestressed concrete, it is alw ay s inferred that structure is therefore completely safe with respect
fatigue problems arise in the prestressing steel or to fatigue, regardless of the magnitude of live
conventional reinforcing steel as a result of crack- loads. A limited amount of cracking, although con-
ing due either to bending or to shear. If cracking sid ered unad v isable f-rom a c o rro sio n p o int o f
could be avoided in prestressed concrete struc- view, is not critical if kept under control.
tures, the fatigue problem would be completely Tests and experience show that a grouted pre-
eliminated. stressing tendon can transfer bond stresses up to
.6 -
4-
Stress variation
causing failure
fs ? Afs
2-
zyxwvutsrqponmlkj
the typical 2 in. (50 mm) cover commonly used in
bridge decks in the United States is considered ex-
treme in Europe. The 4 in. (100 mm) cover for
concrete exposed to sea water would be a complete
I 07./d’ surprise to European engineers.
nw,” fJ Several examples of common practice in seg-
FIGURE 4.81. Fatigue in prestressing steel across a mental bridges are given as a simple comparative
cracked section. reference in Table 4.2.
212 Design of Segmental Bridges
T ABLE 4.2. Concret e Cov er t o Reinforcing St eel the longest box girder bridge in the Americas as of
and Prest ress T endons in Europe this writing. Typical dimensions were given in Sec-
tion 2.14. This section will deal with some design
Co ncrete co ver
zyxwvutsr
asp ec ts o f this p restressed c o nc rete seg m ental
(in.) Description
bridge.
Germany
1) to 2 Reinforcing steel 4.17.1 LONGITUDINAL BENDING
1t Outside exposure, tendons
lf Inside exposure, tendons Each of the four identical cantilever arms is made
France up of:
1 Transverse reinforcing steel
1t Longitudinal reinforcing Ten segments 8 ft long (maximum weight 4 15
steel or tendons kips)
(no rmal atmo sp here)
Six seg m ents 12 f t lo ng ( m axim u m w eig ht 464
2 Co rro siv e atmo sp here
(salt water) kips)
Netherlands Thirteen segments 15 ft long (maximum weight
lb Reinforcing steel and tendons 457 kips)
(normal exposure)
1;A Lightweight concrete Longitudinal tendons are as follows:
2 to 2;R Salt water exposure
Cantileuer t e n d o n s : 4 2 ( n i n e t e e n 0 . 6 i n . d i a
strands) + 50 (twelve 0.6 in. dia). Twelve addi-
tional bars used during construction are incorpo-
4.16 Provisions for Future Prestressing rated in the permanent prestress system.
Continuity tendons in side spans: 20 (twelve 0.6 in.
For larger segmental bridges, it may be necessary dia).
to modify the prestress forces after construction. Co ntinuity tendo ns in center span: 40 (twelve 0.6 in.
An example would be a bridge built using can- dia).
tilever construction where positive-moment (con-
tinuity) tendons are added after erection. Or, as A typical layout of the cross section was given in
discussed in Section 4.8.6, some tendons may be Figure 2.82.
released to articulate a joint. In addition to these The main loading combinations considered in
adjustments immediately after construction, addi-. the design are summarized in Table 4.3. The lon-
tional prestressing may be required at a later date
to correct for unanticipated creep deflection or for
T ABLE 4.3. Houst on Ship Channel Bridge, Main
additional loads such as for a new wearing surface. Design Load Combinat ions
In Europe on some bridges spare tendon ducts are
provided for this reason. A reasonable assumption A llo w ab le
would be to provide for 5 to 10% of the total pre- Tension on
stress force for possible future addition. Extreme
Fiber, Top
Since the tendon anchorages for the spare ducts
Load- or Bottom
are inside the box girder and generally located at
ing Case Description (ksf)
the web-flange fillet, they are readily accessible. If
future prestressing is needed, it is only necessary to (1) (G) + (P) + (E) 0
insert the required tendon in the duct, jack it to its (2) CD) + (P) + CL + 1)
designed load, anchor and grout it. Since all this (3) (D) + (P) + (L + I) + l(AT) + (T) 2:
work can be done inside a box girder, it is not nec- (4) (D) + (I’) + t(L + I) + (AT) + (T) 25
(5) CD) + (f’) + (W 25
essary to interrupt traffic, and the workmen are
fully protected.3 Notations: (C) girder load, (D) total dead load including
superimposed dead load, (L + I) live load plus impact, (P) pre-
4.17 Design Example stress, (E) construction equipment, (AT) temperature gradient
of 18°F between top and bottom fiber, (T) temperature and vol-
ume changes, (W) wind load on structure.
The H o u sto n Ship C hannel Brid g e no w u nd er Concrete strength and stresses:rC = 6000 psi = 864 ksf (42.1
construction in Texas, U.S.A., is an outstanding MPa).
example of segmental construction and represents Basic allowable compressive stress: 0.4fi = 346 ksf (16.8MPa).
gitudinal bending of the box girder has been
analvzed using the BC program, which considers
the effects of the creep, shrinkage, and relaxation
zyxwvuts
Design Example
! zyxwv
Design of Segmental Bridges
T OP
fc o(-)
TOP FIBER
HIDSPAN
transforming the steel area in the concrete section. 4.173 STRESSES AT MlDSPAlV
Therefore, the prestress moment is equal to:
Because of the moment redistribution the bottom
Pe( 1 - 7zP) fiber near midspan is subjected to increasing ten-
sile stresses while the top fiber is always under
where e = geometric eccentricity, compression. It is therefore sufficient to consider
n = 10, transformed coefficient, the state of stresses at the bottom fiber after creep
p = percentage of prestress steel in the sec- and relaxation.
tion (varying between 0.5 and 0.7%). The results are shown in Table 4.5. It is instruc-
tive to compare the relative magnitude of the vari-
The total midspan moment produced in the con-
ous factors influencing the stresses at midspan
tinuous span with fixed ends under the combined (stresses in ksf at bottom fiber):
effect of girder load and final prestress is equal to
84,000 ft-kips. Therefore, the actual redistribution 1. Live load 44
moment obtained by the BC program is equal to:
2. Moment redistribution 91
52 000 (difference between 250 for
) = 62% of the total moment
84,000 - CL and 159 for prestress)
T ABLE 4.5. Houst on Ship Channel Bridge, St resses are light in comparison with those used in other
at Midspan countries, particularly in France and Great Britain.
These two factors tend to increase the importance
Bottom Fiber
of moment redistribution in relation to the effect
Stresses (ksf) Partial Cumulative of loads computed in the conventional manner.
fc
BOTTOM
w
zyxwvutsrq
D esign of Segmental Bridges
B O T T O M Fl0ER
FIGURE 4.84. Houston Ship Channel Bridge, bottom fiber stresses for (DL) + (P) at
time 780 days and 4000 days. Stresses at bottom fiber of the deck. Dead load at time 780
days when the bridge is opened to traffic and at time 4000 days.
7. Principal stresses at design loads for the state Corresponding shear stress:
of stress:
VU = 102 ksf
u = 75.2, fJp = 160, and fu = 33.5 ksf
Principal stress: - 23 (tension) and 217 (com-
The two principal stresses are 3 (tension) and pression).
195 (compression).
The angle of the principal stress with the hori- Direction of the principal stress given by:
zontal is given by:
tan p = 0.56
tan p = 0.466
Web shear cracking at this level of stress would
If vertical prestresses were not used, the prin- be unlikely. Assuming that the concrete carried
cipal stresses would become: none of the ultimate shear across the potential
crack shown in Figure 4.91, the total shear load
-30 (tension) and 190 (compression) should be resisted by the vertical tendons and the
conventional stirrups acting on a length equal to:
8. Principal stresses at ultimate stage.
For the load factors 1.30 + 2.17L, including
1
the effect of prestress, the ultimate shear force ‘x -=&=25ft
tan/ 3 .
is: Q
375 FT 375 FT
4
FIGURE 4.85. Houston Ship Channel Bridge, top fiber stresses for (L + I) and (AT =
18°F).
5710
- = 228 kips/lineal ft shear force per unit length of girder to be carried
25
across the crack is:
The ultimate capacity of tendons and stirrups is: 1 x 5710
- - x 0.5 = 240 kips/lineal ft
0.85 0.14
Tendons in three webs 220 kips/lineal ft
Stirrups-O.88 in.Vineal ft 158 kips/lineal ft The corresponding amount of steel (grade 60)
per web at 60 ksi would be for each web:
278 kips/lineal ft
The condition V,/C#I < V, becomes: L,2!& 1.33 in.*/lineal ft
3
228 This amount of steel would still be reasonable
- = 268 < 378 kips/lineal ft
0.85 (0.7%).
and is easily met.
4.17.5 DESIG,V OF THE CROSS- SECTION FRAM E
If no vertical prestress had been used, the slope
of the shear crack would be: Owing to the magnitude of the project, particular
tan /3 = 0.487 attention was given to this problem. Five finite
element analyses were performed to analyze:
Using the limiting value tan /3 = 0.5 instead of the
actual value (as explained in Section 4.10.4), the The local effects in the transverse frame,
218 Design of Segmental Bridges
$BOTTOM L I V E L O A D [::,:
40 KSF
I
L I V E L O A D MAxi H I DSPAN
\\ /I
\ ‘. - A - - - -
375 FT 375 FT
FIGURE 4.86. Houston Ship Channel Bridge, bottom fiber stresses for (L + I) and (AT
= 18°F).
The possible differential deflections between the values at the upper section of the outside web (sec-
three webs of the box section, tion e of Figure 4.92).
The relative behavior of sections close to the piers
Moment 1 I .9 kip-ft/ ft
or at midspan,
Axial load 5.4 kip/ ft
The effect of diaphragm restraint near the pier.
The steel section required at design stage for grade
The dimensions of the cross section at midspan are 60 steel stirrups is 0.34 in.2/ lineal ft. Applying the
given in Figure 4.92 with the nine critical sections recommendations of Section 4.10.4 for the simple
where moments and axial loads were computed for case of a section without web prestress, the re-
as many as fourteen loading combinations. q u irem ents f o r steel o n b o th f ac es o f the w eb
A typical set of results is shown in Figure 4.93 for would be:
the midspan section. For the section located 187 ft
from the pier centerline (already considered for For shear of the longitudinal member:
maximum shear stresses), the moments and axial 3 x 1.33 = 0.67 in.2/ lineal f t
loads are substantially the same as for the midspan
For bending of the transverse member:
section. Excluding the vertical prestress, the most
critical loading arrangement gives the following 0.34 in.2/ lineal ft
Quantities of Materials 219
STRESS VARIATION
AT TOP FIBER
D
Af B O T T O M PRESTRESS z
STRESS VARIATION 8
A T BOTTOM FIBER
c_-----v_
FIGURE 4.87. Houston Ship Channel Bridge, variation of stresses due to creep and
relaxation.
.The minimum area should thus be the higher of With vertical prestress: 378/ 3 = 126 kips/ lineal ft
the f’ollowing values:
Without vertical prestress: 2 x 0.84 x 60 = 101
0.67 + 1 x 0.34 = 0.84 in.*/ lineal ft kips/ lineal ft
Note 2: This moment is the difference between girder load, 142,000 tt-kips, and cantilever prestress, 90.000 t’t-kips.
AM = (f, ffd +
(I = 4774 FZ4)
= (72.89 + 90.73) F
-in
AM = 52,000 ft-kips
II
2 4
cd
II
c?
I+? A
fz= ++ 90.73
fz=
average concrete quantity per span foot varies with
FIGURE 4.88. Houston Ship Channel Bridge, analy-
the span length. For each structure considered, the
sis of section at 352 ft from pier.
span length used is the average span of the various
two-arm cantilevers. The longitudinal prestressing
steel is given in pounds per cubic yard of deck con-
crete versus the same span length. It is assumed
that prestressing tendons are made up of strands
with 270 ksi guaranteed ultimate strength. From
the charts given in Figures 4.94 and 4.95, it may be
seen that the average quantities of materials ma)
be represented by the following approximate for-
mulae:
fx(I
I60
I
- . zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
.\ \
‘3
.----
zyxwvutsrq
140
60 120
/ EF
PG
IO0
40 80
60
i
.20 40
20
20 I 24
FIGURE 4.90. Houston Ship Channel Bridge, variation of web shear stress and aver-
age compressive stress in center span under design load.
8
d 1zyxwvutsrqponmlkjih
110" I’ 13s’ 7 i
Sectio n b d f h i
M, dead lo ad -5?67 -6.29 2c37 -6.05 1e22 -3.15 -:96 2.14 -5.29
M, Prestressing 16.59 13.22 - 0.92 8.01 3.01 0.22 0.08 0 0.06
M, DL + PIT 10.92 6.93 1.45 1.96 4.23 -2.93 -2.88 2.14 - 5.23
M, live load -5.24 -6.68 5.03 -8.82 5.88 - 1.25 ~ 1.25 0.35 - 0.78
with 1 M 1 maxi
M, DL + PIT + LL 4.11 - 1.75 7.98 -9.51 11.87 -4.55 -4.50 2.59 -6.25
+I
N, dead load 0.06 -0.53 -0.65 - 0.59 4.24 6.08 0.55
N, transverse 50.75 51.06 51.26 51.35 -0.31 -0.31 - 0.29
prestressing
N, DL + PIT 50.8 1 50.53 50.61 50.76 3.93 5.77 0.26 0.37 0.24
N, live load 1.10 - -
N,D L +PIT+LL 50.8 1 50.53 50.61 50.76 5.36 5.77 0.26 0.37 0.24
+I
I
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 600
AVERAGZ SPA N L ( ft)
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfe
15
T /
223
224 , Design of Segmental Bridges
References
1. F. Leonhardt, “ New Trends in Design and Construc- 3. C. A. Ballinger, W. Podolny, Jr., and M. J. Abrahams,
tion of Long Span Bridges and Viaducts (Skew, “ A Report on the Design and Construction of Seg-
Flat Slabs, Torsion Box),” International Asso- mental Prestressed Concrete Bridges in Western
ciation for Bridge and Structural Engineering, Europe- 1977,” International Road Federation,
Eighth Congress, New York, September 9-14, Washington, D.C., June 1978. (Also available from
1968. Federal Highway Administration, Offices of Re-
2. Jean Muller, “ Ten Years of Experience in Precast search and Development, Washington, D.C., Report
Segmental Construction,” Journul of the Prestressed No. FHWA-RD-78-44.)
Concrete Institute, Vol. 20, No. 1, January-February 4. “ Effets de I’effort tranchant.” Federation Inter-
1975. nationale de la Precontrainte, London, 1978.
Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
5 .6 .1 Inttoduction REFERENCES
The transatlantic terminal built in Le Havre Piers with many different shapes have been used
Harbor in France on the English Channel was in conjunction with cantilever construction. For
opened for operation in 1934 to receive the new example, single piers, double piers, and moment-
generation of fast passenger ships between Europe resistant piers have all been used. The cantilever
and America. Improper foundation of the rear segmental construction method has an important
bays of the new building caused immediate con- influence and bearing on the design concept of the
stant settlements at the rate of 1 in. (12.7 mm) per structure. Resistance and elastic stability of piers
month with no foreseeable limit, except the total during construction require careful investigation.
ruin of the facility, Figure 5.1. Eugene Freyssinet Temporary piers or temporary strengthening of
proposed a unique system of underpinning, which permanent piers or a combination of both have
was immediately accepted and implemented, been used. However, the choice of piers that have
whereby prestressed concrete piles were man- adequate stability without temporary aids is highly
ufactured in the basement of the existing building desirable. Piers of a box section, or twin flexible
in successive increments and progressively driven legs, either vertical or inclined, are equally satis-
by hydraulic ja c k s to reach the stable lower soil factory.
strata, found at a depth of more than 100 ft (30.5 The use of full continuity in the superstructure
m), Figure 5.2. This example should certainly implies that proper steps have been taken to allow
make one cautious against excessive optimism in for volume changes (shrinkage, creep and thermal
foundation design; at the same time it exemplifies expansion) at the supports. Bridges such as the
the remarkable potential of prestressed concrete in Choisy-le-Roi (Section 3.2), Courbevoie (Section
solving unusual problems. 3.2), and the Chillon Viaduct (Section 3.6) show
In concrete bridges, often greater savings may how the use of piers with flexible legs makes it pos-
be expected from optimization of foundation and sible to achieve full deck continuity and to build
pier design than from the superstructure itself. frame action between d e c k and piers without im-
This chapter will deal with certain specific aspects pairing the free expansion of the structure. The
of piers, abutments, and foundations for bridges converging pier legs used at Choisy-le-Roi reduce
built in balanced cantilever. Similar concepts may and even cancel the amount of bending trans-
be extended to cover other construction methods ferred to the pier foundations. Vertical parallel
(span-by-span, incremental launching, and so on). legs such as those in the Courbevoie and Chillon
-__zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
iI
b insu/at/nq zyxwvuts
fnveiope,
Horizontal Section
Sheet Iron
Internal Uould.
internal Moo/U
FIGURE 5.2. Le Havre transatlantic terminal. (a) Vertical section and plan of
composite foundation girder. (6) Details of pile mold.
structures may be used on multispan structures be- If in the finished structure single slender piers
cause their ad d itio nal flexibility acco m m o d ates are designed solely to transfer the deck loads to the
larger horizontal displacements. For longer struc- foundations (including horizontal loads), the piers
tures, bearings with a variable number of lami- may be unable to resist the unsymmetrical mo-
nated elastomeric pads may be used to provide the ments due to the cantilever construction (i.e., with
desired horizontal flexibility. an unbalance of one segment and the equipment
228 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
load). Thus, temporary shoring is required, often Piers do not necessarily have to be a massive solid
at considerable cost. In some cases, the stability of cross section; a box section, Figure 5.3, mav be
the cantilever under construction has been pro- m o re ef f ec tiv e and m o re ec o no m ic al. In the
vided by the launching gantry used for placing the United States it was generally felt that a solid pier
segments. was more economical. However, for tall piers the
With double piers, two flexible legs (either in- ec o no m ic s o f p ier c asting sho u ld b e ev alu ated
c lined o r v ertic al) m ake u p the p ier stru c tu re, against the cost of the additional dead load sup-
which usually is supported on a single foundation. ported by the pier shaft and transferred to the
Stability during construction is excellent and re- foundations. It may be desirable to precast the pier
quires little temporary equipment, except for some as tubular segments that are prestressed vertically
bracing between the slender walls to prevent elastic to each other as well as to the foundation; this con-
instability. cept was use d for the Linn Cove Viaduct in North
Moment-resistant piers are designed to with- Carolina and the Vail Pass structures in Colorado.
stand the unbalanced moments during construc- In certain cases the tubular section may be re-
tion by providing a temporary vertical prestress placed by an I section, Figure 5.4. However, the low
between the deck and the pier cap, thus producing resistance to torsion of this section imposes certain
a rigid connection. Flat ja c ks are usually placed precautions to limit the deformation of the can-
between the pier top and the pier segment soffit to tilevering superstructure during construction, in
permit the substitution of temporary bearings for particular with respect to the effect of wind forces.
the p erm anent neo p rene p ad s. W hen the ratio For the case of a continuous structure on short
between span lengths and pier height allows it, the stiff piers, the volumetric changes of the concrete
rigid connection and corresponding frame action (shrinkage, creep, and thermal expansion) com-
m ay b e m aintained p erm anently b etw een the pound the redundant effect of longitudinal pre-
superstructure and piers. stressing to produce, by virtue of the rigidity of the
+ I 42’ I l
I
_-
f/q p
IO’ 13’ IO’
1. Moment-resisting piers either fixed or hinged 1. When a frame action is realized between
to the superstructure. superstructure and piers, proper transfer of mo-
2. Moment-resisting piers with double neoprene ments to piers must be considered, particularly
bearings. under unsymmetrical live loading. The piers are
thus an integral part of the structural system and
3. Piers with twin flexible legs.
their flexibility must be first evaluated and then in-
4. Conventional flexible piers properly corporated in the overall structural system. Figure
strengthened during construction to resist un-
5.7 shows the usual parameters used to define the
balanced loading conditions.
flexibility of a pier as the relationship between the
applied loads (M, Q, and N) and the corresponding
components of the deformation at the same point
(0, u, and v). The four flexibility coefficients A, B,
C, and K must include all components of the pier
and its foundation: soil, piles (if used), footing, pier
shaft (or walls), neoprene bearings (if used). Loads
and deformations are taken at the level of the deck
girder neutral axis.
The deck construction scheme usually imposes
special loads to the substructure. Piers adjacent to
an expansion joint located at the point of con-
traflexure (see discussion of this aspect in Chapter
4) are subjected to appreciable bending moments
due both to the relaxation of the hinge after can-
tilever construction and to live loading placed on
either side of the hinge. Loads applied to the
structure by the construction equipment result also
in moment transfer in piers connected to the
superstructure. Two typical cases often encoun-
FIGURE 5.6. Piers with twin neoprene bearings. tered are:
Loads Applied to the Piers 231
_ APPLIEO LOADS
M,Q,N,
zyxwvut
cOIRESPOH313G OEFOeUATioN
,Mu,W,
-0
i
0= AM + BQ
AA r BM+CO
IJ = KN
FIGURE 5.7. Basic components of pier flexibility.
a. In precast segmental construction with seg- balance), the application of random loads (dif-
ments placed with a launching gantry, the gantry ference between actual and computed dead loads
leg reactions are applied to a temporary static or w ind gusts), or accidental conditions (such as the
scheme and released in another static scheme fall of a traveler).
(after continuity between two adjacent cantilever
Normal Loua The most critical condition ap-
arms is realized).
pears for one segment out of balance at the out-
b. In case-in-place cantilever construction, the board end of the cantilever arm. Even in the case
weight of travelers is applied to the free cantilever of cast-in-place construction with symmetrical
arms during construction but it is removed from travelers allowing simultaneous casting of both
the structure after continuity is achieved. On long corresponding segments, the assumption of the
spans the effect on the deck is usually beneficial, total segment weight out of balance is a safe one,
but important moments may simultaneously be in- because no total guarantee can be given that con-
duced. crete pouring will proceed simultaneously at either
2. Volume changes (shrinkage and thermal end of the cantilever. If construction equipment is
variations) and long-term shortening of materials designed to be installed on the deck, Figure 5.8, it
(concrete creep and steel relaxation) both induce
moments and horizontal loads in the piers, which
must be included in the design.
must be accounted for in the design of the pier. maximum pressure of 9 psf (0.4309 MPa) was re-
For example, a tower crane is often used on one corded in the wind-tunnel tests.
side of a cantilever.
A ccidental Loads These are the result of a con-
R ando m Loads Random loads essentially are struction incident or of human failure, causing
s u c h a s t o p r o d u c e systematic geometric dif- either the fall of a traveler in cast-in-place con-
ference, although within acceptable tolerances. struction or of the lifting equipment in the case of
With proper workmanship and supervision, it is precast construction. Such loads should be multi-
reasonable to assume such difference in weight at plied by a factor of 2, representing the impact
22%. It corresponds to a variation of top slab coefficient for the case of immediate loading. It is
thickness of 2 in. (9.5 mm) for a 40 ft (12 m) wide never envisaged to consider the fall of a cast-in-
box with a cross-sectional area of 60 ft2 (5.6 m’). place segment and traveler after casting, nor the
However, it is very unlikely that the maximum fall of a precast segment immediately after its
weight decrease in one cantilever arm would ap- placement in the structure. A very long record of
pear simultaneously with the maximum weight in- safety in such construction methods justifies that
crease in the other. It is therefore reasonable to approach. However, in the case where the conse-
limit the moment transferred to the pier to 2% of quences of such major accident would be excep-
the maximum deck cantilever moment due to the tionally disastrous (where, for example, the work
girder weight. Other random loads related to the takes place over a highway or a railway under op-
construction are produced by the small equipment, eration), special provisions should be incorporated
trucks, storage on the deck of materials such as in the design and in construction procedures to
post-tensioning tendons, and so on. An equivalent double all safety features at each step of erection.
uniform load of 5 psf (24.4 kg/m*), together with a
moving concentrated load of 20 k (9 mt), should be
a safe allowance to cover these random loads. 5.3 Suggestions on Aesthetics of Piers and
Taking as an example the Houston Ship Chan- Abutments
nel Bridge, which was considered in Section 4.17,
the effect of these three random loads would be: The problem of aesthetics is subjective and con-
troversial. There is, however, a consensus among
engineers, owners, and users that certain bridge
difference in dead weight,
structures are more pleasing than others. At a time
1,600,OOO ft-kips x 2% 32,000 ft-kips
when so much emphasis is being placed on protec-
random uniform load, tion of our environment and of nature from ag-
( 5 x 60)/1000 x 365*/2 20,000 ft-kips gressive man-made structures, it may be helpful to
random concentrated load, review some ground rules based on experience
20 kips x 365 ft 7,000 ft-kips that contribute to aesthetics of concrete bridges
59,000 ft-kips with very little added cost.
FIGURE 5.9. An unacceptable example of’ an over- FIGURE 5.11. Piers with architectural shapes for
pass built as two separate structures. Blois Bridge.
234 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
At both ends, the structure has to blend with the 5.4 Moment-Resisting Piers and Their
existing landscape with a minimum of disturbance. Foundations
Between the two systems of wing walls shown in
Figure 5.15, the preference should strongly be We shall cover this topic by describing salient fea-
with type (a), which allows a much more gradual tures of several characteristic structures.
transition between the lines of the superstructure
and those of the approach embankment. 5.4.1 MAIN PIERS FOR THE BROTONNE
When tapered webs are used in the superstruc- VIADUCT, FRANCE
ture box girders, it has been found that the lateral The two main pylon piers for the Brotonne Via-
wing walls in the abutments can be given the same duct rest on 41 ft (12.46 m) diameter cylindrical
Moment-Resisting Piers and Their Foundations 235
-.__.-. -.---.-.-.-.-
- - - _-.-.-
!I -
__.-.__ -.-.-.-.-
Wing walls perpendicular to bridge F. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
(b)
which explains why the extreme fiber stress is no and direct transfer of loads at ground level with no
more than 24 tonsIft while the average bearing need for a heavily reinforced footing. The con-
pressure is 14.25 tons/ ft2. struction of both foundations went very satisfac-
The actual safety factor for the foundation torily. The only incident was created by the fact
against soil failure is betw een 3 and 4, depending that one panel of the cofferdam in the south pier
on the assumptions of soil characteristics. was excavated out of plumb at its lower end. Con-
Insofar as the construction method is concerned, sequently, the continuity of the horizontal ring to
each main foundation column was built in the dry resist the hydrostatic pressure was not realized at
inside a cofferdam made up of a continuous slurry the lower part of the cofferdam. Grouting of the
trenched concrete wall excavated down to the surrounding soil w as achieved in this area and an
limestone stratum, Figure 5.19. Grouting of the additional reinforced concrete ring was cast inside
base allowed dewatering of the site after excavation before the completion of excavation and final de-
to inspect the foundation material and confirma- watering.
tion of the actual soil characteristics by in situ soil Regular survey measurements at the site have
tests. Following this inspection, the cofferdam was shown that settlements of both pier foundations
flooded and a tremie seal was placed at the base to have been very minimal and are now stabilized.
prevent any risk of washing out of the footing con-
crete due to water seepage; the water head was 5.4.2 PIERS AND FOUNDATIONS FOR THE
above 100 ft (30 m). The reinforced concrete SALLINGSUND BRIDGE, DENMARK
footing was cast in the dry above the seal and the
foundation shaft was then slip-formed inside the The substructure and piers of this structure pre-
cofferdam. The pier shaft was given the shape of sent an interesting construction methodology and
an octagon with curvilinear sides for aesthetic rea- use of materials, Figures 3.89 and 5.20. The piles
sons. The general dimensions of the foundation are steel tubes, which are concreted after driving.
shaft and of the pier shaft allowed a very natural Their length is about 98 ft (30 m), the diameter is
Moment-Resisting Piers and Their Foundations 237
n. 230.050 FT. k.
v, 19.000 t
FIGURE
“““‘J zyxwvu
1
zyxwv
TSF
,.--Jre
274 in. (700 mm) and the wall thickness is about 0.4 fore the remaining piles are driven. When the
in. (10 mm). Each pier has 24 piles. The first piles driving is accomplished, the template trough is
driven are tested in compression and tension be- filled with tremie concrete around the pile tops up
to the upper edge of the template.
The template is precast at a plant located in the
harbor. It is shaped like a circular slab surrounded
by an annular trough, in which there are holes for
the piles. The template is transported to the pier
locations by the floating crane and lowered down
to rest on three temporary vertical piles. The bot-
tom is about 52.5 ft (16 m) below the water level.
For an exact positioning in its submerged position,
it is provided with an alignment tower, the top of
which is always above water, Figure 5.21.
The pier box, shaped like a truncated cone ap-
proximately 39.3 ft (12 m) high, is precast in three
lifts at the precasting plant in the harbor. First its
lower part is cast on staging above water. During
the following lifts it is progressively sunk. Since
FIGURE 5.19. Brotonne Viaduct, view of pier exca- after the third stage it is too heavy to be lifted by the
vation. floating crane, it is provided with a lid, and com-
238 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
ure 5.23. The finished bridge is shown in Figure
Assembled pier 5.24.
5.4.3zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQP
CO,VCEPT OF PRECAST BELL PIER
FOC,VDATION FOR THE I- 205 COLL’,WBI,4 RIVER
BRIDGE, C’.S.A.
PLACING OF TEMPLATE
dteel pik
TEST LOADING
PILE DRIVING
CONCRETING OF STEEL
PILES AND FOUNDATION
rather strenuous, because in the completed struc- Under service load the average concrete stress of
ture only there were 19 unit loads combined into the cross section is as follow s:
37 load combinations for service-load design and
into 42 loading combinations for load-factor de- top: 3 1,700 kips + 176 ft* = 180 kips/ ft*
sign. bottom: 36,600 kips + 2 16 ft2 = 170 kips/ ft*
The concrete cross-sectional area together with
the corresponding reinforcing steel area is as fol-
In large structures, such as the Houston Ship
lows:
Channel Bridge, the average concrete stress in the
pier shafts usually varies betw een 160 and 200
top: A , = 176 ft2, kips/ ft*. The use of a varying-width pier in the
A , = 200 no. 11 bars = 297 in.*, transverse direction allows the maximum stress
p = 1.17% and the required amount of reinforcing steel to in-
bottom: A, = 216 ft2, crease at a slow rate with the pier height, while a
A, = 264 no. 11 bars = 392 in.*, prismatic pier shaft will be subjected to a very criti-
fi = 1.26% cal stress at the base.
FIGURE 5.22. Sallingsund Bridge, aerial view of pre-
cast yard and harbor for substructure construction.
CLIMBING FORM
Tower crane
Ice-breaker-
:’ . Pierbox
CROSS SECTION
0
04Om
3 50m
55Om
116’-2”
CAST-IN-PLACE
CONCRETE
SEGMENT 4
SEGMENT 3 // \\ I
r
SEGM
SEGM
PLA.h S E C T I O N B.B
PRECAST BELL PIERS FIGURE 5.27. Houston Ship Channel Bridge, main
river piers.
0.30 1.30
. 5 . 6 0 -
.-. . . ..’ .,
p-i-
+ zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
,‘..
Treme concrete I-I,-*
.I’ :
9’
7.30
c l
r
FIGURE 5.30. Oleron Viaduct, pier-s on piles.
244
The special feature of this project is that a very
comprehensive optimization study of the sub-
structure system with a double row of bearings al-
lowed the use of only half as many piles as the basic
scheme with single bearings, without increasing the
unit bearing capacity of the piles.
Notation
EL 124
C c- zyx
D t-
FIGURE 5.33.
34’
zyxwvutsrqpon
1zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
1
T
? 4’ 1 3 4’ 1
An example, with dimensions in millimeters, is as only with the material hardness, as indicated in
follows: Table 5.1, but also with the rate of loading. Tabu-
lated values are for the case of slow loading; for an
a x 6 x n(t + 2e) instantaneous loading the value of G is doubled.
300 x 400 x 2(10 + 2)
Where differing thickness of steel plates are used,
the successive thicknesses of steel and elastomer Vertical Defo rmatio n (Co mpressio n) Under a nor-
are given: mal force V every lamination is subjected to a verti-
cal shortening, v, Figure 5.376, such that:
aXbXn( )
300 x 400 x 2(5 + 8 + 2 + 8 + 1) t3
v=C V
z&-z
Deformation of Neoprene Bearings
C is a coefficient that depends on the plan dimen-
The relationship between Young’s modulus (E) sions of the bearing and that expresses the re-
and the shear modulus (G) is presented in Table straint effect on the lamination by the steel plate;
5.1. The shear modulus, G, of neoprene varies not refer to Table 5.2.
For a bearing consisting of n stacks or lamina-
TABLE 5.1. Elastic Constants tions, the value of the shortening is equal to:
5ECllDN : D.-D
I
I
FIGURE 5.34. Upstream Paris Belt Bridge, typical horizontal sections of river piers.
C’ is a coefficient that depends on the plan dimen- refer to Table 5.3. The value a is the dimension in
sions of the bearing and that expresses the re- plan of the bearing measured perpendicular to the
straint effect on the laminations by the steel plate; axis of rotation, Figure 5.376.
bla 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.5 2 3 4 5 10 30
C 5.83 4.44 3.59 3.28 3.03 2.65 2.37 2.01 1.78 1.70 1.46 1.27 1.18 1.15 1.07 1
bla 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.5 2 3 4 5 10 30
C’ 136.7 116.7 104.4 100.0 96.2 90.4 86.2 80.4 76.7 75.3 70.8 66.8 64.9 63.9 61.9 60
Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
FIGURE 5.35. Upstream Paris Belt Bridge, detail of concrete lining of lower shafts.
s ~(arbj
(a)
(b)
(4 Cc) cf)
FIGURE 5.37. Piers with double row neoprene bearings (Oleron Viaduct). The most
lcidely used polychloroprene is Neoprene (trademark of Du Pont de Nemours).
dation, Figure 5.7. The elasticity coefficients A, B, duces a partial fixity of the superstructure on the
C, and K may be computed from the material piers. The neoprene bearings intervene in the de-
properties and dimensions of the pier. fo rm atio n o f the p ier by their no rm al fo rce
For example, a pier with constant section and the ( 2 M lpd) produced by the moment M, Figure
following properties: 5.37~. The rotational stiffness of the neoprene
bearings may be neglected.
Height h, area of cross section A, The moment M applied at the top of the pier
Moment of inertia I may be divided into componentsf and m in the
bearings, Figure 5.37d, such that:
Modulus of elasticity E
M =fd + 2m, e = 2vld
assumed to be fixed at the base onto a totally rigid
w ith:
foundation, has the following elasticity coefficients:
h* h3
A=&, - C=m,
B = 2EI’
B* h
K=A-C=4EI
from which:
In structures where neoprene bearings are
placed between piers and deck, the corresponding
change in elasticity of the system must be taken
into account. In fact, the presence of two rows of In the majority of cases the quantity 2a*/ C’ is small
neoprene bearings, spaced at a distance d, pro- relative to d */2C.
250 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
nt = 34 mm
EC, = & = 1715
nt
EC,=E-zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
= 915 In order to better understand the influence of the
2PG A h
thic kness o f neo p rene p ad s, stu d ies hav e b een
Totaljlexibilit? qf the pier:
conducted to determine the variation of the bend-
EA = 4.71 + 0.97 = 5.68 ing moment in a three-span continuous structure
when only the number of- neoprene laminations at
EB = 77.7
the top of the intermediate piers is modified.
EC = 1717 + 915 = 2630 The stru c tu re c o nsid ered is a sy m m etric
Elasticit? of the pier in the structure: su p erstru c tu re o f three c o ntinu o u s sp ans su p -
ported on two identical piers; it consists of a box
EK = E (.4 - g) = 5 . 6 8 - ‘ :;;;’ = 3 . 3 8 girder with a variable moment of inertia, whose
spans are 44 m, 70 m, and 44 m.
Bend ing m o m ents in the su p erstru c tu re and
Elasticity qf’ the pier zuithout neoprene: piers are calculated under the following assump-
tions:
Ek’ = E [;4 - $1 = 0.25+ = 1.18
Superstructure fixed at the pier
Coe@cieut of momerlt transmission in the pier:
Sup erstructure p artially fixed elastically at the
4 = 1 - B; - 1 - 77;76;033 = +0.03 piers with neoprene bearings with the varying
lamina of 1, 2, 3, 6, or 9 (thickness 12 mm)
The bending moment M’ transmitted to the base Superstructure supported on the piers by simple
of the pier is very small (3% ofM). For the moment supports
M’ to be theoretically equal to zero:
Assumptions used in the conduct of the study are:
EC,, = 9 = 860
Superimposed dead load represented by a uniform
and the corresponding thickness of neoprene is load, q = 1.9 t/ m
then: Expansion of the deck at a rate of 2 X 10e4, corre-
sponding to an increase in temperature of 20°C.
EC,=n t E
2p G A , Shrinkage of the deck at a rate of 4 x 10P4, corre-
sponding to a decrease of temperature of 20°C
or
combined with the effect of shortening and time-
nt = ‘L(EC.)PGA, dependent deformations (creep) resulting from
E prestressing (2 X 10m4).
252 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
TABLE 5.4.
Coefficient
-0.27
Diagram of
bending moment
in the pier
(h = 33 m)
Diagram of
bending moment
in the pier
(h = 20 m)
+ 0.64
Applied load Sz = 4.5 t/ m in the center span prene laminations. When the number of lami-
Applied load S, = 6.8 t/ m in the end spans natio ns inc reases f ro m o ne to six, the
maximum bending moment at the support de-
Braking force F = 15 t on the superstructure, cor-
creases by 4% and the maximum positive mo-
responding to approximately one-twentieth of the
ment in the center span increases by 10%. The
structure dead load
extreme case of nine lamina is to b e avoided
because of risk of instability presented by the
The bending moments in the superstructure as a
tall sta c k of neoprene (alnt < 5). Compared
result of the above loads are tabulated in Tables
with a simple bearing support, the double row
5.5a through 5.5~:
of bearings provides an important decrease in
moment in the spans for a relatively smaller in-
Table 5.5a: bending moment at the top of the pier
crease of moment at the pier support.
Table 5.56: bending moment at the base of the pier
2. Regarding the pier, there exists an optimum
Table 5.5~: maximum bending moments in the thickness of neoprene allowing a minimal
superstructure transfer of moment to the level of the founda-
tions. In the example considered this thickness
This study leads us to the following observations: is equal to three lamina of 12 mm, which corre-
sponds closely to the value determined in Sec-
1. Regarding the superstructure, the maximum tion 5.5.4 for the case of a structure restrained
moments vary little with the number of neo- ho rizo ntally.
T A BL E 5.5~.
Pi er s wi t h T wi n Fl exi bl e Legs
0
Number of’ Neoprene Lamina
zyxw 253
(Fixed
Lo ad ing Pier) 1 2 3 6 9
“ Values have heen calculated at the intersection of the axis of the pier with the center of gravitv of. the super-structure.
0 Sim p le
(Fixed Support,
Lo ad ing Pier) 1 2 3 6 9 t = 24 mm
Superstructure D.L., - 62 - 31 - 15 - 4 + 13 + 20 0
q = 1.9 t/ m
Deck expansion - 202 -157 -129 - 111 - 77 - 6 0 -130
+2 x 1o-4
Deck shrinkage + 404 +314 +258 +222 +154 +120 +260
- 4 x 10-4
C m o m ents +M + 342 4283 +243 +218 +167 + 140 +260
( 1 1 0 L . L . )I -M - 264 -188 -144 -115 - 6 4 - 4 0 -130
L.L. in center span, - 820 -435 -198 - 47 +176 + 265 0
S, = 4.5 t/ m
L.L. in end spans + 197 - 7 4 -207 -265 -380 -400 0
S, = 6.8 t/ m
Braking force, F = 15 t + 159 2163 *167 -e170 +180 ?I86 (+520)
M ax im u m + M + 698 +609 +577 +558 +527 +591 +780
m o m e n t sI -M - 1243 -786 -518 -550 -624 -626 -650
5.4 Piers with Twin Flexible Legs p re c ast se g m e ntal b ridges either in France or
Europe and more recently in the United States.
5.6.1 IN TRO D U CTIO N
Several examples of such structures will be de-
The concept of piers with twin flexible legs was first scribed below with particular emphasis on the de-
used with the first match-cast segmental bridge of sign and construction methods of the foundation
Choisy-le-Roi. It was further used on several other system.
254 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
T A BL E 5.5~. Maximum Bending Moment s in t he Superst ruct ure as Funct ion of t he Bearing T hickness
0
(Fixed Simple
Loading Pier) 1 2 3 6 9 Supporl
Moments 1 Center span -3125 -3060 -3020 -2985 -2925 -2895 -2660
at
support Side span -3105 -2960 -2845 -2770 -2635 -2545 -2055
Center span,
Moments (0.5 &) + 910 + 960 + 990 +1015 + 1060 + 1090 +1270
in Side span,
span (0.4 11) + 890 + 935 + 965 + 980 + 1020 + 1040 + 1200
5.6.2 RIVER PIERS AND FOUNDATIONS FOR cal spans of 131 ft (40 m), 197 ft (60 m), and 131 ft
CHOISY-LE-ROI, COURBEVOIE, AND JUVISY (40 m).
BRIDGES, FRANCE Each river pier consists of two half-structures
whose foundations are fixed in dense rock, Figure
These structures were described in Chapter 3. 3.9. The top portion of each half-pier consists of
two vertical slender legs, oriented, in plan, per-
Cho isy - le- Ro i Bridge o v er the Seine pendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bridge,
and in a transverse section of the bridge, disposed
This structure is composed of two parallel twin in the shape of a V. These legs, w hich have a
bridges, Figure 3.3 and 5.38. Each structure has a parallelogram form, are spaced in a longitudinal
continuous three-span su p erstru c tu re in pre- direction at 6 ft 9 in. (2.05 m) on center with a con-
stressed concrete with spans of 123 ft (37.50 m), stant wall thickness of 18 in. (0.45 m). The legs
180.4 (55 m), and 123 ft (37.50 m), fixed at the were precast and joined to the superstructure and
center piers and forming a symmetric frame. the lower portion of the pier by prestressing ten-
Piers are supported on a system of steel pipe dons.
piles driven to refusal in rock. The superstructure The Juvisy Bridge consists of six prestressed
is supported on two slender inclined legs having a concrete continuous spans with a total length of
thickness of 16 in. (0.40 m) and inclined to the ver- 700 ft (213.5 m). Spans are successively from the
tical axis at 0.065. Dimensions of the substructure left bank 62 ft (18.8 m), 62 ft (18.8 m), 137 ft (41.8
are shown in Figure 3.3. The precast legs with an m), 218 ft (66.6 m), 137 ft (41.8 m), and 84 ft (25.7
approximate weight of 27.5 ft (25 mt) have their ml.
centerlines converging to a point approximately at The two piers located in the Seine are split piers
the level of the foundations so as to reduce the resting on a common foundation, Figure 3.26. The
bending moments to .the foundation. The legs are foundations were constructed inside a sheet pile
joined to the body of the pier at one end and to the cofferdam, which permitted the flexible legs to
superstructure at the other end by prestressing be fixed at the bottom and hinged at the top. The
tendons. Before construction of the superstruc- thickness of the legs varied from 24 in. (0.60 m) at
ture by the balanced cantilever .method, the legs their base to 16 in. (0.40 m) at the top. They were
are temporarily stiffened by a triangular steel symmetrically inclined at 0.0805 to the vertical and
framework in the space between them. The con- were cast in place and prestressed.
struction stages are described graphically in Figure
5.38. 5.6.3 PIERS AND FOUNDATIONS OF CHILLON
VIADUCTS, SWITZERLAND
Courbevoie and Juvisy Bridges over the Seine
This structure, 1.24 miles (2 km) in length, is a twin
The Courbevoie Bridge is very similar in concept parallel viaduct overlooking Lake Leman and fol-
to the Choisy-le-Roi Bridge. It consists of a con- low ing a sinuous route corresponding to the contour
tinuous three-span superstructure with symmetri- of the hillside on which it is located, Figure 5.39. It
5
1 (y
16-6
* ‘5’ * *. 65.60' )
6 BRIDGE
tf BRIDGE
HER SEGMENT
r-h-
24’7’
EL 0 0 0
L SEAL CONCRETE
SECTION SECTION
f PIER UT
’-dx v= ‘xdx
-
0 i(x)’
s s0 i(x) ’
‘x2d.x
w =
sO;(x)’
At the level of’the superstructure, AA ‘, the com-
bined area and moment of inertia of the two legs,
designated by A and I respectively, is represented
I-- E BRfDGt- bv:
A = 2a and I = 2i + 2ad2
PLAN VIEW with 2d being the distance between the two legs at
the top.
FIGURE 5.42. Dauphin Island Bridge, dimensions of Setting p. = ad2/2i, the combined moment of in-
main piers and foundations. ertia of the two legs becomes I = 2i( 1 + 2p,).
Piers with Twin Flexible Legs
*-A---+ mA*
zy
N = - (t - t’) sin 4 + (n + n’) cos 4
Legs AB and A ‘B ’ are assumed to be connected at
their ends by two rigid and indeformable sections 2. Deformation equations: Displacement o, (Y, P
AA’ and BB ‘. Section BB’ is assumed fixed (no and w’, cr’, p’ at pointsA and A’ (with respect to
translation), and the deformation equations are the axis of the legs) are given by:
given by:
8=AM+BQ
w=w,+
s‘m + t x
‘m + t x
mU
oTdx=o,+E +tvE
mV tw
u=BM+CQ a=o,,l+ -xdx=cq,l+- -
so Ei E + E
v=KN
p=pY=lr (5-7)
EU 0 a
w here A, B, C, and K rep resent d efo rm atio n
coefficients of the legs. where w. is the rotation of the leg AB at B, and
Force components M, Q, N acting at point 0 E is the modulus of elasticity of the concrete.
(center of AA’) are the resultant of the external Corresponding equations give the displace-
forces applied to the pier, and 8, U, u are the corre- ments o’ , (Y’, / 3’ at point A’.
sponding components of displacement of the sec- Displacements of points A and A’ with respect
tion AA’ at point 0 (Figure 5.436). To determine to the axis of the pier, 8, A, p and 0’, A’, p’ are
the forces m, t, n and m’, t’, n’ in the legs atA and A’ determined as
requires the fo rm ulatio n o f the eq uatio ns o f
8=6J
equilibrium, deformation, and compatibility.
A = a cos 4 + p sin 4
1. Equilibrium equutions: The equilibrium of the
system about point 0 is given by p = Q sin 4 + p cos 4
260
zyx
Legs hinged at the superstructure and fixed at the application of a horizontal load (braking force or
base thermal expansion). The conventional value of the
Flexibilit\ 5lultiplier Fixed stop Fixed .I‘op Hinged .I‘op Hinged ‘I‘op
Co efficient Co efficient and Botrom Hinged Bottom Fixed Bottom rind Bottom
E.wct Fonttui~i,s
.4 1 1 I+1 1+1 1+1zyxwvutsrqpon
El 2P,t 2P” 2 PO
B 1 0 0
13
C 1 + 2Po x
3EI 1+-p (1 + $)(3 + 2/J,,)
.4pproxitttntr Forttt~clnsh
I
‘4
El
“Notation: I = 2i(l + 2p,), equivalent global inertia of twin walls. p,, = nci2/2i = C(~/IZ)~, with 2~f distance between walls, h wall
thickness.
*When l/p, is negligible with regard to 1.
3EI
1:’ zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfe
elasticity coefficient C = - IS multiplied by the
dimensionless factor 1 + po/ 2 in the case of verti-
cal walls fixed top and bottom or by (1 + 2 pO) for
Piers with Twin Flexible Legs
walls hinged at one end. The position of the point of contraflexure in the
The elasticity coefficient becomes infinitely large pier varies very little when the pier is subjected to a
for double-hinged vertical walls, which proves sim- moment only; it is considerably more sensitive to
ply that stability toward horizontal loads must be the effect of a horizontal load.
o b tained thro u g h so m e o ther restraint in the The horizontal rigidity of the pier varies appreci-
structure such as fixed connections or elastomeric ably with ttie degree of fixity of the legs.
bearings over the abutments.
A detailed study of several typical cases was con- 5.6.7 ELASTIC STABILITY OF PIERS WITH
ducted for the Choisy-le-Roi Bridge, considering FLEXIBLE LEGS
in particular:
It has been shown that the use of twin Hexible legs
Legs fixed at both ends (whether vertical or inclined) provides an eco-
Legs hinged at both ends nomic solution to the dilemma between rigidity for
bending versus rotation and flexibility for hori-
Legs fixed on top and hinged at the base
zontal load versus displacement. In this respect the
elastic stability of the system is the limiting factor,
Tab le 5.7 p resents the essential resu lts o f this
because there must always be an ample margin
studv, which also includes consideration of the
against buckling.
flexibility of the body of the pier to the base of the
A ssu m e the b rid g e su p erstru c tu re to b e d is-
foundation, where:
placed horizontally by 11 under a random horizon-
MO = bending moment in the superstructure tal load. The resistance against such displacement
at the pier section (side of the center is offered by the pier rigidity, including the bend-
span), ing resistance of the legs if they are at least partially
M, = bending moment in pier (top section), fixed at the top or bottom and possibly including
Q = horizontal reaction in the pier. the horizontal rigiditv of the bearings over the
abutments.
The following conclusions may be drawn from The minimum value of the vertical reaction in
the study: the pier (or the normal force in the legs), for which
the imposed displacement does not have a ten-
The superstructure is very efficiently fixed over dency to spontaneously diminish until the cause
the river piers by the twin inclined wall system. The provoking the displacement vanishes, represents
end moment for the center span totally fixed at the critical buckling load of the pier. This critical
both ends would be 255. The actual end moment load is generally smaller than that where the legs
varies between 230 a nd 232 (i.e., 90% of the fixed are considered Isolated and subjected to the same
end moment). load conditions.
T ABLE 5.7. Choisy -le-Roi Bridge: behav ior of Riv er Piers under Horiz ont al and Vert ical Load@
“Notation: A, B, C = flexibility coefficients of pier. E L = global elasticity of pier. M, = end moment of center span (in tm). ,M, =
bending moment at pier top (m tm). Q = horizontal reaction in pier.
*Units: All coefficients in metric system. A uniform vertical load of 1 t/m is applied over the center span. A unit horizontal load of I t
is applied at deck level. A unit shortening of the deck is applied such that EA = lo?
262 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
The deformations (8, U) produce internal forces of the three equations is nil, which allows us to ob-
(m, t, n and m’, t’, n’) in the top of the legs, which tain the value of critical load nIc.
require the following conditions: The critical buckling force of one pier leg may be
expressed as:
m , = mi, t, = t;, 72, = -n;
Ei
If R. represents the rigidity of the superstruc- ncr = r2-
l2
ture against rotation and R, toward longitudinal
displacements, and if M and Q represent the mo- where r is a dimensionless coefficient which may be
ment and horizontal force that the superstructure related to the usual Euler formula for buckling:
transmits to the pier, we have:
= T2Ei
M = - RoO f h, b, n,) ncr x2
(5-10)
Q = - R,u gh nd
with h equal to the effective buckling length. Thus
These equations may be transformed to substi- the equivalent buckling length of one leg as part of
tute the deformations of the superstructure (0, U) the total pier system will be:
for those of the legs:
*A&
Ref(m,, t,, n,) r
(5-l 1)
R,(a cos 4 - P sin 4) g’(n,, tJ The example of the Choisy-le-Roi Bridge will
with aw = (Y sin 4 + /3 cos 4 and /3 = (IIEc)n,. again be considered. Seven typical cases were in-
The condition of initial load of the leg (ex- vestigated with either vertical or inclined legs and
pressed by no) is modified from the case of the dis- different leg end restraints. Also the horizontal re-
placement imposed to the structure and becomes: straint of the bridge over the abutment was varied.
Table 5.8 summarizes the results for the following
Normal force: no + nl numerical values:
B e n d i n g m o m e n t : m,
Transverse force: t, Wall length 1 = 8.50 m, on center spacing 2 d =
2.00 m
The additional forces m, and t, may be expressed
Area a = 6.40 m2, moment of inertia i = 0.085 m4
as a function of the displacement of the legs (w, (Y)
and of the initial force rzo. By substituting these Neoprene pads over the abutments: area A b = 1.28
forces, as functions of (Y and o, into equations 5- 11, m2, E/G = 20,000
we obtain a system of linear equations in three un-
knowns, n, a, w. The first six cases are hypothetical assumptions
When we assume that the displacements (a, w) used for comparison. Case 7 is the actual case of
are different from zero when the cause inducing the Choisy-le-Roi Bridge with the legs hinged at
the displacement vanishes, the determinate form the base and fixed to the superstructure.
The designer should be aware that the following Because of the limited dimensions of the pier
three factors play an essential role in the elastic sta- shafts and their consequent marginal bending
bility of the structure: capacity, a temporary support was used during
construction for stability of the superstructure be-
Inclination of the legs to the vertical fore deck continuity was achieved. Only one sup-
Horizontal rigidity of the neoprene bearings at the port was used for each pier, Figure 5.45, on one
abutments side of the concrete shaft within the space available
inside the temporary cofferdam. Consequently the
Fixity conditions of the ends of the legs in the piers
lever arm between the pier and support centerlines
was only 8.5 ft (2.40 m), so that a heavy reaction
The fundamental difference between cases 2 and 6
was imposed on the temporary support.
(Table 5.8) indicated by the considerable increase
The maximum reaction computed for the case
in the factor of safety (1.1 to 5.2) is due to the in-
of one precast segment out of balance, including
troduction in case 6 of the arch effect of the in-
the lifting equipment, was 1170 tons (1060 mt). In-
clined legs. Horizontal displacements of the
cluding provisions for random loads and the
superstructure cannot occur without mobilizing
added reaction of the temporary prestressing ten-
the bending stiffness of the pier assembly. For case
dons, the maximum design reaction in the support
2 the elastic stability relies solely on the bending
was 2030 tons (1840 mt). Each temporary support
stiffness of the legs, and the critical buckling force
consisted of:
is the same as for a beam fixed at one end and free
at the other.
A 40 in. (1 m) steel pipe filled with concrete, Figure
5.46, resting on the spread footing of the ‘perma-
5.7 Flexible Piers and Their Stability
nent pier
During Construction
A V-shaped concrete frame placed upon the pipe
5.7.1 SCOPE
and allowing the deck reaction to be transferred
directly from the box section webs to the pipe
In the preceding paragraphs we considered piers
having a bending capacity allow ing the deck can- Vertical prestressing tendons were also an-
tilever construction to proceed with no further chored in the pier footing and stressed from deck
strengthening. Such moment-resisting piers are level to prevent accidental overturning of the can-
usually joined to the superstructure to benefit from tilever, although limitations were imposed during
the frame action, both to reduce the cost of foun- construction to always start segment placement on
dations and minimize the effect of live loading in the the side of the temporary support.
superstructure. Temporary connection between the pier seg-
Another type of substructure remains to be con- ment and the concrete pier shaft included one
sidered here, one more conventional in design and looped tendon and four high-strength bars. An
where the piers receive the vertical reaction of the immediate consequence of the high vertical reac-
superstructure through a single row of bearings. tion imposed upon the deck by the temporary sup-
Such piers are usually flexible, and the stability port in case of unbalanced loading was a reversal of
during cantilever construction requires that tem- shear stresses between the temporary and the
porary supports be added to the self-bending permanent supports. This situation was even more
strength of the pier shaft. critical because of the permanent draped tendons,
shown in the detail of Figure 5.47, located in that
5.7.2 DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE zone together with the Resal effect produced by
STRUCTURES W ITH TEM PORARY SUPPORTS the inclined bottom flange. The corresponding
shear stress in the webs reached a maximum of 680
Dow nstream Paris Belt Bridge, France psi. Two special tendons (twelve 3 in. diameter
strands) were placed on either side of each web of
The four river pier shafts previously described and the box girder to reduce the shear stresses to al-
illustrated in Section 5.3.2 rest on a reinforced lowable values. In fact, these four tendons worked
concrete substructure built inside a cofferdam as a tension tie between the top and bottom flanges
sealed with tremie concrete. Dimensions are shown of the box girder across the distance between the
in Figure 5.44. permanent and temporary support.
TRANSVERSAL SECTION
l l ln KOLW
-PLE UP -
-----
cl+44
/'
f d-P-Y E-Tif i
-SEGMENT WEIGHTS: 60 to 40 t
42.40
U360 t
.- In-.-____c
VERTICAL PRESTRESSING
.-
FIGURE 5.45. Downstream Paris Belt Bridge, schematic of temporary support and
stability of river pier during construction.
264
Flexible Piers and Their Stability During Construction 265
STEEL CAP P/T ANCHORS
N
M FLANG
JOINT
TRANSFORMED CONCRE
TRANSFORMED SECTION : zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfed
L%m
RA IN C O NC R~
FLEXI FLOAT5
c -
R / C CAl%ON
FLOATING CLAM
5HELL C R A N E
267
268 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
5.7.3 REVIEW OF THE VARIOUS METHODS OF
P
PROVIDING STABILITY DURING CANTILEVER
CONSTRUCTION
269
270 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
///I/Py”Hf zy
d
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZY
---
__- - --
M=Wd
QV
Winch
Overhead beam
FIGURE 5.54. Cantilever stability by deck construc- FIGURE 5.55. Cantilever stability by temporary sup-
tion equipment. port(s).
Abutments 271
If it is desired that the temporary supports never the same loading configuration. The double sup-
be subject to an uplift force, to resist which re- port system is therefore exactly twice as expensive
quires anchors and adequate foundations, the as the single support system. The only advantage is
stiffness of the support must be such that a to allow the construction of the deck to proceed
sufficient proportion of the vertical load compen- indifferently from either side of the pier or to
sates the effect of the moment. The minimum maintain an equal safety of the system should a
value of p must be such that: mistake be made in the required sequence of oper-
ations for the case of a single support.
M M
p V--20 o r p2---
2a 2a Tempo rary Stay s In a limited number of struc-
Consequently the maximum reaction at support T2 tures, stability during construction was provided by
becomes at least equal to M /a, w hich is precisely temporary vertical or inclined stays anchored in
the value of the reaction for a single support with special foundation blocks or in the permanent
footing of the pier, Figure 5.56.
When feasible, this last system is particularly
simple, because the temporary stays are usually
made of simple prestressing tendons and are far
less expensive than rigid temporary supports. Such
a system must be used in conjunction with a strong
temporary connection between pier and deck to
reach an adequate level of safety.
5.8 Abutments
5.8.1 SCOPE
approaches while allowing free expansion with an 5.8.2 COMBINED ABUTlMESTIRETAI.VI.1’G WALL
adequate roadway and sidewalk joint,
Type IA (Figure 5.57) A simple retaining wall
They make the retaining wall contain the fill of the perpendicular to the bridge centerline and an-
approach embankment where geometric condi- chored to a conventional spread footing both con-
tions require it. Design and construction methods tains the approach fill and provides the deck end
of the abutments depend greatly upon the soil bearing. The back wall receives a transition slab to
conditions and the level of the water table when avoid the roadway profile discontinuity so frequent
present. in earlier bridges between the rigid deck and the
flexible pavement over the approach embankment.
Basically, the two functions outlined above ma! Two side walls of triangular shape contain the fill
either be integrated into a single structure or filled inside the abutment.
by two separate structures. On the other hand, the
function of a retaining wall may be greatly mini- Type ZB (Figure 5.58) The retaining wall is
mized by allowing the approach fill to take a slope made of a vertical wall and a lower slab properly
of repose under the structure. strengthened by longitudinal buttresses. The en-
By variously combining these characteristics, tire system is founded on piles.
twelve different sketches were prepared in Figures
5.57 through 5.68 as an outline of typical struc- Type IC (Figure 5.59) Where the poor quality of
tures encountered in practice. For convenience, the soil makes it difficult to resist the horizontal
these designs have been grouped into six different loads due to earth pressure combined with braking
categories as described in the following para- and thermal reactions, the previous system may be
graphs. founded on a system of vertical piles, while the
t-‘--t
FIGURE 5.59. Abutment type IC.
273
274 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
horizontal loads are resisted by embedded pre- 5.8.4 THROUGH FILL ABUTMENT
stressed concrete ties anchored in the back into a
continuous dead-man. The fill extends under the bridge deck with a stable
slope (3 : 2 to 2 : 1) to reduce as much as possible the
5.83 SEPARATE END SUPPORT AND amount of earth pressure applied to the abutment.
RETAINI,VG WALL
Type ZZ (Figure 5.60) The two functions of deck Type ZZZA (Figure 5.61) Vertical longitudinal
support and retaining wall are entrusted to two walls connect the lower spread footing to the
separate structures. Shown in this figure is a front abutment superstructure. It is important to avoid
vertical column, resting on spread footings or piles, horizontal cross bracings at intermediate levels
which provides the deck end bearing. Behind this embedded in the fill, because settlements may
column and separate thereto, a reinforced earth cause significant overloads in such members such
retaining w all contains the approach fill. as to cause failure.
- t-4.G
- -
& ~~~-
FOU R-4 ’@m PI LES-_ _
(b)
FIGURE 5.60. Abutment type II with reinforced earth. (a) Cross section. (b) Elevation
and longitudinal section.
Abutments 275
Type ZZZB (Figure 5.62) The same system may 5.8.6 ABUTMENTS DESIGNED FOR UPLIFT
be adapted to the case where a high water table and
poor soil conditions call for pile foundation built in The principle has been described previously in
a cofferdam. Chapter 4 (design) and for actual structures in
Chapters 2 and 3 (cast-in-place or precast can-
5.8.5 HOLLOW BOX ABUTMENT tilever bridges).
d-t
6”
I
i'
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
settlements were responsible for problems per- settlement of one pier by a given amount, one may
taining to the integrity of the superstructure (such easily derive the effect in terms of moments and
as opening of joints between successive segments). stresses in the superstructure. Taking the fixed
Differential settlements, however, are very seldom end moment p = 6 EZu/12, the moments over the
critical in most soil conditions. In the isolated cases piers and at midspan are:
where they may be critical, precautions can be
taken to counteract their eventual effects upon the
structure. Over the pier subjected +0.732p
to settlement
5.9.1 EFFECTS OF AN ASSUM ED PIER Over the adjacent piers -0.464~
SETTLEMENT ON THE STRESSES IN THE Midspan moment +0.134/ L
SUPERSTRUCTURE Quarter-span moment +0.433p
Starting with the simple case shown in Figure 5.69,
where a continuous beam of constant depth with a The stress produced in the superstructure is f =
large number of identical spans is subjected to the MC/I, where c is the distance between the centroid
278 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
f = 23,400;
awble 1
5.9.2 PRACTICAL M EASURES FOR For some structures the situation may call for
COUNTERACTING DIFFERENTIAL SETTLEMENTS special consideration. Such was the case, for exam-
ple, with the Houston Ship Channel Bridge, where
In most cases, the foreseeable differential settle- large long-term settlements could be anticipated at
ments may be absorbed by the structure without the time of design. In such instances, provisions for
any corrective measures and no special provisions eventual realignment of the deck profile must be
need be taken in that respect. incorporated into the design.
280 Foundations, Piers, and Abutments
FIGURE 5.67. Abutment type VIA. FIGURE 5.68. Abutment tvpe VIB
Inertia : I
Modulus : z
FIGURE 5.69. Effect of differential settlement on a continuous beam with equal spans
and constant depth.
References
1. J. Mathivat, “Reconstruction du pont de Choisy-le- 3. Gerwick, Ben C. Jr., “Bell-Pier Construction, Recent
Roi,” Trauaux, Janvier 1966, No. 372. Developments and Trends,” Journal of the American
2. J. Mathivat, “Structures de piles adaptees a la con- Concrete Institute, Proc. V. 62, No. 10, October 1965.
struction par encorbellement,” Problems speciaux
d’etude et d’execution des overages, Journees
A.F.P.C., Avril 22-23, 1974.
6.1
6.2
6.3
I N T R O DUC T I O N
6.1.1 Progressive Placement Method
6.1.2 Span-by-Span Method
PROGRESSIVE CAST-IN-PLACE
6.2.1
6.5
6.6
6.4.5 Guadiana Viaduct, Portugal
6.4.6 Loisach Bridge, Germany
6.4.7 Rheinbriicke Dusseldorf-Flehe,
6.4.8 Denny Creek Bridge, U.S.A.
SPAN-BY-SPAN PRECAST BRIDGES
6.5.1 Long Key Bridge, U.S.A.
6.5.2 Seven Mile Bridge, U.S.A.
DESIGN ASPECTS OF
Germany
SEGMENTAL PROGRESSIVE
C O N S T R UC T I O N
6.3.1 Rombas Viaduct, France
6.3.2 Linn Cove Viaduct, U.S.A. 6.6.1 General
6.4 SPAN-BY-SPAN CAST-IN-PLACE BRIDGES 6.6.2 Reactions on Piers During Construction
6.6.3 Tensions in Stays and Deflection Control During
6.4.1 Kettiger Hang, Germany
Construction
6.4.2 Krahnenberg Bridge, Germany
6.6.4 Iayout of Tendons for Progressive Construction
6.4.3 Pleichach Viaduct, Germany
REFERENCES
6.4.4 Elztalbticke, Germany
later extended to the first use of precast segments When cast-in-place segments are used in con-
in the Rombas Viaduct in eastern France. junction with the progressive placement method,
the rate of construction is less than that t’or the bal-
The essential advantages of this method are as anced cantilever method, in that there is onlv one
follows: location of construction activitv. That is, onlv one
segment can be cast (at the end of the completed
1. The operations are continuous and are carried portion of the structure) rather than two (one at
o u t f ro m that p art o f the stru c tu re alread, each end of the balanced cantilevers). ~fhis slow-
constructed. Access for personnel and mate- ness may be minimized by the use of longer seg-
rials is conveniently accomplished over the sur- ments, but this solution is limited bv the low resis-
face of the structure already completed (free tance of the young concrete. On the other hand,
of the existing terrain). This may be of impor- the u se o f ep o xy - jo ined p rec ast seg m ents ma!
tance with regard to urban viaducts cantile- permit an average rapidity of construction compa-
vering over numerous obstacles. rable to that of balanced cantilever with a launch-
2. Reactions to the piers are vertical and not sub- ing girder.
ject to any unsymmetrical bending moments,
thus avoiding the need for temporary bracing
during construction.
3. The method is adaptable to curved structure A s ind ic ated in Chap ter 1, the sp an-b y -sp an
geometry. method was developed to meet the need for con-
structing long viaducts with relatively short spans
The following are the disadvantages: such as to incorporate the advantages of balanced
cantilever construction.
1. It is difficult, if not impossible, to utilize this From a competitive point of view, the capital in-
method in the construction of the first span. vestment in the equipment for this type of con-
Usu ally the first sp an m u st b e erec ted o n struction is considerable. It has been suggested’
falsework. In some rare instances it may be that one-third of the cost of the equipment be de-
possible to cantilever the first span from the preciated for a given site and that at least four uses
abutment. would be required to achieve full depreciation, in-
2. Forces imposed upon the superstructure, de- cluding interest on the capital investment. How-
pending on the method of construction, are ever, costly modifications that may be required
c o m p letely d if f erent ( in sig n and o rd er o f because of changes in bridge widths or span limi-
magnitude) from those present in the struc- tations are not considered in the above write-off
ture under service load. Consequently, a tem- policy. It would, therefore, be advisable for a con-
porary external support system is required tractor investing in this tvpe of equipment to con-
during construction in order to maintain the sid er so m e ty p e o f m o d u lar p lanning so that
stresses within reasonable limits and minimize modification for future projects might be kept to a
the c o st o f u np ro d u c tiv e tem p o rary pre- minimum. It might be possible to have a basic piece
stressing. Falsework bents may be used (as in o f eq u ip m ent w ith interc hang eab le elem ents.
the Linn Cove Viaduct), but the more usual There is, of course, the potential of leasing this
solution is that of a mobile temporary mast equipment to others as a means of retiring the
and cable-stay system (Figure 1.57). For the capital investment.
progressive placement method the mast and Wittfoht1s2 has categorized stepping segmental
cable-stay system is relocated progressively construction intb four subgroups:
over the piers as construction advances.
1. With-on-the ground nontraveling formwork.
3. In this system the piers are subjected to a reac-
tion from the self-weight of the superstructure 2. W ith trav eling formw ork o r o n- the- g ro u nd
approximately twice that in the final static ar- stepping formwork.
rangement of the structure. However, this is 3. With off-the-ground stepping formwork.
generally not critical to the design of the piers 4. In opposite directions starting from a pier.
and foundations, as the effect of the dead load
is rarely larger than half the total load includ- The first category is generally used where there
ing horizontal forces. are a large number of approximately equal spans
Progressive Cast-in-Place Bridges 283
along the longitudinal axis approximately level. Section l-l Section 2-2
Maximum span for this category is approximately FIGURE 6.1. Schematic of procedure for movable
165 ft (50 m), and a large number of equal spans scaffolding, from reference 3 (courtesy of Zement und
are required to achieve repetitiveness and thus Beton).
econon1v.3
The falsework and forms are generally a span struction indicated by the fourth category may be
length (either the dimension from pier to pier or considered. This system uses a gantry rig that has a
from inflection point to inflection point), Figure length one and one-half times that of the span. In
6.1 .3 The formw ork is fixed to the scaffolding and this method segments are cast in each direction
travels with it. The bottom of- the formw ork is de- from a pier, as in the balanced cantilever method,
signed with a hinge or continuous trap-door device except that the form traveler and segment being
such that the scaffolding and forms can travel past cast are supported by the gantry. This method is
and clear the piers. The scaffolding is moved for- actually a balanced cantilever method and not a
ward on rails. If a foundation for the scaffolding, span-by-span method of construction as defined
forms, and weight of superstructure is found to be here.
too costlv or unsafe, a scheme may be used where The advantages of the span-by-span method of
the rails ‘carry only the load of the scaffolding and construction, besides those associated with seg-
fo rm w o rk. O nc e in p o sitio n, the sc affo ld ing is mental construction in general, pertain to the pre-
supported at the piers, or at the forward pier, and stressing steel requirements. Since the segments
the completed structure at the rear by auxiliary are supported by the form travelers, there are no
brackets; thus construction loads are transmitted to cantilever stresses during construction, and pre-
the pier foundations. stress requirements are akin to those of conven-
Where conditions exist as in the previous cate- tional construction on falsework or those for the
gory, but the structure is high with reference to the final condition of the structure.
terrain or crosses over difficult terrain or water,
the third category may be used, whereby during
the stepping and casting operations the equipment 6.2 Progressive Cast-in-Place Bridges
is supported by the piers or by a pier and the pre- 6.2.X APPROACH SPANS TO THE BENDORF
viously completed portion of the structure. BRIDGE, GERMANY
Where consecutive spans in the range of 160 to
500 ft (50 to 150 m) are contemplated and the fac- As discussed in Section 2.2, the Bendorf Bridge
was constructed in two parts. The western portion
tors mentioned above prevail, the type of con-zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
284 Progressive and Span-by-Span Construction of Segmental Bridges
Construction in
free cantilever 216.50 m Construction on falsework 288.50 m
I-.___--.-__i
‘Phase 5 by progressive placing, segment length 4.00 m.
FIGURE 6.2. Bendorf Bridge, Part Two (East), construction procedure, from refer-
ence 1 (courtesy of Beton- and Stahlbetonbau). Phase 5 by progressive placing, segment
length 4.00 m.
(part one), Figure 2.9, consists of a symmetrical manner on falsework inside a temporary wind-
seven-span continuous girder constructed by the shielded protective cover, Figure 6.3. Outside
cast-in-place balanced cantilever method. The temperature during this operation ranged from
eastern portion (part two), Figure 2.10, consists of - 2 0 t o -30°C. Subsequent progressive cantilever
a nine-span continuous approach structure having construction was performed-with the aid of a tem-
an overall length of 1657 ft (505 m) with spans porary pylon and stays, Figure 6.4. The same
ranging from 134.5 ft (41 m) to 308 ft (94 m). stages were repeated in the remaining spans. The
In the construction of the approach spans, Fig- superstructure was cast-in-place with the assis-
ure 6.2, the five spans from the east abutment were tance of one form traveler, Figure 6.5. During
built in a routine manner with the assistance of these stages of construction, for protection against
falsework bents. The four spans over water were low temperatures, form traveler and form were
constructed by the progressive placement method, fully enclosed, Figure 6.5. This enclosure was insu-
using cast-in-place segments and a temporary lated with 4 in. (100 mm) of fiberglass.
cable-stay arrangement to reduce the cantilever Hardening of the concrete took an average of 76
stresses. The temporary stay system consisted of a hours. Temperature of the concrete was main-
structural steel pylon approximately 65 ft (20 m) tained between 35 and 45°C at mixing and between
high and stays composed of Dywidag bars. 20 and 25°C during casting. Curing inside the
form traveler enclosure was assisted by warm-air
6.2.2 OUNASJOKI BRIDGE, FINLAND blowers. Concrete strength was 5000 psi (34.5
MPa). Segment length was 11.5 ft (3.5 m), and it
This structure is near the city of Rovaniemi, Fin- was possible to reach a casting rate of two segments
land, and crosses the Ounas River just above its a week.
junction with the River Kemi near the Arctic Cir- Construction started in 1966 and was completed
cle. The structural arrangement consists of two 230 in 1967. Table 6.1 lists the temperatures recorded
ft (70 m) interior spans and end spans of 164 ft (50 during seven months of the construction period.
m), prestressed longitudinally and transversely. The progressive placement method proved effec-
The first end span and 75 ft (22.75 m) of the tive and work progressed throughout the year
second span were cast-in-place in a conventional even during arctic conditions.
Month
Existing grcamdlim
TYPICAL ELEVATION
TYPICAL SECTION
E. 8 ELEVATION
518’-3”
Bridge abut. 2
E Dridge abut 1
W. 8. ELEVATION
42'-0"
e Elri ge 1zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYX
,_ : r2" Aspha lt
TYPICAL SECTION
FIGURE 6.7. Vail Pass Bridges, Miller Creek Bridge, typical elevation and section.
were occupied at the Miller Creek Bridges. Upon struction continued in the progressive placement
completion of their work at Miller Creek, the form manner, Figure 6.8.
travelers were transported over the completed end Because of the limited construction time a
spans of the Black Gore Creek Bridges and con- three-day cycle was required for segment casting.
288 Progressive and Span-by-Span Construction of Segmental Bridges
Construction specifications required a concrete
strength of 3500 psi (24 MPa) at the time of post-
tensioning and 5500 psi (38 MPa) at 28 days. Since
the time required for f-orming and placing of rebar
and tendons is somewhat fixed, the only operation
that could be adjusted was the concrete curing
time. This was accomplished by using a special
water-reducing agent that allowed the develop-
ment of 3500 psi (24 MPa) concrete in 18 hours.
Because of lack of experience with the specific
water reducer, honeycombing was experienced in
the early stages of construction. Eventually a 24 da)
cvcle was achieved.
ROM BAS
- P L A N VlEL/-
(a)
FIGURE 6.9. Rombas Viaduct, plan and sections. (a) Plan. (6) Typical bridge sections.
(c) Typical segment section.
Progressive Precast Bridges 289
Coupe A coupe c
Coupe El Coupe D
6.3 Progressive Precast Bridges and the viaduct has two parallel single-cell boxes.
In cross section each single-cell box is 8.2 ft (2.5 m)
deep and has a width of 36 ft (11 .O m). A construc-
tion view of the end of a segment is presented in
The Rombas Viaduct is a constant-depth super- Figure 6.10.
structure, supported on neoprene bearings, with C o nstru c tio n o f this stru c tu re em p lo y ed the
nine co ntinuo us sp ans rang ing f ro m 75 f t ( 23 progressive placing of the precast segments. Tem-
m) to 14X ft (45 m). This structure is curved in plan porary stability was provided by a cable-stay sys-
with a minimum radius of 900 ft (275 m) and of a tem, Figures 1.57 and 6.11, which advanced from
variable width, owing to the presence of an exit pier to pier as the construction progressed. Seg-
ramp, Figure 6.9. Total length is 1073 ft (327 m), ments were progressively placed, starting from one
290 Progressive and Span-by-Span Construction of Segmental Bridges
1243 ft (378.84 m) eight-span continuous structure being lowered down to construct the foundation
with spans of 98.5, 163, 4 at 180, 163, and 98.5 ft and piers. The piers are precast segments sta c ke d
(30.02, 49.68, four at 54.86, 49.68, and 30.02 m) vertically and post-tensioned to the foundation,
and sharp-radius curves, Figure 6.15. In cross sec- Figure 6.17.
tion it is a single-cell box girder with the dimen- The extreme curvature of the alignment makes
sions indicated in Figure 6.16. the use of temporary cable stays impractical. Tem-
Because of the environmental sensitivity of the porary bents at midspan will be used to reduce
area, access to some of the piers is not available. cantilever and torsional stresses during construc-
Therefore, the piers will be constructed from the tion to acceptable levels. The temporary bents are
tip of a cantilever span, with men and equipment erected in the same manner as the permanent
+ Pier 3
i
$ Pier 4
izyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONM
FIGURE 6.18. Linn Cove Viaduct, erection scheme for progressive placement.
39,26-39, M
Scaffolding truss at concreting position Section l-l
Cantilever
~39,20~3920~3Q,20
39,20-t----3Q,M-39,20 %i%f
Advancement of the Scaffolding truss including forms Section 2-2
3% slope Forward Rear
0
n;
FIGURE 6.19. Kettiger Hang, schematic of’ the construction procedure, from reter-
ence 3 (courtesy of’ Zement und Beton).
Exterior
scaffold
girder
Interior
I’I ‘\ scaffold
girder
m t
(b)
294
Span-by-Span Cast-in-Place Bridges 295
In this project four fbrmwork supporting gird- Average casting rate was 706 ft3 per hr (20 m3).
ers were used. Two interior girders were rigidly Fourteen days was required for construction of a
connected together by transverse horizontal brac- span.
ing. The formw ork was arranged so that the forms
hinged at the bottom and folded down to allow 6.43 PLEICHACH VMDUCT, GERMANY
passage, during advancement, past the piers, Fig-
ure 6.200. ‘The four girders were supported on the In 1963 construction started on the 1148 ft (350 m)
hexagonal piers by transverse support beams at- long Pleichach Viaduct1a3 carrying a federal high-
tached to the pier. In this manner the four lon- way between Wurzburg and Fulda; it was the first
g itud inal formw ork su p p o rt g ird ers w ere su p - u se o f the sp an- b y - sp an tec hniq u e f o r a d u al
ported on two piers, while an additional set of structure, Figure 6.21. Span length is 119 ft (36.25
transverse support beams were attached to the
Rear crane truck
forward pier. Figure 6.206. Forward crane truck
Latticework cantilever extensions at both ends of
the lo ng itud inal formw ork su p p o rt g ird ers ex-
rk ! ‘“__ -.-_-----~~-c-~~--~-
// /
__---
tended their length to twice the span length, so that
R Fiv I
a stable support was provided by the transverse
1’; ” ,I ,A +; I I
support girders during advancement. The outside
Scaffolding girder at concreting position
girders had joints or links at the connection with
the cantilever latticework so that the curvature of
the structure could be accommodated during their
advancement. The elevation of the outside girders
was adjusted by hydraulic ja c ks to accommodate
superelevation. During the advancement opera- 36.25+-x,25- --i -36.25
tion the outside girders were advanced first and
Advancement of the scaffolding girder including forms
then the center two girders, Figure 6.20~. When
the forward end of the interior girders reached the
transverse supporting beams, the rear transverse
beams of the previously cast span were no longer
required. They were dismantled from the pier. Construction joint
These transverse beams were erected on the next
forward pier by a crane, Figure 6.20b.
The exterior formw ork of’ the two-cell box gird-
er was attached to the longitudinal support gird-
ers and only required adjustment for curvature.
Advancement of the scaffolding and cantilever girders
The interior forms of- the cells were dismantled
and reassembled on the next span after reinforce-
ment was placed in the bottom flange and webs.
(a)
Plan
(b)
FIGURE 6.23. Elztalbticke, longitudinal cross section and plan, from reference 5
(courtesy of Der Bauingenieur). (a) Longitudinal cross section. (h) Plan.
298 Progressive and Span-by-Span Construction of Segmental Bridges
in the center span. This joint is located 38 ft (11.6
.
zyxwvutsrqp
28
m) from pier E. The superstructure is monolithi-
cally connected at all piers and the abutments.
At the center of each span is a 43 ft (13.1 m)
long, massive flat plate, which in cross section has a
435
thickness varying from the centerline (crown ot
roadway) of 2% in. (650 mm) to 17% in. (450 mm) at
the outside edges. The “ mushroom” portion ot the
span varies in thickness, transversely and lon-
gitudinally, to 8 ft (2.45 m) at the pier. The
superstructure is prestressed longitudinally and
transv ersely.
The octagonal piers have, in cross section, exter-
nal dimensions 01 15.75 by 19 ft (4.8 by 5.8 m) with
a w all thickness of 11% to 1% in. (300 to 350 mm).
Any given pier has a constant cross section for its
entire height. The percentage of vertical rein-
forcement, with a concrete cover on the outer and
interior faces of 1.5 in. (40 mm), varies from 0.8 to
1.2% of the gross concrete area. Piers were con-
structed by slip-forming. The eight pier shafts
were constructed in seven months. The tallest pier,
3 11.6 ft (95 m) in height, was slip-formed and cast
at a rate of about 26 ft (8 m) per day and thus re-
quired 12 days to construct. The top 4 ft (1.2 m)
portion of the pier was cast with the superstructure
by the traveling scaffolding. On the top of the slip-
formed pier four 7.2 ft (2.2 m) high pedestals were
cast to provide the support for the cantilever gir-
der from the traveling scaffolding, Figure 6.25.’
The traveling scaffolding was assembled at
abutment A after completion of the abutment and
the half-mushroom projecting therefrom. This
form traveler, Figure 6.26, accommodates a full-
width span-length segment of 123 ft (37.5 m).
After the first span, two weeks were required to
complete a superstructure span. The first opera-
FIGURE 6.24. Elztalbticke, cross section at pier E, FIGURE 6.25. Elztalbticke, construction view (cour-
from reference 5 (courtesy of Der Bauingenieur). tesy of Dipl. Ing. Manfred Bockel).
Side longitudinal girder
dp Center longitudinal
i-9000--+- &Q*Llo L+P-.--
I / Center support bearing i Catwalk girder
Upper catwalk
Travel direction -
37500
Center longitudinal
girder
Side longitudinal
girder
zyxwvutsrqp
Scaffolding after
advancement
Cd)
Section A-B
Cc)
weather. At the forward end an approximately 72 m ) lo 16.4 f t ( 5.0 m ) . Forms fo l- c o nc reting the
ft (22 m ) long cantilever beam, located on the cen- superstructure are supported bv two series of sus-
terline, is projected to the next pier for support. penders. One set pierces the concrete flanges and
Ele va tio n
(a)
Typic a l c ro ss se c tio n
(b)
FIGURE 6.27. Guadiana Viaduct, elevation and sections of form carrier. (a) Elevation.
(b) Section at forward support-forms open. (c) Typical cross section.
Span-by-Span Cast-in-Place Bridges 301
is located inside the box cell. The other set is ar-
Box girder T-beam
ranged outside the box and supports the forms
when stripped and traveling past the piers in an
open position, Figure 6.27.
D u ring c o nc reting o f the su p erstru c tu re the
f’orm carrier is supported on the forward pier b\
an arran g e m e n t o f a telescoping tubular cross
frame, at the rear: it is supported on the
superstructure at a location 26 ft (8.0 m) forw ard
of’ the rear pier. When the form carrier is being
launched forward, it moves over a support at the
tip o f rhe c o m p leted su p erstru c tu re c antilev er
(near the inflection point), and its rear support
rides on the surface of the completed superstruc-
ture. ‘The form carrier (including all equipment)
weighs 209 tons (190 mt).
FIGURE 6.29. Loisachbriicke, cross sections, from
6.4.6 LOISACH BRIDGE, C;ER,\lA,\‘k reference 8 (courtesy of Dyckerhoff & Widmann).
‘l-he federal autobahn between Munich and Lin- The dual structure has a total width of 100 ft
dau has an alignment that transverses the Mur- (30.5 m), Figure 6.29, and each half is supported
nauer swamp area near Ohlstadt and thus crosses on two circular piers, excepting the Loisach span
the Loisach River and the old federal highway B-2 w hich is sup p o rted o n w all p iers. In the to tal
(Olympiastrasse), Figure 6.28. Because of flooding length, the dual structures are subdivided into
and poor soil conditions an embankment was not three sections by two transverse joints, Figure 6.28.
possible, and a decision was made requiring a dual In plan the structure has a radius of 4265 ft (1300
viaduct bridge structure with a total length of 43 14 m) at the Munich end, and the curvature reverses
f’t (1315 Ill).’ at the Loisach with a radius of 6562 ft (2000 m).”
.I‘he 232.8 ft (70.96 m) main span crossing the The completed structure is shown in Figure 6.32.
Loisach River is a variable-depth single-cell box The circular piers are 4 ft (1.2 m) in diameter
girder constructed by the free cantilever method. and are supported on 20 in. (500 mm) driven piles
Depth of’the box girder varies from 9.84 ft (3.0 m) with an allowable load capacity of 176 tons (160
to 5.58 ft (1.7 m), Figure 6.29. The approach spans mt). Pile depths vary from 42 to 72 ft (13 to 22 m).
are of a T-beam cross section, Figure 6.29, con- A total of 1182 piles were driven for a total length
structed by the span-by-span method with the form of piling of 63,650 ft (19,400 m), with an average
carriers running below the superstructure. Figure length of pile of 53.8 ft (16.4 m). Load capacity of
6.30 is a longitudinal section of the bridge within the piles was determined from eleven load tests
the area of the approach spans, showing the form taken to 265 tons (240 mt).
carrier running below the level of the top slab. Fig- Bec au se o f the p o o r so il c o nd itio ns and
ure 6.31 shows the form traveler in action. ground-water pressure, the substructure was con-
FIGURE 6.28. Loisachbriicke, layout and underside view of bridge, from reference 8
(courtesy of Dyckerhoff & Widmann).
302 Progressive and Span-by-Span Construction of Segmental Bridges
FIGURE 6.30. Loisachbriicke, longitudinal and cross section showing form traveler
(courtesy of Dipl. Ing. Manfred Bockel).
11‘7.26
-
+
-
+ + + + + +
Bearingcordnion6
+ + + + + +
G4zyxwvu
ffl
the most economical. VSL Corporation was the an artist’s rendering showing the precast V-piers
subcontractor providing the prestressing expertise. with the 7 ft (2m) deep box girder segments.
In the preliminary design stage three methods of
segmental construction were considered: balanced
6.5 Span-by-Span Precast Bridges cantilever, span-by-span, and progressive place-
ment. The progressive placement method was dis-
6.5.1 LONG KEY BRIDGE, U.S.A. carded because it was felt (at the time) to be too
new for acceptance in U.S. practice. It was later
Long Key Bridge in the Florida Keys carries U.S. introduced on the Linn Cove Viaduct in North
Highway 1 across Long Key south to Conch Key. Carolina (see Section 6.3.2).
The existing bridge consists of 2 15 reinforced con- This is the first use of a precast span-by-span
crete arch spans, ranging in length from 43 to 59 ft method in the United States. The segments are
(13.1 to 18 m) for a total bridge length of 11,960 ft transported from the casting yard to their location
(3645 m). in the structure by barge. The segments are then
The new bridge, presently under construction, is placed with a barge crane on an erection truss,
50 ft (15.2 m) between centerlines and just north which is supported by a steel grillage at the V-piers.
and parallel to the existing structure. It is a precast Each span has a 6 in. closure pour after all the
segmental box girder constructed by the span-by- segments have been placed on the erection truss
span method and consisting of 101 spans of 118 ft and properly aligned. The essential operations are
(36 m) and end spans of 113 ft (34.4 m) for a total indicated in Figure 6.52.
length of 12,144 ft (3701 m). The roadway width Segment weight is approximately 65 tons (59
between barrier curbs is 36 ft (11 m), Figure 6.50, mt). Each segment is placed on the erection truss
to accommodate a 12 ft (3.66 m) roadway and a 6 ft on a three-point support and brought into its final
(1.83 m) shoulder in each direction. Figure 6.51 is position. It takes approximately four to six hours
Schematic of movable scaffolding
Overhead
dollies
Stage two
Stage three
FIGURE 6.42. Denny Creek Bridge, schematic of construction stages, from reference 9
(courtesy of the Portland Cement Association).
The span by span erection concept utilizes a temporary steel assembly truss
In conjunction with a barge mounted crane as shown. The steel truss
3 between the piers is equipped with post-tensiontng tendons along
)m chord to facilitate adjustments for deflections and kwenng the
zyxwvu
LIUw ,,on completion of the span.
PREVIOUSLY A55EMBLfP 5PAN 3
,
\ #.
1
i A55E’40~Y TRUSS
reaches the position for a new span, and the cycle is The existing structure consists of 209 masonry
repeated. arch spans, 300 spans of steel girders resting on
_ _
masonry piers, a n d a s w i n g s p a n o v e r M o s e r
6.5.2 SEVEN MILE BRIDGE, U.S.A. Channel. The spans range in length from 42 ft 7t
in. (13 m) to 47 ft 4$ in. (14.4 m) for the masonry
The Seven Mile Bridge, Figure 6.54, in the Florida arches and from 59 ft 9 in. (18.2 m) to 80 ft (24.4
Keys carries U.S. Highway 1 across Seven Mile m) for the steel girders resting on masonry piers,
Channel and Moser Channel from Knights Key which along with the 256 ft 10 in. (78.3 m) swing
west and southwest across Pigeon Key to Little span, produce a total bridge length of 35,716 ft 3
Duck Key. in. (10,SSS m).
Span-by-Span Precast Bridges 313
PERSPECTIVE VIEW
DETAIL 2
ELEVATION
z
Assuming that this moment is of exactly the
6.6.1 GENERAL
same magnitude as the fixed end moment of a
typical span under the same unit load W, one may
The use of temporary stays to carry the weight of
write:
segments during construction induces only a nor-
mal compression load in the deck and a very lim- Wa2 WL’
-=-
ited amount of bending. Consequently, the static 2 12
scheme of the structure during construction is very
close to that of the finished structure. This is a
significant advantage over the conventional can-
tilever construction scheme, where continuity of
the successive cantilever arms results in two static
schemes significantly different between construc-
tion and service.
.,
Because of this similarity of static scheme
throughout erection and service, it is expected that
the layout of prestress tendons found in cast-in-
place structures or in span-by-span construction
FIGURE 6.55. Seven Mile Bridge, erection of a typical FIGURE 6.56. Progressive construction, deck reac-
span. tions on piers.
Design Aspects of Segmental Progressive Construction 315
for a constant-depth girder, which is the general over the support
case for- progressive construction. Thus: (15%), 2.6 x 1.15 = 3.0
0 = 0.408L = 0.4OL 12.5 ksf‘
For (1 = 0.4OL the moment over the pier is equal to
,M = 0.08WL’. l‘he moment over the preceding -I‘he dif‘ference i s s m a l l a n d usuallv m o r e t h a n
pier, for a structure with a large number of’ identi- offset hy the fact that horizontal loads during con-
cal spans, is equal to 0.26&\1. Therefbre. the reac- struction are smaller than during service.
tion over the pier at the end of’ this first stage of
construction can be easilv computed as:
R = 0.4OWL + 1.268 x 0.08WL = O..5OW’L
During the second construction stage the lveight As shown previously, progressive construction of’ a
of the remaining part of’ the span is supported b:, typical span entails two successive stages:
t h e temporarv stays, which are anchored in the
rear span as close as possible to the previous pier so Cantilever construction on a length (I
as not to induce undesirable variations of. moments ~l‘emporary suspension by stays on the remaining
i n t h e last c o m p l e t e d s p a n . ConsequentI!,, t h e part of’ the span (L - n)
lveight of’t hat part of’t he span induces in the pier a
react ion equal to: .I‘his second stage induces small deflections and
1 .io rotation, provided that the vertical component of’
0.6W’L + - = 1.02WL the sta!- loads balances the total deck weight. On
1 . o o ___
the other hand, the first-stage construction not
The total reaction during construction applied to only creates substantial deflections but also changes
the pier is t bus: the geometric position of’the entire span, as mav be
R = 0.5OWL + 1.02WL = 1.62WL seen in Figure 6.5f.
The xveight (Wa) of’ the deck section produces:
as opposed t o R = N’L for cast-in-place or span-
h\--span construction. ‘l‘his temporary increase of’ A rotation of’ the previous span, w,, which will
girder load reaction of’ 62% \vill eventuall!- \,anish project at the f’ollowing pier and create a vertical
Ivhen construction proceeds. It is important to deflection, J,
\.erifv how critical this pier temporary overload
a deflection of’ the cantilever proper, yr
ma! be f’or the design of’ the substructure. Taking
the example of’ a 150 to 200 f’t span, the average a rotation at the end of the cantilever, wL, which
loads are as follows fi)r a 40 f’t wide bridge de- Lvill p r o j e c t a g a i n a t t h e f’ollowing p i e r i n t o a
signed f’or three lanes of’ traf’fic: deflection mt (L - n)
I
- = 0.60 to 0.63
= Ac,c,
Ey = 0.23ZL2 + * L-o 1
t 1
Bec ause the c o nstruc tio n p ro c eed s rap id ly , E FIGURE 6.57. Progressive construction. def’ot-ma-
should be taken for short-duration loading; that is, tio ns.
E = 800,000 ksf; the specific gravity of concrete is W For an efficiency factor p = 0.65 the corresponding
= 0.15 kcf. The slenderness ratio L/h varies be- values would be:
tween 18 and 22. Results are shown in Figure 6.58.
Construction of a 200 ft span, for example, with 0.58 0.47 0.39
a slenderness ratio of 20 will be accompanied by a
deflection under girder load (without prestress) at The prestress will therefore reduce the deflections
the next p ier o f 8.3 inc hes. The c o nstru c tio n by the same amount-that is, approximately half
method is therefore very sensitive to concrete the to tal g ird er lo ad d eflec tio ns. The resu ltant
deflections, which are magnified by the great lever deflection (girder load + prestress) still remains
arm of the first-stage construction of the span very significant as soon as the span length is above
projecting its intrinsic deformation to the follow- 150 ft. These deflections must be taken into full
ing pier. account to compute the camber diagram (for seg-
Fortunately, prestress will give a helping hand ment precasting).
and c o ntrib u te to su b stantially d ec reasing the The next important point to consider here is the
girder load deflection. The minimum prestress re- second-stage construction of a typical span when
quired at this stage is to balance the tensile stresses the remaining part of the girder is suspended from
induced by the girder load moments. With the the temporary stays. The concrete girder and the
same notations as above, one may compute the group of stays form an elastic system that supports
prestress force and the corresponding moment for the applied loads: girder load for the segments al-
three positions of the neutral axis: read y in p lace, swivel crane and new segment
zyxwvutsrq
crete girder’is subjected only to an axial force, ex-
cept in the area of the longest stays.
The consideration of distribution of loads and
IC
moments between stays and concrete girder has an
I I important aspect during construction-that is, the
FIGURE 6.58. Progressive construction, deflections. accuracy of the tension in the stays and conse-
quences of an accidental deviation between com-
puted values of stressing loads in the stays and
their actual values in the field. For example, take
the simple case of a span L with 40% built in pure
cantilever and the remaining 60% suspended by
traveling over the bridge with the trailer and trac- stays (see Figure 6.56). The moment over the pier
tor. -Two examples have been considered to show due to the second-stage construction load is M =
the relative response of the various components of 0.42WL’. Assume that an accidental deviation took
this elastic svstem toward the application of a load. place of 5% between the design loads for the stays
and the actual values obtained in the field (owing to
1. 108) (JJm) s p a n This was one typical span friction in the jacks, inaccuracy in the pressure
of’ the Rombas Viaduct. The span has been as- gauges, and so on). As a result, an additional mo-
sumed to be completed except for the pier segment ment will appear over the pier of AM = & 0.42 WL’
over the next pier. For this construction stage, the = 0.021 WL’. The corresponding tensile stress at
swivel crane and the new segment apply to the the top fiber (assuming the error in stay loads was
staved cantilever a load of 88 tons (80 mt). In view to reduce the theoretical values by 5%) can be eas-
of the great stiffness of the concrete girder com- ily computed by:
pared to the group of stays, the total moment in-
duced bv the load remains ahnost entirely in the 0.02 IZAL2c,
Af=AM’-c-
concrete girder and there is only a small spontane- I APC,C,
ous increase of the stay loads, as shown in Figure
6.59. The magnitude of temporary prestress in the
deck must be designed accordingly to keep all = 0.0217X~
jo ints u nd er c o m p ressio n f o r all interm ed iate PC2
loading cases.
With W = 0.15 kcf, p = 0.60, and cp = 0.60/ z:
2. 260 ft (80 m) span This example is taken
Af= 0.0088:
from a recent design for a large project in Europe
318 Progressive and Span-by-Span Construction of Segmental Bridges
‘l‘hc stress in kst’ t’or L//r = 20 (slcndert~ess ratio) i3 A-\ssutiie that the itiaccutx~~ of the sta\ lo;itts lea\,es
the l’ollo~vit~g 1’01. sewx~l spmi l e n g t h s : itI the concrete girder 5% of its O\VII lveigtit to be
carried lx bending: the resulting deflection m.et
L (11) 100 130 “00 250 the pier ~vould be:
.I/ = O.li.il. (tdl) 1X “6zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
3 .i -l-l
BY CONCRETL OIMDCR
*~ ~3~
S.GML”T,
~~~ I5 ?2WR”DED
I” CANmEYER SCfMLNTS
- - - - iw’ 9*h
zyxwvuts
FIGURE 6.61. I’ro~t~c’~~i\
( c c o nsli~uc lion. (li\tt~itttttiott
o f IlIoItlcI1t twt\\cul \t,t\s ‘Incl ~itxlcl
References
Because the silatic wttente at the cticl of’ cacti con-
slrttctiott 5tep ia idctttical to that of‘ ;I ca\t-itt-place 1 H . \Vitttoht.zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPON
"l'lY?sllw\ed ~:oIIcl~cIc Rlxlge c:or1-
slntct tire, (tie pet~tttatietit tendotis c a n Ix ittstalletl sti- tic tio tt b itti Ste p p ittg Fo rm \ \ - 0t.L E:q ttip ilit’ itt.”
i i i t t t r sttxtctttw itiitiiediatel~, vAthut the tratisi- Firs t Iitte t- ~ ta tio rta l S\ tttlx~sit~itt (Zorict-ctc 13ritlg c lb
t i o t i s i t u a t i o n s I-eqttil-ed t,y o t h e r cotistrttctioti sig n, t’ ;~ p c r SP 2% 2X. .- \ C:l l’t~t~lic ~ttio tt SI’- 23.
ttt~tlioclologies such 2s itict-emetital lautictiitig. .\ tttt~ C c ;ttt C:ottc t-e te Itlstitute . lkti- o il. lWi9.
~1 t\ pical pi-esttws la \ o u t for progressive COII- ” H . \ Vittto ttt. “Die \‘ei-~eiidrtttg VOII \~ol-scttt)l-its-
struction b,iff thus include: tuiig e il b ic tn Bt~ iic ke ithu” ( I‘ ttc L‘ w of I‘ i- :t\ e liitg
Foi~rn~~o~L iii Brid g e C o nstrttc tio ii), Itttc ’ i~ n;ttio tt;tI
.A sso c ia tio n B ri d g e a ~ td Sttxc tui- a l kkg ittc e riitg ,
.-I fit-t f;ttttil\ of. tettclotts located in t h e t o p flange
Siitttt C o ng re ss. ;\ ttta te t- da ~tl, .\ l;r\ H- 13, lYi2.
o\‘et‘ 1tie \~t~ious piers, h,itti atictiol-s s~tiitiietl-icall~~
3 H. I‘hul. “Sp a tttttxto n im Briic Le lltxttt.” Za wrtl rrtc d
loc;tlecl in hfistet-s, the purpose of Ivtiicli is to resist
He m. He ft 4”. Ik/ c tttt,e l~ 196X.
ticgtti\ c tttotttetits 01 er t tic suppot-ts.
-I M;rl~-<:tlullg I‘ mg, “ Re c e n t lkve lo l~ itie rtt o f C o n-
.A wcottcl f’atttil\ of‘ tendons located a lo ti~ the spa ti struc tio tt ~I‘c c hnic ltie s in (Ionct-etc Brid g e s . ” I’ ra ns-
iii the tmtlom flatige a nd Am ;itictiored in blisters p o t- ta tio it Ke swrc h Ke wi- tl 66.5. Krid g r Ettg tne e l- -
inside the tms section. L’sua ll\ . the top a tid bo tto m ing . \‘ot. 2. Pro c wd~nq ~ of the 7‘,n,~.rportcctrorl RPWIW/I
hlisterh ~tre,joitieci to ;t \veb rib, allowing tetiipotxt-1 Rof~rd Co,,Jrrf~rrcf~, Se p te m b e r 2.5’Li . 19i8. S t . Im ttis;,
pi-estt-css hi-s t o Ix atictiored during s e g m e n t .\fo., Sa tio ita l Ac;tdeiii\~ o t Sc ie n c e s . ~ l’ a stiittg to tt.
placittg.zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBAD.C .
320 Progressive and Span-by-Span Construction of Segmental Bridges
zyxwvu
Incrementallv Launched Bridges
J
7.1 Introduction length, and casting of a new segment onto the one
previously cast. In other words, the procedure can
-The concept of’ incrementally launched segmental be considered as a horizontal slip-form technique,
pres’ressed concrete bridges was described in Sec- except that the fabrication and casting occur at a
tio n 1.9.5. .Fhis chap ter w ill d escrib e the im - stationary location. Stringent dimensional control,
plementation of this innovative concept in several however, is an absolute necessity at the stationary
representative projects. casting site, since errors are very difficult to correct
Since the in~plementation o f the inc rem ental and result in additional costs in launching.’
launching techniq ue on the Rio C aro ni Brid g e, Straight superstructures are the easiest to ac-
some eight\ bridge superstructures have been con- commodate; however, curvature (either vertical or
srructed 1;~ t h i s m e t h o d t h r o u g h 1 9 7 6 , w i t h horizontal) can be accomplished if a constant rate
g rad u al ref inem ents and im p ro v em ents in the of curvature is maintained. If the grade of the
method.’ Bv concentrating the casting of segments structure is on an incline, it is preferred to launch
behind an ;Ibutment with a temporary shelter, if the stru c tu re, w herev er p o ssib le, d o w nw ard .
required, this method can provide the same quality Where the fall is 2’$%, the superstructure has to be
control procedures and quality of concrete that can p u shed o r held b ac k, d ep end ing u p o n the
b e ac hiev ed in a c o nc rete ‘ p rec asting p lant. It coefficient of friction. Where the fall is in excess of
minimizes temporarv falsework, extensive form- 4%, special provisions are required to prevent a
ing, and o ther teniporary exp ed ients req u ired “ runawav” superstructure during launching.’ To
zy
during construction bv the conventional cast-in- the authors’ knowledge, this situation has never oc-
place on falsework meihod. Basically the method c u rred . Piers, either tem p o rary o r p erm anent,
entails incremental fabrication of the superstruc- should be designed to resist the lateral force pro-
ture at a stationarv location, longitudinal move- duced by the launching operation. A friction force
m ent o f the fabridated seg m ent an inc rem ental varying from 4 to 7% has been considered for de-
321
322 Incrementally Launched Bridges
sign purposes, although values of’ only 2 to 34% either straight or curved: holvever, cur\‘ature,
have been observed in the field. either vertical or horizontal, must be of’ a COW
At present, it is felt that this system cm be used stant radius.
for superstructures up to 2000 t‘t (610 m) in length; 2. As mentioned above, strict dimensional control
fbr longer structures incremental launching is ac- d uring casting is req uired . .4n\ m istakes in
co m p lished f’rom b o th ab u tm ents to w ard the casting are difficult and expensive to correct,
center of’ the structure. .l‘he technique has been especially if the\. are not discovered until af.ter
ap p lied f’or s p a n s u p to 200 f’t (60 m) lvithout the some length of’ bridge has been launched.
use of’ temporal-v supporting bents and for spans 3. l‘he superstructure must be of’ a constant sec-
u p t o 3 3 0 ft ( 1 0 0 m ) with such bents. Girders IISU-
tion and depth. .l‘his is a disad\.antage in long
ally hav e a d ep th- to - sp an ratio rang ing f‘rom s p a n s , lvhere a v ariab le-d ep th sec tio n \vould
one-tbvelfth to one-sixteenth of’ the longest span provide a better econom\ of’ materials.
and are of’ a constant depth. ‘l-he launching nose
4. Considerable area is req u ired b ehind the
has a length of’ approximately 60% of’ the longest
abutment(s) for casting the segments. In some
spa11.
project sites this may not he feasible.
.I‘he p rincip al advantages of the incremental
launching method are the following’: In the present state 01’ the art of i~icrementall\
1. No f’alseworh is required f’or the construction launched bridges there appear to be basicall\ tlvo
o f ’ the su p erstru c tu re o t h e r t h a n possibl! methods of’ construction, \\,tiicli we shall call co?/ -
tirluou.c ctstrng and trnluncd c a s t i n g . .l‘hey are dif-
f’alsework bents to reduce span length during
f‘erent in mode of’ execution and in their areas
construction. In this manner cantilever stresses
of‘ utilization. The continuous casting method is
d uring launching can be m aintained lvithin
allo~vable lim its. If‘ fhlsework b ents sho u ld some\\.hat analogous to the span-by-span method.
and halanced casting is similar to the cantilever
prove to be impractical, then a system of‘tempo-
method.
rare stays can be used as indicated in Figure
I .63. Obviously, depending on site conditions, .l‘ lie continuous casting method is generall! used
;Inv or all combinations of’ temporary bents, for long viaduct-type structures with numerous
launching nose, and temporar!. stays may be equal (or nearI>, equal) spans. Its principal charac-
used, the point being that conventional use of’ teristics are the f,llo\ving:
f’alsework is cqreatlv minimized. -l-his is par-
titularly interesting f’or projects in urban areas 1. Entire spans, or portions of’ spans, are con-
or spanning over water, highways, or railroads. creted in fixed forHIS. The f’orms are reused, as
in the span-bv-span method, except that the
2. Depending on the size of’the prqject there can
f o rm a are fised instead o f m o b ile and are
be a substantial reduction in form investment.
m o v e d from s p an to s p an . Su b seq u ent sp ans
Because casting of’ the segments is centralized
(or portions of a span) are cast and joined to
at a location behind the abutment, the eco-
the one previously cast, and the superstructure
nomic advantages of mass production and a
is progressively launched.
precasting plant operation can be duplicated.
2. Usually the casting area behind the abutmeIlt
3. ‘l-he method eliminates transportation costs of
is long enough to accommodate either a span
segments cast at a fixed plant and transported
leng th p lu s lau nc hing - no se leng th o r so m e
to the site.
multiple of span segment length plus launch-
4. It eliminates heavy cranes or launching trusses
ing-nose length.
and associated erection costs.
3. Operations involve successive concreting and
5. It eliminates epoxy joints. Since epoxy is not launching. The principal phases aI-e: forming;
involved, construction can continue at lower placing of’reinf’orcing and tendons; concreting
temperatures. and curing; tensioning and launching.
6. Camber control and other geometry controls 4. The two types of’ superstructure cross section
are easily obtained.
used ha1.e been box girder and double I‘.
5. Lo ng itud inal p restressing c o nsists o f’ tw o
Disadvantages are as follows:
f hm ilies o f tend o ns: tend o ns concentricall\
1. As mentioned in Section 1.9.5, bridge align- placed and tensioned before launching, and
ment fbr this type of’ construction must be tend o ns p lac ed and tensio ned af’ter launch-
Rio Caroni, Venezuela 323
ing-that is, negative-moment tendons over
the supports and positive-moment tendons
in the bottom of the section in the central por-
tion of the span.
(a)zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
fb)
-’ /r9’-l0’16’-51-y.---uI-9~-10’~
FIGURE 7.9. Rio Caroni, girder cross section, fl-om reference 3 (courtesy
of the American Concrete Institute).
FIGURE 7.10. Kio Ckror~i, patressing Mock (wur- FIGURE 7.11. Rio Carom. Ltu1~111ng nose, 11 OIII ref-
tesy of Awiti Grant). e~ence 3 ((ourtesy of the American Concrete Institute).
end of the superstructure, Figure 7.11. Two dou- the operation was halted to allow the entire
ble jacks with a total capacity of 600 tons, mounted superstructure to be jacked vertically, simultane-
against the bridge abutment and pulling on steel ously at all piers. The teflon plates were then
rods fastened to the girder, provided the horizon- moved back to their original position (the one they
tal force required for the longitudinal launching occupied when the launching operation started)
movement. To accommodate movement over the and rotated 180 degrees, with respect to a vertical
piers, two sliding bearings were provided at each axis, to compensate for any one-directional move-
temporary and permanent pier top. These bear- ment of the teflon coating. Longitudinal launching
ings conststed of chrome, polished steel plates movement occurred at a rate of 24 in./ min (6 cm/
which supported teflon covered bridge bearings min); thus, one 3 ft (6 cm) increment of movement
w hich w ere placed in an inverted position such that took 16 minutes. A total cycle of operation, after
they bore against the underside of the girder and subsequent synchronization, w hich included the
slid on the steel plates. After a launching move- simultaneous jacking at 22 locations and reposi-
ment of 3 ft (96 cm) in the longitudinal direction tioning of 22 teflon bearings, required 30 minutes
Val Restel Viaduct, Ztaly 327
for each 3 ft (96 cm) of movement. In this manner, quired a sharp horizontal curvature of 492 ft (150
a daily movement of 63 ft (19.2 m) could be ac- m) radius, and a vertical curvature of approxi-
compiished. The required initial jacking force for m ately 8860 f t ( 2700 m ) rad iu s, Fig u re 7.12.
launching was 220 tons; this gradually increased to Maximum pier height is 212 ft (64.61 m). Site con-
400 tons f’or the total girder weight of 10,000 tons, ditions and alignment precluded construction by
which indicates a friction of 2 to 47c.3 the balanced cantilever method or conventional
After the launching operation was completed, cast-in-place on falsework, leading to the decision
the initial concentric prestressing tendon profile to construct by the incremental launching method.
was changed to accommodate the loading condi- The curved 1050 ft (320 m) length of this via-
tion in the superstructure after temporary piers duct consists of 52.5 ft (16 m) long segments, which
were removed. To accomplish the change in ten- were fabricated in an enclosed shed behind an
don profile, special L-shaped rods were installed abutment. The bottom flange and bottom stubs of
so that the! p ro jec ted u p w ard thro u g h the to p the webs of the first segments were cast first, Figure
flange or downward through the bottom flange, 7.13~1, 6, in a 52.5 ft (16 m) length, and approxi-
the tendons being cradled in the U rods. The rods mately 118 ft (36 m) behind the first abutment.
ivere then jacked simultaneously at 24 points up- After curing and stressing of the partial segment it
~\a~-ct or downward, depending on their location. was jacked forward an increment of 52.5 ft (16 m)
During this operation the half-round stress block, toward the abutment, where the balance of the
Figure i. 10, ~vas gradually released such that upon section was cast, Figure 7.13~2, c. At the same time
final positioning of the tendons it had retracted 8 ft the formw ork vacated by the first-segment bottom
6 in. (2.6 III). After the tendons had been relocated, flange was reused for the casting of the bottom
they lvere attached to the \veb and concreted for flange of the second segment, monolithically with
corrosion protection.” the previous segment. A f ter lau nc hing ano ther
The procedure used for the construction of the 52.5 ft (16 m) increment the cycle was repeated
Rio Caroni Bridge, although technically adequate, until the superstructure was completed.4
is prohibitively expensive. The methodology has Placement of the bottom flange mild steel rein-
since been refined such that segments are cast di- forcement is shown in Figure 7.14, with the web
rectly behind the abutment in lengths of 33 to 100 forms in the background. The side forms for the
ft (10 to 30 m) and incrementally launched after webs and underside of the top flange cantilever,
curing of the last segment cast.’ and the hydraulic jacking arrangement for strip-
ping, are illustrated in Figure 7.15. Reinforcement
in the top flange is shown in Figure 7.16 and the
7.3 Val Rested Viaduct, Italy completed top flange with the following segment in
the b ac kg ro u nd in Fig u re 7.17. The c o m p leted
Because of rugged mountain terrain the alignment segment with rails in place as it emerges from the
of’ a 1050 ft (320 III) portion of this viaduct re- casting shed is shown in Figure 1.6 1.zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTS
e=t t 320.00m
t
Elevation
FIGURE 7.12. Plan (n) and longitudinal profile (6) of the Val Restel Viaduct, showing:
.-\, shed for the construction of the deck segments; B, hydraulic equipment used for
Iannching. From reference 4.
(b)
FIGURE 7.14. Val Restel, placement of bottom flange FIGURE 7.16. Val Restel, top flange reinforcement.
reinforcement, from reference 4. from reference 4.
328
Ravensbosch Valley Bridge, Holland 329
The superstructure cross section is shown in of 6 ft (1.8 m) by 19 ft (5.8 m) with wall thickness of
Figure 7.18~. Width of the segment is 29.5 ft (9.0 1.3 ft (0.4 m), Figure 7.26.
m). Total depth ofsegment is 8.13 ft (2.48 m), for a The superstructure consists of two siigle-cell
depth-to-span ratio of l/13. The top flange has a trapezoidal box girders connected at the interior
thickness of 9.8 in. (250 mm) and the bottom upper flange tips by a 8.3 ft (2.5 m) slab and pre-
flange a thickness of 5.9 in. (150 mm). Figure 7.186 stressed transversely, Figures 7.26 and 7.27. Each
is a longitudinal section of the superstructure box has a width of 56.8 ft (17.32 m) and a constant
showing a layout of the second-stage prestressing depth of 10.8 ft (3.3 m) for a depth-to-span ratio of
tendons required after launching to accommodate l/17. The top flange has a thickness of 9.8 in. (250
loads on the final structure. Figures 7.19 and 7.20 mm) and the bottom flange a thickness of 7.9 in.
show the interior anchorage blocks for the (200 mm). Top flange cantilever is 13 ft (4.01 m).
second-stage prestressing before and after con- Each dual structure consists of 22 segments ap-
creting, respectively. proximately 62 ft 4 in. (19 m) in length. The con-
A complete cycle of fabricating and launching a
52.5 ft (16 m) segment was accomplished in four
nine-hour working days. Actual launching time for
one segment was 60 to 65 minutes.4 Figures 7.21
and 7.22 show the launching nose approaching
and landing on a pier. Views of the completed
structure are shown in Figures 7.23 and T.24. Con-
struction of this bridge was accomplished in ten
months, from Januarv 1972 through October
1972.
:I tt40 32.00111
t
32.00m
t
(b)
FIGURE 7.18. Val Restel. (a) Cross section of deck. (b) Longitudinal section of deck.
From reference 4.
Incrementally Launched Bridges
FIGURE 7.26. Ravensbosch Valley Bridge, dual structure cross section (courtesy of
Brice Bender, BVNISTS).
$
-I structure was known, and its length was deter-
/ ......... ‘:. “., -JL
____41 m inab le in- sp ite o f the therm al inertia o f the
concrete.
The su p erstru c tu re w a s then j a c k e d into its
Safety platform
.: theo retic al p o sitio n on the ab u tm ent and firnil\,
s
l-4 maintained by a system of blockage. The temporary
tendons that had fixed the first joint were released
Lm I”” I
and jacks were placed into the joint to push the
L 3.10 4
remaining 12 spans and place the central simple
span in its exact position. The second joint was
FIGURE 7.30. Olifant’s River Bridge, cross section then opened, and jacks at the other abutment po-
Various Bridges in France 333
sitioned the last 1 l-span portion of the super- Concentric tendons frotn one end to the other of
structure. each half-superstructure, coupled together at each
M’hcn rhc superstructure had thus been placed phase of concreting of segments
in position, it was -jacked up off the piers, and the Straight, short tendons in the top flange over the
temporar\ sliding bearings were replaced bv rhe piers and in the bottom flange, centered in the
petmatiet~l bearings. span and tensioned after launching
Continuity tendons, tensioned af’ter launching,
situated in webs and anchoring at the upper flange
7.6 Various Bridges in France
Short parabolic tendons, located in the webs and
7.6.1 I.1.C I~I.-lDl’C7 a n c h o r i n g i n t h e t o p flange, t e n s i o n e d a f t e r
launching
‘I‘his is a dual structure 912 f’t (278 in) long on a ‘retnporary tendons in the upper flange, having
curve of a 3280 ft (1000 m) radius. The super- the satne effect as the cantilever rendons
structure \vas constructed by incretnental launch-
ing of’ complete spans on sliding bearings. Resis-
tance of rite structure to its dead load during
l a u n c h i n g \vas ~iccotntiiod~tretl b!- a temporal-! i.h.3 0I.I L’I‘-tDI’CT
cable-stay s! h,tetn in which the tension \vas adjusted
a s c.otistt~uctioti proceeded, Figure 7.3 1. No I‘his viaduct spans the valley of Oli in 15 spans of
supplementary prestressing \vas provided during 134.5 ft (41 m) for a rotal length of 2017 ft (615 m)
the taunching phases. A 26 ft (8 m) launching nose at a height of 197 ft (60 tn). The structure has
leas pro\Gied at the leading end in order to reduce a grade of 5.355% and a horizontal curve lvith a
the Jveight of’ the cantilevered structure. radius of 6700 ft (2046 tn). Total weight of the
It is a continuous structure supported on neo- superstructure is 16,500 tons (15,000 mt).
prene bearings and has a double-T cross section, Incremental launching in this structure, rather
as indicated in Figure 7.32. Roadway width is 46 ft than pushing the superstructure out over the piers,
(14.0 m), and depth of superstructure is a constant was accomplished bv a restrained lowering down
10.3 f’t (3.15 in). Spans at-e 133.5 ft (40.i in). the grade. The fo;-ce required in braking the
structure was approximately 660 tons (600 tnt) as
compared to the estimated force of 1540 tons
(1400 tnt) to push the structure uphill.
‘l‘his structure consists of eight continuous s p a n s In its final configuration, because it was difficult
having a total length of 1102 ft (336 m), crossing a to accommodate horizontal forces due to braking
railroad and the Oise Ri\-er. The project is of inter- and seismic effects in the tall flexible piers, the
est in that it \vas launched from both abuttnents superstructure is anchored in the terrain in the
\vit bout the use of a launching nose or a tetnporark area of the abuttnents by a tie of a large stiffness.
cable-sta\- svstem. However, tetnporarv bents were All of this longitudinal global force is accomtno-
used to control the cantilever stresses. In cross sec- dared in the large stiff tie, the abutments, and the
tion the superstructure is a single-cell bos, Figure relativelv short stiff piers in each bank. A central
7 .3 3 joint diiides the structure into two independent
S e g m e n t s f’or e a c h o f t h e t w o h a l f - s u p e r srructures.
structures were from 65.6 to 98.4 ft (20 to 30 m) Upon cotnpletion of launching and before plac-
in length. .A launching \vas effected upon com- ing the superstructure on its pertnanent bearings,
pletion of’ each segment. After the two half- it was necessary to “unlock” the joint that held the
superstructures had been launched to their final two half-superstructures together during con-
position, a closure pour of 3.3 ft (1 m) in length was struction and to adjust its position within approxi-
c.onsutiitiiated to provide continuit\.. matelv i in. (10 mm). This operation was con-
ducted as follows:
Longitudinal prestress consists of six sets:
The superstructure was restrained at the upper
Cantilever tendons, tensioned bef-ore launching, abuttnent until the distance between its theoretical
located in the top flange and anchored in fillets at position and the end of the lower abutment was
the intersection with the web approximately 8 in. (200 mm).
334 Incrementally Launched Bridges
.6 . r. zyxwvutsrq
F+,,. 1n c;:--..
placing of the launching nose
concreting and prestressing of the first span
launching of the first span
thing operations
disassembling of the launching nose and
cab1 e-s Lay systm
placing on permenant bearings
placing and tensioning of phase 2 prestressing
FIGURE 7.31. Luc \‘iaduct. incremental launching phases. ((I) Placing of the launching
IIOSC. concreting atd prestressing of the fit-st span. launching of the first span. (b) (:OII-
creting and prestressing of the second span. erecting of the cable-sta! s\ stem, launching
of the first t\vo spans. (c) Concreting and PI estressing of the third span. launching of‘ the
first three spans. (rl) (:oncreting and Prestressing of the fourth span, launching of‘thc firat
four spans. (P) Completion of launching operations. disassembling of’ the launching 11osc
and cable-stay system, placing on permanent bearings, placing md tensioning of’
phase-two prestressing.
.The t e m p o r a r y t e n d o n s c o n n e c t i n g t h e t w o h a l f - s y s t e m o f ‘ p r e s t r e s s b a r s a n d c.otn~,lementar\
s u p e r s t r u c t u r e s w e r e successivelv detensioned. reinforcement installed in the upper abutment.
However, two temporary tendons’ restrained the .l‘he t w o temporat-!- t e n d o n s r e s t r a i n i n g t h e lowet
l o w e r h a l f - s u p e r s t r u c t u r e . T h e u p p e r half-super- half-superstt-uctttre lvere d e t e n s i o n e d i n incre-
structure was fixed to the upper abutment by a ments, allowing the lolver half-super-strttcrure to
Wabash River Bridge, U.S.A. 335
River near Covington, Indiana. It is a six-span maintained. Three segments were always in vari-
structure with end spans of 93 ft 6 in. (28.5 m) and ous stages of fabrication, with reinforc&,lent and
four interior spans of 18i ft (57 m), Figure 7.34. p restressing tend o ns c o ntinu o u s b etw een seg -
Roadway width is 44 ft (13.4 m). Pier heights are ments.
approximately 40 ft (12 m); average river depth is The first-stage pour required approsimately 53
11 ft (3.35 m) with low water at 8 ft (2.4 m) and vd3 (40.5 m”) and the second pour required from
high water at 24 ft (7.3 m). The superstructure is a iO1 to 130 yd3 (77.2 to 99.4 111”). It took approxi-
t\\‘o-cell box girder with a constant depth of 8 ft mately four hours for each pour. ‘I‘jventy-eight-da)
(2.4 m). .I‘he prqject was awarded in September of design strength \\‘as 4800 psi (3.37 kg/ mm”), and
1976 lvith a completion date of October 1978. The 6000 to 7000 psi concrete strengths were actualI>
entire superstructure was completed in November attained (4.2 to 4.9 kg/ mm’). A 3500 psi (2.46 kg/
of 1977. mm2) strength was required before stressing, and
O rig inal d esig n p lans p rep ared by A m eric an this was normally achieved in 24 to 30 hours. As
Consulting Engineers, Inc., of Indianapolis for the segments were completed, each was stressed to its
State Highway Commission called for a precast predecessor by first-stage prestressing consisting of
segmental balanced cantilever design; however, eight tendons of twelve f in. (12.7 mm) diameter 27
the bid documents permitted alternative methods ksi (190 kg/ mm2) strands, Figure 7.39. Initially the
of constructing the superstructure. The successful contractor was able to complete one cycle of seg-
contractor, a .joint venture of Weddle Bros. Con- m ent fab ric atio n and lau nc hing in tw o w eeks:
A T MIDSPAN AT PIERS
PLAN
D IREC TIO N O F MO VEMW w
Fa b ric a tio n a re a
CON>mJON
-. ELEVA.
FIGURE 7.34. Wabash River Bridge: cross section of girder, from reference 6; con-
struction details, from reference 2.
however, as experience was gained, two cycles per equal spans of 93 ft 6 in. (28.5 m) during the
week were attained. launching procedure.
To accommodate the launching stresses a 56 ft Because of the longitudinal force on the piers
(17 m) launching nose was attached to the lead during launching, the permanent piers were tied
segment, Figures 7.34 and 7.40. In addition, the back to the abutment with four prestressing
four interior spans had temporary steel bents at strands each. These strands were stressed to 96
midspan, Figures 7.34 and 7.41. In this manner kips (43,545 kg) before launching commenced.
the total structure length was divided into ten Each temporary pier was tied back to the preced-
FIGURE 7.35. Wabash River Bridge, casting-bed FIGURE 7.37. Wabash River Bridge, side form jacks.
support.
FIGURE 7.42. Wabash River Bridge, structural steel F I G U R E 7 . 4 3 . Walmsh Ki\;er Br-idge, lareral g u i d e
tubing tie. bearing .
FIGURE 7.44. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
Miihlbachtalbrticke. aerial view FIGURE 7.47. Miihlbachtalbriicke, first-stage pre-
stressing tendon anchorage.
FIGURE 7.49. Shepherds House Bridge, general plan, from reference 8 (courtesy of
Institution of Civil Engineers).
In 1971 the no rth ab u tm ent settled and the data for construction in the U.K. The consultants
existing bridge was temporarily closed for repairs. concluded that this scheme, although of shorter
In March of 1972, because the life expectancy of length than customary for this type of construc-
the existing structure was in question and because tion, would solve the problems of restricted work-
it did not comply with current highway standards, ing space and interference with residential streets
the Ministry of Transport instructed consulting and would require the least track downtime.
engineers, Bullen and Partners, to prepare a study The west elevation of the bridge is shown in Fig-
to determine the type and method of construction ure 7.50. Span lengths, determined by track loca-
for a new structure. The new bridge provides a tion, are 75.5 ft (23 In), 121.4 ft (37 m), and X2 ft
dualing of the existing road, and in the future the (25 III). The bridge is fixed at the south abutment
existing bridge will be replaced by a parallel struc- with an expansion joint at the north abutment. ‘The
ture. casting bed for the production of 31.5 ft (9.6 rn)
segments was located to the rear of the south
Because British Rail was engaged in extensive abutment. The south abutment was located to pro-
maintenance and upgrading of the tracks prior to vide maximum work space for the casting bed and
introduction of high-speed trains, there would be to clear a large number of Post Office communica-
severe limitations on track possession. Further, it tion cables. Interior piers b and c were designed to
was dictated that piers between tracks were to be w ithstand the fric tio n fo rc es exerted d u ring
avoided and that f-oundations on the north slope of launching operations. In addition, pier c, located
the cutting were not to disturb the foundations of close to the railroad tracks, was subject to damage
the existing bridge abutment. Construction work- or complete demolishment in the event of a de-
ing area was restricted because traffic was to be railment. Therefore, the superstructure was de-
maintained on a residential street at one end and a signed to withstand the removal of pier c by an ac-
trunk road at the other end. Soil conditions re- cid ent. Six untensio ned but ancho red M acallo v
quired that any temporary conditions that would tendons in certain segments were added so as to
load or disturb the slopes was to be avoided, thus preclude ultimate collapse with no live load on the
requiring pile foundations with the pile caps at the bridge and pier c removed.7*H
surface to avoid extensive excavation in the slopes.s Normally, in this type of construction, the cast-
The consultants initially studied five possible ing bed is of sufficient length to accommodate at
schemes for construction of a bridge. Schemes least two and sometimes three segment lengths,
using cast-in-place construction on falsework had such that the bottom flange may be cast separately
earlier been rejected. in advance of the webs and top flange. In this proj-
An incremental launching scheme was recom- ect, with restricted space for the casting bed, it was
mended, even though there were no accurate cost decided to cast one complete segment in one pour.
Other Notable Structures 341
A maximum of three weeks was allowed for con- launched to the north abutment. The launching
struction and launching of a segment. This time nose passing over pier c is shown in Figure 7.54.
was later reduced to two weeks except for those Arrival of the launching nose at pier b is shown in
segments with a diaphragm.’ A typical cross section Figure 7.55. The launching nose was removed
of the box girder segment is shown in Figure 7.51. after the concrete superstructure arrived at pier b,
The launching sequence is shown in Figure 7.52. Figure 7.56.
The steel launching truss nose was first erected The superstructure was launched over tempo-
using a temporary intermediate support. The first rary bearings, which consisted of high-grade con-
segment was cast against the launching nose and crete pads with a +Z in. (1 mm) thick stainless steel
post-tensioned by Macalloy bars, some of which plate clamped and tensioned across the top sur-
were used to connect the launching nose to the first face. Lateral guide bearings were also provided to
segment. The launching nose, in position, before keep the superstructure on line. Upon completion
the launching of the first segment is shown in Fig- of launching the superstructure was jacked in a
ure 7.53. After the first segment had been predetermined s e q u e n c e a n d t h e t e m p o r a r y
launched forward, the next segment was cast and bearings were replaced with permanent bearings8
post-tensioned to the previous one. This proce- The jacking force for launching was provided by
dure was repeated until the completed bridge was two jacks pulling on a set of nine 0.6 in. (15 mm)
FIGURE 7.51. Shepherds House Bridge, girder cross section, from refer.
ence 8 (courtesy of The Institution of Civil Engineers).
342 Incrementally Launched Bridges
Borriglione
Viaduct, 1976 135 807 6,000 Slope 5.5% R = 2,460 ft
France
Kimonkro
Bridge, 1978 118 709 3,600 Straight
Ivory Coast
Tet Viaduct,
France 141 660
Luc Viaduct,
France 135 915 7,900 Slope 3.8% Straight
Paillon
Bridge, 1976 135 1,151 Slope 1.3% Curve
France
Oli Viaduct,
France 1976 135 2,018 15,000 Slope 5.85% R = 6,712 ft
Marolles
Bridge, 1972 131 345
France
Creil Bridge,
France 1978 194 1,102
344
zyxwvut
Design of Incrementally Launched Bridges 345
TABLE 7.1. (Continued)
Var Viaduct,
France 1976 138 1,107 9,700 Straight
InnBridge,
Kufstein, 1965 335 1,476
German\
\
Koches Valle)
169 1,562
Bridge,
Gerlnan\
Abeou
Aqueduct, 1967 108 469
France
Ingolstadt
Bridge, 1978 6 spans
Danube 2x
Brid ge, 197 to 1,246
Gertnant 377
as previously indicated in some of the examples de- foundation conditions; it may be prohibitive if the
scribed in this chapter. bent height is greater than 100 ft (30 m) and soil
When the spans become too large, intermediate conditions require deep piling.
temporary bents are used. This was done for the For very long bridges, intermediate expansion
first bridge over the Caroni River in Venezuela. joints are needed, much the same as for cantilever
The reco rd sp an leng th fo r inc rem entally bridges. The expansion joints are temporarily
launched bridges was obtained by a structure over fixed by prestressing during launching and are re-
the Danube River designed by Prof. Leonhardt, leased at the end of construction to allow for ther-
the originator of the method, Figure 7.59. The cost mal expansion in the structure during service. A
of the temporary bents depends greatly ox the very ingenious variation of this principle was de-
346 Incrementally Launched Bridges
k yo/rp,n .&
347
3 4 8 Incrementally Launched Bridges
where E, and E, refer to steel and concrete moduli, To allow the method to be effective in all
and I, and I, are the moments of inertia of the steel launching stages, it is necessary to constantly con-
nose and concrete superstructure. Figure 7.67 pre- trol the reaction of the tower applied to the con-
sents the results of a study analyzing the variation crete deck. When the tower is above one pier, it is
of the maximum support moment in the concrete totally efficient. When launching has proceeded
deck for different launching stages with the rela- for another half-span length, the tower and stays
tive stiffness K. This chart confirms the obvious produce additional positive moments at midspan,
fact that a flexible nose has only a limited efficiency exactly contrary to the desired effect. For this rea-
in reducing the moments in the concrete deck. The son the tower may be equipped with jacks between
following table gives the characteristics of several the concrete deck and the tower legs, and the tower
structures using a launching nose and serves as a reaction may be constantly adjusted to optimize the
reference for preliminary investigations of the op- stresses in the concrete superstructure. Figure 7.68
timum launching method. shows a device being successfully used for the first
time in the construction of the Boivre Viaduct,
Launching Weight of near Poitiers, France.
Nose Length Launching
Bridge [ft (Ml Nose (tons) Stays 7.9.7 PIERS AND FOUNDATIONS
Wabash River 56 (17) 30 No
Oli River 59 (18) 36 Yes The loads applied to the piers and foundations
Saone 93.5 (28.5) 65 No during the incremental launching procedure are
Roche 124.5 (38) 90 No very different from those appearing during ser-
vice. The static configuration of the piers is also
For longer spans the launching nose is not neces-
sarily the optimum solution, while temporary bents
may also be expensive. A tower-and-stay system
has been successfully used either alone or in con-
junction w ith a launching nose to reduce the can-
tilever moments in the front part of the super-
structure.
FIGURE 7.67. Variation of the maximum support FIGURE 7.68. Boivre Viaduct. nwr I’oiliers. France.
moment.
Design of Incrementally Launched Bridges 351
Notation:
L4UNWlt4G
I
I 46’ 1 55’ 1 55’ : 46’
T t
T O T A L WEICUT soot
PROCEDURE
zyxw
3) INSTALL APPROACH FILL AND _ LAUNCHING : IV!?
5k
CONCRETE BEAM5
TRAFFIC INTERRUPTION :
A) PLACE PROVISIONAL P/l A N D
(IO PM. TO 6 A.M .) 4 N;OUTs
A REAR NOW 26 FT. LONG
2. :~non.. “First Incrementally Launched Post-Ten- 5 . .-h~Il., “Segmental Box Girder Bridges \lake the Big
sioned Box Girder Bridge to Be Built in the United ‘I‘ime in U.S..” Engiuuwiug .\‘~!\-RPcoM/. \Iarch 2.
zyxwvutsrq
Swtes.” Bridge Report, December 1976, Post-Ten- 1978.
sioning Institute, Phoenix, Ariz. 6. Xnon., “Wabash Rive]- Bridge. Covingtot). I ndian;l.”
8.3
8.4
8.5
I N T R O D U CT I O N
M AR N E R I V E R , F R AN CE
CAR ACAS V I AD U CT S , V E N E Z U E LA
Concrete Segmental Arches,
Rigid Frames, and Truss Bridges
S E G M E N T AL P R E CAS T B R I D G E S O V E R T H E
8 . 6 R I G I D - F R AM E B R I D G E S
8.6.1 Saint Michel Bridge in Toulouse, France
8 . 6 . 2 B r i e s l e Maas B r i d g e , N e t h e r l a n d s
8 . 6 . 3 B o n h o mme B r i d g e , F r a n c e
8.6.4 M o t o rway O ve rpasse s i n t he M i ddl e E ast
8 . 7 TR US S BR I D GES
8.7.1 R e t ro s pe c t o n Co nc e pt s f o r Co nc re t e Trus s
8.5.1 R e vi e w o f Co nc e pt ; S umma ry o f S t ruc t ure s w i t h B ri dg e s
T e mp o r a r y S t a y s 8 . 7 . 2 Mangfall B r i d g e , Aus t r i a
8 . 5 . 2 N e c k a r b ur g B r i d g e , G e r ma n y 8 . 7 . 3 R i p B ri dg e , Austral i a
8 . 5 . 3 N i e s e n b a c h B r i d g e , Aus t r i a 8.7.4 Co nc e pt f o r a Cro s s i ng o f t he E ng l i s h Channe l
8 . 5 . 4 K i r k B r i d g e s , Y ug o s l a vi a R E F E R E N CE S
354
Introduction 355
first consequence seen in a structure of a phenom- The bridge was completed in 1919 and kept the
enon theretofore completely ignored: long-term world’s record for long-span concrete structures
concrete creep. for several years. The photograph appearing in
Other beautiful concrete arches were also con- Figure 8.2 wa s ta ke n by one of the authors in the
structed in the sam e p erio d . The V illeneuv e summer of 1980; it shows that beautiful structure
Bridge over the Lot River in southwestern France, in a remarkable state after sixtvI vears of continu-
Figure 8.2, is an interesting example. The twin ous operation under constant urban traffic.
arch ribs are of plain concrete with a clear span of Another Freyssinet design, the Tonneins Bridge
316 ft (96 m) and a rise of 47 ft 4 in. (14.5 m). Each over the Garonne River, was built at the same time,
rib has a solid section 10 ft (3 m) w ide and 4 ft 9 in. and he considered it to be one of his nicest bridge
(1.45 m) deep built in at both ends into the con- structures, Figure 8.4.
crete abutments. The reinforced concrete deck The Plougastel Bridge in Brittany, Figure 1.38,
rests upon the arch ribs through a series of thin reached for longer spans with concrete arches. For
spandrel columns, fa c e d with red brick. the first time a box section was employed, calling
Construction began shortly before World War I on an ingenious method of construction in which a
and was interrupted for four years, fortunately not wooden falsework was floated into position and re-
before the concrete arch ribs could be cast on a used several times for the various arch ribs. Di-
wooden falsework, Figure 8.3. Immediately upon mensions of the structure and typical details of the
completion, hydraulic rams were used at the arches are show n in Figure 8.5, w hich is a facsimile
midspan section to lift the concrete arches off the of a document published in 1930.
falsework and actively create the compressive stress The three arches have a span length of 611 ft
in them, a technique from Freyssinet’s fertile mind (186.40 m) and carry a single-track railroad and a
that already contained the germ of the idea of pre- two-lane highway. The reinforced concrete trussed
stressing. double de c k accommodates the train track on its
lower level and the highway on the upper. Near
the arch crow n in each span, the train passes
through the arch rib.
The arch ribs were only slightly reinforced and
the quantity of steel was 39 lb/ y&’ (23 kg/ m’{), in
spite of the relatively thin walls used for the box
section.
The three arch ribs were constructed one after
the other on a temporary wooden arch built on
shore and floated into position for each of the
three concrete arches, Figures 8.6 ,and 8.7. This
wooden arch was 490 ft (150 m) long and weighed
550 tons (500 mt), including the two reinforced
concrete end sections, which allowed the thrust
FIGURE 8.2. \~illc nc u\c HI itigc O\~I chc Lot Ki\cr. created by the concrete arch ribs to be transferred
- .
-- ~. --
.,.. ,I,. r
Segmental Precast Bridges Over the Marne River, France 357
re du tabher
Fig 8 Coupe’de kc montrant
la dqositmn des armatures
Fig 3 Coupe par a a
Fi
zyxwvut
were cast in place over the abutment in their final
zyxwv
location in the structure.
A special aerial cableway made up of two steel
towers resting on both banks and properly an-
chored to the rear, a system of suspended winches,
and a unique elliptical drum allowed the transfer
of the precast girder units from their assembly po- FIGURE 8.8. Luzancy Blitlgc.
Height from
Bridge Total Length Bed of Gorge Main Span
An elevation of Bridge 1, Figure 8.20, shows the ceives the eight deck I girders. A perspective of the
principal dimensions and foundations of the arch. deck over the piers is shown in Figure 8.22. The
The three bridges have identical cross sections, precast deck girders, cap beams, and slab are sup-
Figure 8.2 1. The poured-in-place concrete deck ported on the cast-in-place piers, and the whole as-
topping varies in thickness from 2 in. (50 mm) at sembly is prestressed vertically, transversely, and
the edges to 7$ in. (190 mm) at the center to pro- longitudinally.
vide a transverse slope of 1.5% for drainage. Each The c enter sp an c o nsists o f three p arallel
deck span, except at the crown, consists of eight d o u b le- hing ed arc h rib s 27 f t 6 in. ( 8.4 m ) o n
precast prestressed I girders. Variations in span center, Figure 8.21. Each arch rib is a box with a
length of the deck girders are accommodated by width of 10 ft 6 in. (3.2 m) and a slightly varying
adding or removing standard form units. Identical depth from 9 ft 6 in. (2.9 m) to 10 ft (3.05 m) at the
transversely prestressed precast stay-in-place deck su p p o rting p o ints o f the d ec k. To p ro v id e in-
slabs span transversely between the deck girders. creased capacity to resist end moments developed
Continuity of the deck girders is accomplished by by horizontal loads, the width of the ribs is in-
longitudinal tendons placed in a groove in the top creased to 17 ft (5.18 m) at the spring lines. The 5
of the top flange of the girders.’ in. by 5 in. (127 mm x 127 mm) fillets provided at
Approach piers and spandrel columns over the each inside corner of the box are to reduce the
arc hes c o nsist o f three I- shap ed c o lu m ns o f a concentration of torsion stresses. Thickness of the
standard cross section shown in Figure 8.21. A b o tto m f lan g e o f th e b o x rib w as ke p t to a
five-segment precast cap beam on the columns re- minimum to reduce weight on the falsework. The
5’3” 4 itkA
FIGURE 8.21. Caracas Viaducts, typical cross section, from reference 1 (courtesy
of Civil Engineering-ASCE).
Caracas Viaducts, Venezuela 365
FIGURE 8.22. Caracas Viaducts, perspective of deck over piers, from reference
1 (courtesy of Civil Engineering-ASCE)
thicker top flange provides the box rib with the re- an approximate length of 1000 ft (305 m), de-
quired area and moment of inertia for resisting veloping approximately symmetrically on both
thrust and live-load moments. sides of the arch crown. Free movement of the
Design of these structures considered a design deck structure over the pilasters was accommo-
wind pressure of 50 psf (2.4 kN/m*). The arch ribs dated by providing two concrete rockers over each
carry part of the wind pressure to which they are transverse wall of a pilaster. The rockers consisted
directly subjected; the remainder is transmitted to of a 3 ft 6 in. (1.07 m) high continuous wall
the deck structure by bending of the spandrel col- throughout the width of the bridge with a continu-
umns and the connection of the arch rib to the ous Freyssinet-type concrete hinge at both the top
deck at the crown. The arches were assumed to be and bottom. Approach piers were fixed in the deck
transversely fixed in the foundations, the end mo- at the top and hinged at their footings. Because of
ment developed in the springings resulting in a their height, these piers have sufficient flexibility to
slight transverse displacement of the pressure allow movement of the deck without developing
line.* appreciable bending moments, the exception being
Thus, the deck structure was chosen as the prin- the short stiff piers next to the abutment, which
cipal member to resist wind loads, requiring the were hinged both top and bottom.*
exclusion of all joints in the deck from abutment to We shall describe the construction procedure for
abutment. The condition of deck continuity led to the superstructure of Bridge 1, which was also
the attachment of the deck to the arch on both used for the other two bridges. Because the cable-
sides of the arch crown. This was accomplished by way did not have the capacity to transport the deck
prestressing the continuous cables provided over girders across the canyon, precasting operations
the top flange of the girders and anchoring them were established at both ends of the bridge. During
into the arch. Six girders were connected to the construction of the foundations, precasting opera-
arch in this manner: the two intermediate girders tions were started at both sites at either end of the
that do not rest directly on the arch were bridge.
lengthened to the crown, Figure 8.21.* When the foundations for the approach piers
During construction, an open joint was provided were completed, the cableway transported and po-
at the crown. In this joint Freyssinet flat jacks sitioned the precast Freyssinet pier hinges to their
staggered with concrete wedges were inserted, respective locations, where they were grouted to
acting as a hinge for the arches to adjust the pres- their respective foundations. Pouring of the piers
sure line during different phases of construction. then commenced, using special steel forms at-
Expansion and contraction of the deck due to tached to the hinge blocks. Two sets of forms were
temperature, creep, and shrinkage take place over used in leap-frog fashion to maintain a pouring
366 Concrete Segmental Arches, Rigid Frames, and Truss Bridges
rate of 5 ft (1.52 m) per day. Because of the hinge the cantilever method, this formwork being placed
at the base of each pier column, the piers required by the overhead cableway and held in place by a
temporary support until the deck girders could be system of cable stays. Thus, the arch rib was essen-
placed. The first 25 ft (7.62 m) lift of each column tially constructed to the quarter-points. The center
in each pier was supported by a light steel scaf- half-span formwork was constructed as a light
folding that surrounded each column; the scaf- wooden trussed arch assembled at the bottom of
foldings, in turn, were braced together. Succeed- the canyon and winched into position from the
ing 25 ft (7.62 m) lifts were braced to the previous ends of the quarter-span cantilevers. .I‘he timber
lift by light timber trusses. As the columns in the falsework truss was wedged against the concrete
piers rose, steel reinforcement was placed: at the arch ribs already erected. It acted as an arch under
same time, holes for vertical prestressing tendons the weight of the bottom flange concrete, trans-
were cast in the concrete by the insertion of l+ in. mitting its thrust to the cantilevered arch sections
previously erected. Later the timber falsework
(38 mm) steel tubes, which were withdrawn lfzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFE
lio~~t-s after concrete placenlent.3 acted compositely with the hardened bottom flange
Upon completion of the three columns of an ap- concrete to support the webs and top Hange of the
proach pie r, precast segments of the cap beam hollowbox arch ribs when they were placed.’
were placed atop the columns and prestressed The following discussion describes the erection
vertically to them as indicated in Figure 8.22. The sequence of the center-span arch ribs.” The first
two intermediate cap beam segments were placed falsework unit in the quarter-span for each arch
by the cableway and temporaril!; held in position rib consisted of a timber platform 31 ft (9.45 m) in
by steel brackets. Four prestresslng tendons were length with a width of 27 ft 8 in. (8.43 m) at the
then placed through the cap beam segments and spring line and a width of 17 ft 2 in. (5.23 m) at the
the four vertical 14 in. (38 mm) joints between the opposite end, Figure 8.23 (Phase 1). This platform
segments were packed with a rich mortar. After was constructed of 3 x 10 in. (76.2 x 254 mm) tim-
eight to ten hours the longitudinal tendons in the bers on edge at l@ in. (267 mm) centers covered
cap beam \vere stressed and anchored to complete on the upper face with 1 in. (12.7 mm) thick
a pier bent, which was then readv to receive the plywood. It provided the form for the bottom of
deck girders and slabs. The 137 ft (41.75 m) high the arch rib. For the first section of the quarter-
pilasters at each end of the arch are four-celled span, three of these units (one for each rib) were
hollow boses 20 by 80 ft (6.1 s 24.4 m) in plan with placed by the cableway, supported by cable stays A
all walls 4: in. (120.65 mm) thick. They were con- and B, and their position adjusted by hydraulic
structed in lifts with special steel forms that were jacks at the ends of the anchor cable stays. Next
leap-f‘rogged. ‘l‘en vertical prestressing tendons four precast Freyssinet hinge blocks were posi-
anchored into the foundation provided stabilit\ tioned at the spring line and assembled into one
against wind forces.3 hinge block by prestressing them together. Forms
Upon completion of the abutments and the first were then erected on the falsework for the webs of
approach piers, erection of the bridge deck girders the arch rib, and placement of concrete com-
and slabs commenced. It was accomplished with a menced, Figure 8.23 (Phase 2). As the weight of
126 ft (38.4 m) long structural steel lattice girder each increment of concrete came onto the forms,
gantry, 60 f’t (18.3 m) of which extended as a can- the cable stays elongated and the geometry of the
tilever. One 48 ft (14.6 m) span, consisting of eight arch-rib soffit had to be carefully adjusted by the
precast beams and 112 precast slabs, required nine hydraulic jacks.
working days and a crew of 16 men. When the ap- Upon completion of the concreting for the first
proach viaduct decks were in place, they were pre- section of the quarter-span, falsework section 2 was
stressed longitudinally by prestressing tendons attached to it and supported by two more cable
placed in the grooves of the top flange of the deck stays, C and D. After geometry adjustment, con-
girders, which were anchored at one end into the creting continued, Figures 8.23 (Phase 3) and 8.24.
abutment and at the other end over the arch pilas- As a result of the position of the cable stays and the
ters. concreting sequence, angular deformations were
The three arch ribs of the main span were cast in possible between falsework sections 1 and 2.
place on a light wooden falsework, which was re- Therefore, a temporary concrete hinge was placed
used almost in its entirety for the two other in the lower flange of the arch rib, which would
bridges. Basically, the system adopted was to erect allow angular deformation but transmit the thrust
the timber formwork for casting the arch ribs by to maintain equilibrium. When the concreting of
3As.u PHASF3
-. -.-
/’ ._c
/ /
/
/
;rF---_
/. i’
‘\(
,/
/I
/zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
FIGURE 8.23. Caracas Viaducts, erection and construction sequence, from refet-ence 3
(courtesy of Civil Engineering-ASCE).
367
368 Concrete Segmental Arches, Rigid Frames, and Truss Bridges
which protruded below the bottom flange to take
the thrust of the 267 ft (81.4 m) central falsework
after its positioning, Figure 8.23 (Phase 5).
In the last phase of the quarter-span concreting,
the vertical webs were formed and concreted, as
well as a few narrow strips across the top to provide
stiffness to the arch-rib members, which at this
stage had a U-shaped cross section, Figure 8.23
(Phase 6). The anchor stay cables were again ad-
justed to bring the 125 ft (38 m) quarter-span into
its proper position.
The central 267 ft (81.4 m) falsework span had
been assembled at the bottom of the canyon below
its final position in the arch, Figure 8.26. The ends
of the timber falsework arches were tied together
by steel cables acting as ties to keep the arch
falsework rigid. The whole central falsework was
hoisted into position by winches located at the ends
of the cantilevered quarter-span units, Figure 8.27.
Once the central falsework was in place and the
location of the crown exactly positioned, cement
mortar was packed in the gap between the ends
of the central falsework and the quarter-span
falsework, and extra-flat sand boxes were em-
FIGURE 8.24. Caxcas Viaducts, comtruction of wch bedded in the joint for subsequent stripping of the
springings on suspended scaffolding. central falsework.
After two days, the steel tie cables on the central
the second portion of arch rib was completed and falsework were released and the winches support-
geometry adjustment made, the temporary hinge
was blocked and the two sections were prestressed
together. In the same manner, temporary hinges
were used for the remaining sections of the
quarter-span arch rib and at each end of the cen-
tral half-span arch section.
The first two sections of arch rib thus became a
continuous member supported at the outer end by
cable stays, and during construction of the rest of
the arch its geometric position was adjusted by
cable stay D.
The next operation was the erection of the third
falsework unit consisting of a trusswork. Its weight
was such that it could not be accommodated by the
cableway, Therefore, it was assembled at the bot-
tom of the canyon below its position in the arch.
The outer end was lifted by the cableway and the
inner end by a winch located at the end of the pre-
viously concreted section of the arch, Stay cables E
passing over the pilaster were attached, and the
bottom flange of the new arch rib section was cast,
Figures 8.23 (Phase 4) and 8.25,
In like manner the next section of trussed
falsework was positioned and supported by cable
stay F. Next, concrete for the bottom flange of the
rib was placed, including small concrete brackets
GENERAL ELEVATION OF FALSEWORK
I A’ ._
,/ - -- - \
n a,,II\
As constructed in 1952
8.4 Gladesville Bridge, Australia of 134 ft (40.8 m) above the water and not less than
120 ft (36.6 m) above water level for a width of 200
This precast segmental arch bridge, completed in ft (61 m) in the center of the river.
1964, spans the Parramatta River between Glades- Construction of the bridge involved the follow-
ville and Drummoyne and serves a large section of ing main operations4:
the northern area of the Sydney Metropolis, Fig- 1. Excavation for foundation of:
ure 8.32. a. Arch thrust blocks on each side of the river
After award of contract the contractors submit- at the shoreline and partly below water.
ted an alternative design. They proposed that the b. Abutments at the ends of the bridge.
arch be built on fixed falsework, whereas in the C. Shore pier columns of the approach spans
original design part of the arch was to be built on on each side of the river.
floating falsework and towed into position. The 2. Concreting of the arch thrust blocks, the
original design called for an arch span of 910 ft abutments and columns.
(277.4 m). The alternate design increased the clear 3. Driving of falsework piles in the river and
span of the arch to 1000 ft (305 m) and eliminated erection of steel falsework to support the hol-
the necessity for deep-water excavation for the low concrete blocks and diaphragms forming
arch foundations on the Gladesville, or northern, each of the four arch ribs.
side of the river.4 4. Casting of the box-section segments of the arch
Total bridge length between abutments is 1901 and diaphragms and the erection of the four
ft 6 in. (579.6 m). The 1000 ft (305 m) clear span arch ribs one at a time.
arch consists of four arch ribs, Figure 8.33, sup-
5. Jacking each rib to raise and lift it off the
ported on massive concrete blocks, known as
falsework.
“thrust blocks,” founded on sandstone on each side
of the river. Roadway width is 72 ft (22 m) with 6 ft 6. Casting of concrete deck beams on each side of
(1.8 m) wide sidewalks on each side. The roadway the river.
has a grade of 6% at each end, and the grades are 7. Erection of the deck beams to form the road-
connected by a vertical curve 300 ft (91.4 m) in way over the arch.
ngth over the center portion of the structure. 8. Paving of the concrete roadway and final com-
he arch has a maximum clearance, at the crown, pletion of the structure.
As constructed in 1952
20.50 I
-t-- --wft 1
II I R
-.-
- zyxw 20.50
Possible alternative in 1973
__~
Longitudinal section
(a)
Erection scheme
a-a b-b
at approaches at arch
Cross-sections
376
Cc)
Arches Built in Cantilever 377
This unique and contemporary arch-supported structure is constructed as two independent paral-
structure, some 50 miles (80 km) southwest of lel structures with a 1.8 ft (0.54 m) gap in the me-
Stuttgart, crosses the Neckar River near Rottweil, dian. Roadway spans are 98 ft (30 m) in the ap-
Germany. It is a part of the federal expressway proach sections and 72.6 ft (22.14 m) over the arch.
A-81 from Stuttgart to the west of Bodensee with a Each independent arch rib is a two-cell box. The
connection to Zurich, Switzerland. arch ribs were constructed in symmetrical halves,
The original scheme proposed by German au- Figure 8.40. The cuEved formwork was 43 ft (13.1
thorities consisted of a steel girder structure sup- m) long, the first 23.3 ft (7.1 m) of the form
ported on tall piers. Designer-contractor Ed. Zub- clamped to the previously constructed arch seg-
lin, Stuttgart, developed an alternative design ment and the remaining 19.7 ft (6 m) remained to
consisting of twin concrete arches to support the cast the next segment increment. The first 23.3 ft
roadway. The proposal was to construct the arches (7.1 m) of arch segment at the arch foundation was
segmentally by the cantilever method and con- constructed by conventional forming methods.
struct the twin single-cell trapezoidal box girders There are 14 segments on each side of an arch rib
for the roadway by the incremental launching and a closure segment at the crown of each arch.
technique (see Chapter 7). The Austrian method The exterior dimensions of each two-cell arch rib
called the Mayreder system was used to construct are 21.3 ft (6.5 m) wide by 9.8 ft (3.0 m) deep. Ex-
the arches without scaffolding.5,6 terior webs vary in thickness from 10 to 11 in. (260
The roadway of this 1197 ft (364.98 m) long to 280 mm), and the interior web is 6.3 in. (160
structure is approximately 310 ft (94.7 m) above the mm) thick. The arch rib was cast in two operations
Neckar River, Figure 8.38. The 507 ft (154.4 m) -first the bottom flange and second the webs and
arch span, Figure 8.39, has a rise of 164 ft (49.85 top flanges.”
m). Total roadway width is 102 ft (31.0 m). The Piers supported by the arch or independent
foundations are of a constant section and slip-
formed by conventional methods. Sliding bearings
are used at the abutments and the short stiff piers 1
and 13. The remaining piers are hinged to the
superstructure deck such that the elastic piers can
follow the superstructure movement.5’6
During construction, as each half-rib was can-
tilevered out from its foundation, it was supported
by a temporary system of Dywidag bar stays, Fig-
ures 8.38, 8.41, and 8.42. After completion of the
arch, the temporary stays were removed, except
those required to stabilize the arch during the in-
cremental launching of the superstructure deck.
Dywidag bar stays were anchored either to a pier
FIGURE 8.39. Neckarburg Bridge, completed arch foundation or to Dywidag rock anchors in the side
(courtesy of Willhelm Zellner). of the valley.5
TABLE 8.2 Charact erist ics of Arch Bridges Const ruct ed wit h Cable St ay s
Na m e (:o nwuc tlo n (In) Stia y Mrtho d C ~,tlSt~U~tlO tl Arc II Type De < k ‘I’ypc A rc h Sc he m e Re m a rks
Nie se nb a c hb ruc ke A ustria I Y73 394 Multif~le sta ys Mo b ile fo rm s C o ntinuo us Fixe d Ho rinm ta l c urva -
( 120) wppo rting the pe t- m ittinK thr do uble - T \ pa n 01 ture o f d e c k is R =
a rc h dire < tly with suc c e ssive c on 6 5 .6 It ( 2 0 111) 1092 It ( 3 3 2 . 8 m )
the a id o f a n a ux- struc tio n o f 21 11
ilia ry pykm ( 6.5 1x1) to ng seg-
“,e”t S
Sc hwa r/ wa swhrtrke Switze rla nd 1977- 79 374 Suc c e sive c url- Re c ta ng ula r \ la h E‘ixe d Ra ilro a d b ridg e
(114) tile ve r se g m e nts
16.4 to 17.7 It (5
to 5.4 m ) 111 le ng th
Aka ya g wa JZ3ptl 197R 4 I3 C o nstruc te d with A rc h c o nsistc of a rwr,- <e ll box Fixe d Ra ilro a d b ridg e
Kirk Bridg e Yug o sla via 197x x0 0 st‘ lys uwtl ‘IS ue < t‘ rnp I‘ N Fixe d: po sslhltity
(sm a lle r a rc h) (244) dia g o na ls ot a thre e - c e ll box ot c o rre c ting the
Pra tt tn,s\ thrust a t the
c rown hy a ha tte ry
ot hyd ra ulic jac ks
The trapezoidal box girders of the superstruc- 8.5.3 NIESENBACK BRIDGE, AUSTRIA
ture deck were constructed behind the Singen
abutment and incrementally launched “downhill” This is a two-rib arch structure utilizing the free
toward the Stuttgart abutment, Figure 8.43. A cantilever construction method for each half-arch,
close-up of the launching nose is shown in Figure Figure 8.45. The arch has a span of 394 ft (120 m)
8.44. Overall girder width is 48.8 ft (14.9 m) with a with a rise of 123 ft (37.5 m). Each arch rib is a
constant depth of 7.5 ft (2.3 m). Girder segments two-cell box with exterior dimensions of 16.4 ft (5
were cast in lengths of 65.6 ft (20 m). The lift and m) wide by 8.2 ft (2.5 m) deep. The roadway con-
push combination of hydraulic ja c ks (see Chapter sists of a concrete slab and girder system with an
7) launched the girder in 10 in. (0.25 m) incre- overall width of 57.7 ft (17.6 m). Although the lon-
ments. To maintain deformations of the arch and gitudinal axis of the arch is in a straight line, the
Arches Built in Cantilever
roadwav it supports has a centerline radius, in Each two-cell box arch rib is constructed by the
plan, of 1092 ft (332.8 m). cantilever method, using a 41 ft (12.5 m) long
The curved roadway structure has spans of 65.6 traveling form. The form clamps to the preceding
ft (20 m) over the arch and is supported by two 3.3 construction such that a 19.7 ft (6.0 m) segment
ft (1.0 m) square piers, one on each arch rib. At can be cast. A crew of seven men was able to cast a
the arch foundations, roadway support is by a wall segment on a weekly cycle.
pier with dimensions of 4.6 ft (1.4 m) by 33.8 ft To keep moments in the cantilevering arch to a
(10.3 m). minimum during construction, the cantilevered
382 Concrete Segmental Arches, Rigid Frames, and Truss Bridges
portion of the arch was supported by a system of above sea level takes the other reaction component
Dywidag bar stays, Figure 8.45. Stay stresses are of 6600 tons (6000 mt).
monitored at each stage of construction to main- A system of temporary stavs was used to support
tain a nearly moment-free condition in the arch. the arch as it was progressively cantilevered out
Dywidag bars used in the stays were 1 in. (26.5 from the springings, Figure 8.48. These temporar)
mm) diameter and were used because they were stays were used as the top chord and diagonals of a
easily coupled and could be reused.’ temporary variable-depth Pratt truss during con-
struction, Figures 8.48 and 8.49. The arch rib con-
sists of a three-cell rectangular precast box, which
8.5.4 KIRK BRIDGES, YUGO SLAVIA was cast in segment lengths of 16.4 ft (5 m) and
assembled with cast-in-place joints, Figure 8.48. .4
These structures connect the mainland with the view of the completed arch with spandrel columns
Island of Kirk in the Adriatic Sea. In between is a is given in Figure 8.50.
small rocky outcropping known as St. Mark, such
that from the mainland to St. Mark is the world’s 8.6 Rigid-Frame Bridges
longest concrete arch with a span of 1280 ft (390
m) and from St. Mark to Kirk is the seventh longest Another bridge type that lends itself to the con-
concrete arch with a span of 800 ft (244 m), Figures temporary segmental concept is the rigid-frame
1.40 and 8.46. bridge. Unfortunately, segmental construction has
Because the distance between the shores of the not often been applied to this type of structure.
mainland and St. Mark is 1509 ft (460 m), the arch The reason is probably that the segmental concept
support is partially founded in the sea, Figure 8.47. is associated with the conventional girder type
The arch reaction of approximately 15,400 tons bridge, and designers have given little considera-
(14,000 mt) is accommodated by the inclined pier tion to applying this method to the rigid-frame
in the sea, which takes 9900 tons (9000 mt) to the bridge. Hopefully, the few examples that follow
rock, while the nearlv horizontal box structure will stimulate thinking about this type of structure.
1/3.00 !
Section 1 Section 2
ELEVATION
300 t
0 0 00
~ -
, -'lo. 00
, 0 00
- -
, -19OQ
33 50 1 33 50
FIGURE 8.49. Kil k Bridge, erection apploarhing FIGURE 8.51. Saint Xlichael 131 itigc, LI~‘M ot the com-
crown. pleted structure.
7L’O’
8.6.1 SAINT M ICHEL BRIDGE IN TOULOUSE, construct the inclined legs on suspended scaffold-
FRANCE ing using temporary ties anchored to the masonry
This beautiful structure, Figure 8.51, appears as a piers before they were demolished, Figure 8.54.
succession of arches w ith inclined legs, crossing the The longitudinal girders were cast in place be-
two branches of the Garonne River in the southern tween the legs to complete the rigid frame. Over
city of Toulouse, France. Typical dimensions of a each pier an expansion joint with laminated bear-
rigid frame are presented in Figures 8.52 and 8.53. ings is provided in the roadway slab, Figure 8.54.
Because the bridge replaced an obsolete struc- Another view of the finished bridge is pre-
ture resting on masonry piers, it was possible to sented in Figure 8.55.
FIGURE 8.53. Saint Michael Bridge, typical section.
94
@oprm c be a ring
4
Q
Q
4zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba
‘. .
‘A Extcling moaonry pie r
FIGURE 8.55. Saint Michael Bridge, finished struc- FIGURE 8.56. Briesle Maas Bridge, general view.
ture.
386 Concrete Segmental Arches, Rigid Frames, and Truss Bridges
8.6.2 BRIESLE MAAS BRIDGE, NETHERLANDS in this project, however, as the additional weight in
the pier segments would have increased intolera-
The Briesle Maas Bridge near Rotterdam, com- bly. Shear stresses were maintained at an accept-
pleted in 1969, is a distinctive structure with its able level by increased web thickness and by triaxial
V-shaped piers, Figure 8.56. This bridge, crossing prestressing.
the Meuse River, is situated in an area reserved for At the moment that the midspan closure pour of
pleasure boating and recreational purposes. It was the center span is consummated, the bending mo-
therefore considered essential to maintain a high ment at this joint is zero. With time this moment
degree of bridge aesthetics. Although the design is increases, as a result of creep, to a significant per-
perhaps not the most economical, it was chosen to centage of what would occur if the bridge were
meet the aesthetic requirements. built as a continuous structure on falsework. Pre-
The three-span superstructure consists of a 369 stressing to accommodate both conditions cannot
ft (112.5 m) center span with end spans of 264 ft be given maximum eccentricity, and it becomes
(80.5 m). Transversely, the superstructure consists both difficult to execute and expensive. .4 consid-
of three precast single-cell boxes, joined at their erable amount of prestressing was saved by
flange tips by a longitudinal closure pour and eliminating the condition of zero stress at closure
transversely prestressed, Figure 8.57. The hollow and therefore preventing creep. This was accom-
inclined legs of the V piers are structurally con- plished by inducing an upward reaction under
nected to the deck structure by post-tensioning, and segments 7 and 72, Figure 8.59, after joint closure.
the V pier is supported at its base through neo- Simultaneously with the increase of these reaction
prene bearing pads on the pile cap foundation, Fig- forces, prestressing tendons in the central span
ures 8.58 and 8.59. The superstructure, with the were stressed. Upon completion of the end spans
exception of a few cast-in-place closure joints, is the induced forces were released automatically by
composed of precast segments. prestressing the end spans.
Shear forces, mainly concentrated in the webs, Segments were produced at an existing casting
normally are transferred to piers or columns by a yard 68 miles (110 km) from the bridge site. A
diaphragm. Prefabrication prevented this solution long-line precasting bed (see Figure 11.37) was
CROSS SECTION
FIGURE 8.58. Briesle Maas Bridge, longitudinal section with tendon profile.
Rigid-Frame Bridges 387
A= Steel frame
B= Jacks F = Joint
C= R u b b e r bearing p a d s G = Temporary support
D= lolnts H = Scaffolding
E = Counter weight J = Joint
I
FIGURE
span.
8.60. Briesle Maas
-k--J smcu A-.
Bridge, erection falsework for last five segments in the end
zyxw
8.65. This structure was built by the cast-in-place
balanced cantilever method.
For adjusting the geometry of the bridge, flat
jacks were placed under the legs and at midspan. A
detail of the adjusting ja c ks placed on top of the
temporary support is shown in Figure 8.66. Flat
jacks and sand boxes were used both to adjust
the geometry of the bridge before closure was
achieved at midspan and later to release the energy
stored in the legs of the temporary supports, which
were loaded with the full weight of the bridge.
&ORIENT KERVIGNA&
L 282.60
67.95 146.70 67.95
N
/
+
++
++
++
+
+
+
+ +
\ ++ +i
b
zyxwvutsrqponmlk
. ,
h
392 Concrete Segmental Arches, Rigid Frames, and Truss Bridges
z
FIGURE 8.67. Honl~ornrne Bridge, during cantilever
construction.
+----- I I--- B
: : ‘--: / : r] ;-y $1
I //j, / j / 1
Plain
concrete
, 19’-0” ,9’-0”
149.3
I 51’-6”
A
3Segments-8’0” I
I “: I I
__ ELEVATION -
The use of I girders at 7 ft (2 m) spacing for the anced cantilever, as construction started at one
precast deck would not be considered today as the abutment and proceeded to the opposite abutment
optimum design. One of the authors, who was in- by progressive placement. Temporary interme-
volved in the studies with E. Freyssinet, remembers diate piers were used as required to reduce the
also that many technological problems such as the cantilever stresses.
connection details between diagonals and chords Figure 8.77 shows an interior view. The lower
were not completely solved. flange is used as a walkway for pedestrians and for
Neither of these two designs reached the con- bicycles. The railing in the center surrounds an
struction stage, and the concept was rapidly for- opening in the bottom flange where stress condi-
gotten before its potential could be objectively as- tions do not require the concrete area. Figure 8.78
certained. is an interior view looking through one of the floor
Oddly enough, the designers of steel structures openings, and Figure 8.79 is another interior view.
followed a similar path. Abandoning prematurely
the concept of truss structures, which had allowed 8.73 RIP BRIDGE, AUSTRALJA
such outstanding structures as the Firth of Forth
Bridge to be built all over the world, they turned to The recently completed Rip Bridge, Figure 8.80,
web girder structures and closed box sections with north of Sydney, Australia, has a center span of
all the critical problems they entailed, such as elas-
tic stability. Perhaps it is time to reassess some
major design approaches in both steel and concrete
for very long spans.
Prestress cable to
support lower member
Eu g ene Frey ssinet w as no exc ep tio n, and he to sustain several times as much longitudinal com-
spent the last years of his long professional career pressive stress as a reinforced concrete member
studying the crossing of the English Channel with a without excessive strains, provided it is initially
series of 2000 ft (612 m) long prestressed concrete loaded to offset the initial strain.
spans. The many worthwhile ideas contained in Such a project and such a material could not be
this concept are not likely to be developed soon, or developed in a short period of time. They are
even by the turn of the century. mentioned here at the close of this chapter as a
Figure 8.84 presents an elevation of a typical conceptual heritage, which it is our duty to m a ke
2000 ft (612 m) span, which was contemplated as a functional.
prestressed concrete composite truss. Major mem-
bers of the truss were not of conventional pre-
stressed concrete, because such high stresses had to
References
be accepted to keep the weight of the span within
acceptable limits. A new material to be use d for
1. E. Freyssinet, “ Largest Concrete Spans of the .
that purpose had occupied Freyssinet’s mind for
Americas-Three Monumental Bridges Built in
several years and had even been laboratory tested Venezuela,” Cizd Engineering-ASCE, March 1953.
for confirmation of the concept. When a concrete
2 . Je a n M uller, “ L arg e s t C o n cre te S p an s o f th e
member is completely confined in an envelope that A m ericas- H ow the T hree Brid ges W ere D e-
creates permanently biaxial transverse compressive signed,” Civil Engineering-ASCE, M arch 1953.
stress, it will resist safely much higher stress than if
3. Ro b ert Shama, “ Largest C oncrete S p ans of the
subjected to a monoaxial stress or reinforced con- .Americas-How They W ere Built.” C/zlil Et/g/tff’f’r-
ventionally with untensioned transverse reinforc- rng--AXE, M arch 1953.
ing (such as spirals in a circular column). 4. Anon., “ N ew Bri d g e o v er Parram atta Ri v er at
From a technological point of view, the perma- Main Roaak, Journal of the Department
Gladesville,”
nent active restraint creating the biaxial transverse of Main Roads, New South Wales, December 1964.
compressio:l is easily achieved in a member that 5. Anon., “ Talbriicke Rottweil-Neckarburg,” Zublin-
has a circular cross section by confining it in a Rundschau, Heft 7/ 8, Dezember 1976, Stuttgart,
high-strength steel pipe or within a continuous spi- Germany.
ral o f p restressing steel w ires, w hic h are pre- 6. “ Arch Slipformer Shuns Ground Support to Cross
stressed at the time the concrete is cast. Valley,” Engineering LXrews-Record, June 1, 1978.
This m aterial, w hich co uld be called “ pre- 7. Anon., “Niesenbachbriicke, Bogen i m Frei en V or-
confined concrete,” has extraordinary properties bau,” A ustria 1970-74, FIP C o ng ress 1974, N ew
such as total absence of brittleness and a capability York.
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
INTRODUCTION
9.1.1 Historical Review
9.1.2 Advantages of Concrete Cable-Stayed Bridges
9.1.3 Structural Style and Arrangement
LAKE MARACAIBO BRIDGE, VENEZUELA
WAD1 KUF BRIDGE, LIBYA
CHACOlCORRIENTE.5
MAINBRiiCKE,
BRIDGE,
GERMANY
TIEL BRIDGE, NETHERLANDS
ARGENTINA
zy
9
Concrete Segmental Cable-Stayed Bridges
9.7
9.8
9.9
9.10
PASCO-KENNEWICK
9.10.1
9.10.2
BRIDGE,
BROTONNE BRIDGE, FRANCE
DANUBE CANAL BRIDGE, AUSTRIA
NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF CONCEPTS
U.S.A.
REFERENCES
The concept of supporting a beam or bridge by in- Since the beginning of the cable-stay renaissance in
clined cable stays is not new , and the historical 1955, whether for technical or other reasons,
evolution of this type of structure has been dis- structural steel has been the preferred construc-
cussed in the literature.‘-‘j Although the modern tion material. In 1957, however, considerable ex-
renaissance of cable-staved bridges is said to have citement was generated when Prof. Riccardo
begun in 1955, with steel as the favored material, Morandi’s prize-winning design of a prestressed
in the last two decades a number of cable-stayed concrete 1312 ft (400 m) center span cable-stayed
bridges have been constructed using a reinforced bridge for the Lake Maracaibo crossing was an-
or prestressed concrete deck system. In recent nounced. Regrettably the Lake Maracaibo Bridge
years several concrete cable-stayed bridges have was not constructed as originally conceived. The
been built in the long-span range. In at least four modified structure, built in 1962, is generally con-
current projects, alternative designs in concrete sidered to be the first modern cable-stayed bridge.
and steel have been prepared for competitive bid- However, the Lake Maracaibo Bridge was pre-
ding. Cable-stayed bridges are extending the com- ceded by two little-known concrete cable-stayed
petitive span range of concrete bridge construction structures.
to dimensions that had previously been considered The first concrete structure to use cable stays w as
impossible and reserved for structural steel. To the Tempul Aqueduct crossing the Guadalete
d a te , approximately 2 1 concrete cable-stayed River in Spain. ’ Designed by the famous Spanish
bridges have been constructed, and others are engineer, Prof. Torroja, who has introduced many
either in design or under construction. A tabular original concepts in prestressed concrete, this
summary of concrete cable-stayed bridges is pre- structure has a classical three-span symmetrical
sented in Tables 9.1 and 9.2. cable-stayed bridge configuration with two pylons.
400
Bridge
T ABLE 9.1. Concret e
Location
Zntroductionzyxwvu
Cable-St ay ed Bridges-General
Type
Dat a
Completed
The stays were introduced to replace two piers that strutted in the past decade. In the last five years
were found to be too difficult to construct in deep nine have been completed, representing 43% of
water. Thus, the stays were introduced to provide the total. Within the last three years the span of
intermediate support in the main span. 1000 ft (300 m) has been exceeded, and a current
On July 5, 1957, a stayed structure crossing the design contemplates a span of 1300 ft (400 m). It
Yakima River at Benton City, Washington, was has taken almost a quarter-century to reach a span
opened to traffic. Designed by Homer M. Hadley, contemplated by Prof. Morandi in his original de-
the structure has a total length of 400 ft (122 m) sign concept for the Lake Maracaibo Bridge. Be
with a center span of 170 ft (51.9 m) flanked on that as it may, it is obvious from the statistics that in
each side by tw o continuous spans of 57.5 ft (17.53 recent years the concrete cable-stayed bridge has
m) each. A 60 ft (18.3 m) central drop-in span of 33 been accepted as a viable structure.
in. (0.84 m) deep steel beams is supported by
transverse concrete beams, supported in turn by
structural steel wide-flange stays. Continuous lon- 9.1.2 ADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE CABLE-STAYED
gitudinal concrete beams comprise the remainder BRIDGES
of the structure and receive support at their ex-
tremity, in the center span, from the transverse As engineers, we are aware that no particular con-
concrete beams and steel stays.4*8 cept or bridge type can suit all environments, con-
In the more than half-century that has elapsed siderations, problems, or site conditions. The
since Torroja’s Tempul Aqueduct, 2 1 cable-stayed selection of the proper type for a given site and set
bridges have been constructed (Table 9.1). Thir- of circumstances must take into account many
teen, or 62%, of these structures have been con- parameters. The choice of material, in addition to
402 Concrete Segmental Cable-Stayed Bridges
P)hl
Height Pylon Span-
Above Height- Deck Girder to- Girder
Stay No. stay Deck to-Span Width Depth Depth Construction
Bridge Planes Stays Arrangement (f0 Ratio’ cf.0 (ft) Ratio” Typed
zyxwvutsrqponml
hDesign by Ulrich Finsterwalder.
( See Table 9.1 for major span dimensions.
“CIP = cast-in-place, PC = precast, d-i-s = drop-in-span.
’ Form hyperbolic paraboloid in space.
‘Per single-cell box.
1 ft = 0.305 m.
material properties, depends on availability and 2. Concrete deck structures, by virtue of their
the prevailing economics at a particular time as mass and because concrete has inherently
well as the specific location of the site. The process favorable damping characteristics, are not as
of weighting and evaluating these parameters for susceptible to aerodynamic vibrations.
various types of bridges under consideration is 3. The horizontal component of cable-stay force,
certainly more an art than a science. w hich causes compression w ith bending in the
In evaluating a concrete cable-stayed bridge, the deck structure, favors a concrete deck struc-
designer should be aware of the following advan- ture. The stay forces produce a prestress force
tages: in the concrete, and concrete is at its best in
1. The main girder can be very shallow with re- compression.
spect to the span. Span-to-girder-depth ratios 4. The amount of steel required in the stays is
vary from 45 to 100. With proper aerodynamic comparatively small. A proper choice of height
streamlining and multistays the deck structure of pylon with respect to span can yield an op-
can be slim, having span-to-depth ratios of 150 timum solution.g
to 400, and not convey a massive visual impres- 5. Live-load deflections are small because of the
sion. live-load-to-dead-load ratio, and therefore
Introduction 403
concrete cable-stayed bridges are applicable to
railroad or mass-transit loadings.
6. Erection of the superstructure and cable stays
is relatively easy with today’s technology of
prestressing, prefabrication; and seg&&tal
cantilever construction.
FIGURE 9.8. ChacoiCorr ientes Bridge, general \iew, FIGURE 9.10. Da&h Gre,lr Belt Bridge, .I1 list’\ rrnd-
from reference 13 (courtesy of Normer Gray). ering (courtesy of Ulrich Finsterwalder).
Lake Maracaibo Bridge, Venezuela 405
segmental method, each segment being supported 9.2 Lake Maracaibo Bridge, Venezuela
by a set of stays. This concept was later to be con-
summated in the Main Bridge and in the design of This bridge, Figure 9.1, has a total length of 5.4
the Dame Point Bridge. miles (8.7 km). Five main navigation openings con-
The choice of geometrical configuration and sist of prestressed concrete cable-stayed structures
number of stays in a cable-stayed bridge system is w ith suspended spans totaling 771 ft (235 m). The
subject to a wide variety of considerations. If cable cantilever span is supported on four parallel X
stays are few, they result in large stay forces, which frames, while the cable stays are supported on two
require massive anchorage systems. A relatively A frames with a portal member at the top. There is
deep girder is required to span the large distance no connection anywhere between the X and A
between stays, producing span-to-depth ratios vary- frames, Figure 9.11. The continuous cantilever
ing from 45 to 100 (see Table 9.2). Depending girder is a three-cell box girder 16.4 ft deep by 46.7
upon the location of the longitudinal main girders ft wide (5 m by 14.22 m). An axial prestress force is
with respect to the cable-stay planes, large trans- induced into the girder as a result of the horizontal
verse cross girders may be required to transfer the component of cable force, thus, for the most part,
stay force to the main girder. only conventional reinforcement is required. Ad-
A large number of cable stays, approaching a ditional prestress tendons are required for nega-
continuous supporting elastic media, simplifies the tive moment above the X-frame support and the
anchorage and distribution of forces to the girder transverse cable-stay anchorage beams. l1
and permits the use of a shallower girder, with The pier cap consists of the three-cell box girder
span-to-depth ratio varying from 150 to 400 (see with the X frames continued up into the girder to
Table 9.2). The construction of the deck can be act as transverse diaphragms, Figures 9.12 and
erected roadway-width by free cantilever methods 9.13. After completion of the pier, service girders
from stay to stay without auxiliary methods or were raised into position to be used in the con-
stays. If the depth of the roadway girder can be struction of the cantilever arm. Owing to the addi-
kept at a minimum, the deck becomes, more or tional moment, produced during this construction
less, the bottom chord of a large cantilevering stage by the service girder and weight of the can-
truss; it needs almost no bending stiffness because tilever arm, additional concentric prestressing was
the inclined stays do not allow any large deflections required in the pier cap, Figure 9.13. To avoid
under concentrated loads.” overstressing of the X frames during this opera-
In the 55 years since Torroja’s Tempul Aque- tion, temporary horizontal ties were installed and
duct the concrete cable-stayed bridge has evolved tensioned by hydraulic jacks, Figures 9.13 and
from basically a statically determinate structure 9.14.
with one stay on each side of the pylon to a
highly indeterminate system with multistays. As
demonstrated by the Danish Great Belt Bridge
Competition, the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge, and
the Pont de Brotonne, spans of approximately
1000 ft (300 m) are practical and have been ac-
complished. The practicality of spans of 1300 ft
(400 m) is demonstrated by the Dame Point
Bridge, and spans approaching 1600 ft (500 m) are
considered technically feasible. Leonhardt” has
projected that with an aerodynamically shaped
composite concrete and steel deck a span of 2300 ft
(1500 m) can be achieved. With today’s technology
of prefabrication, prestressing, and segmental
cantilever construction, it is obvious that cable-
stayed bridges are extending the competitive span
range of concrete bridges to dimensions that had
previously been considered impossible and int.o a
range that had previously been the domain of FIGURE 9.11. Lake Maracaibo Bridge, pier cap with
structural steel. This technological means exist; X frames, from reference 11 (courtesy of Julius
they only require implementation. Berger-Bauboag Aktiengesellschaft).
IL I I II
FIGURE 9.12. Lake Maracaibo Bridge, main span tower and X-f’rames, from
reference 11 (courtesy of Julius Berger-Bauboag Aktiengesellschaft).
I
I---,
Worklnq ’ \ \ /I I I
FIGURE 9.13. Lake Maracaibo Bridge, pier cap of a main span and service
girder, from reference 11 (courtesv of Julius Berger-Bauboag Aktiengesell-
shaft).
406
Wadi Kuf Bridge, Libya 407
FIGURE 9.16. Lake >fal-acaibo Bridge, fabrication of anchorage beam, from reierence
11 (courtesy of Julius Berger-Bauboag Aktiengesellschaft).
408 Concrete Segmental Cable-Stayed Bridges
9.4 ChacolCorrientes Bridge, Argentina
i in. .’
; 11 ft 5; in.
Ii( 3 . 5 0’ ml
FIGURE 9.19. Chaco/ Corrientes Bridge, deck cross section, from reference
14 (courtesy of Civil Engineering-AXE).
FIGURE
:
9.23.
. . . .\~;
FIGURE 9.27, Mainbriicke, casting of deck segments FIGURE 9.28. M ainb tic ke, parCall\ complered
(co urtesy o f Dyckerho ff & Widmann). structure (courtesy of Richard Heinen).
APPROACH VIADUCT OUVRAGE PRINCIPAL MAIN BRIDGE
VIADUC D’ACCF5
zyxwvu
stant depth of 11.5 ft (3.5 m) and width of 21 ft 8
in. (6.6 m). The top flange including cantilever
overhangs has a w idth of 44 ft (13.44 m). The
FIGURE 9.30. l‘ie l Hric lg c , ma in sp lls.
overall width of the approach viaduct deck is 89 ft
3 in. (27.2 m), including a longitudinal pour strip.
The viaduct was constructed by the precast bal-
Netherlands into northern and southern parts. anced cantilever method with cast-in-place closure
This structure provides a needed traffic link be- pours at the midspans. To accommodate the can-
tween the town of Tie1 and the south of the coun- tilever compressive stresses in the bottom flange
try and is a major north-south route. over the piers, the thickness of the bottom flange is
The structure has an overall length of 4656 ft linearly increased from a minimum of 8 in. (200
(1419 m) and consists of a 2644 ft (806 m) curved mm) to 24 in. (600 mm) over a length of 33 ft (10
viaduct on a 19,685 ft (6000 m) radius, w hich in- m) on each side of the pier. Each pier segment
cludes ten continuous 258 ft (78.5 m) long spans contains a diaphragm.
and a 2008 ft (612 m) straight main structure com- Because of the potential flooding of the river
prising three stayed spans of 3 12, 876, and 3 12 ft from April through December and the consequent
(95, 267, and 95 m) and two 254 ft (77.5 m) side loss or damage of falsework and loss of time, it was
spans. decided to build the access viaduct utilizing precast
The cross section consists of two precast concrete segments in the balanced or “ free” cantilever con-
boxes, each supporting two vehicular and one bicy- struction. The segments could be cast during
cle lane. The total width of the superstructure, flooding and placed in storage. Erection of the
which is 89 ft (27.2 m) in the access viaduct, Figure segments, which would take less time than the
9.31, is enlarged to 103 ft (31.5 m) over the main casting, could be accomplished after the flood had
structure so as to accommodate the pylon sup- subsided.
porting the stays. The precast segments, weighing 132 tons (120
The structure crosses not only the Waal River but mt), were cast in movable forms on a casting bed
also a flood plain, w hich is under w ater during the having the length of one span (by the long-line
winter months. Navigation requirements dictate a method, see Section 11.6.2). Segments were stored
horizontal clearance of 853 ft (260 m) and a verti- by and parallel to the casting bed and handled by a
cal clearance of 30 ft (9.1 m). 130 ft (40 m) span gantry crane, Figure 9.32. They
were transported to the site (access viaduct abut-
ment) by means of a 132 ton (120 mt) capacity
trolley and then placed in the structure by the same
gantry crane used in the precasting yard for han-
dling, Figure 9.33; The trolley was used to trans-
port the segments because the gantry was usually
engaged in the precasting yard or in placing seg-
ments in the viaduct. The gantry crane was such
that it spanned over the twin boxes in the super-
structure and the trolleyway used to transport the
segments.
Segment joints are of the epoxy-bonded type
(see Section 11.5). Cantilever imbalance is accom-
modated by a temporary support ad.jacent to the
pier, Figure 9.33. Five temporary prestress bars
Tie1 Bridge, The Netherlands 415
t
Short stays
tional prestressing is provided by 10 tendons that
20/16 cables overlap each other at the supports. These tendons
65
were required until such time as the stay forces
were applied and, at completion, to provide safety
against cracking and collapse. The deck slab is pre-
(b)
eoprene sleeve
FIGURE 9.43. Pasco-Kennewick Intercity Bridge, FIGURE 9.44. I’asco-Kennewick lntercity Bridge,
erection of precast segments from barge (courtesy of pylon and stay attachment steel weldment at top (cour-
Arvid Grant). tesy of Arvid Grant).
Bro to nne Bridge, France 421
FIGURE 9.45. l’asco-E;enne~~,ick Intcrcity Bridge, FIGURE 9.47. Artist’s rendering of the Pont de
prefr~bricated cable stay on reel. Bro to nne.
shown in Figure 9.46 and the general layout in Fig- The prestressed segmental concrete deck con-
ures 9.47 and 9.48. The box girder carries four sists of a single-cell trapezoidal box girder with
lanes and replaces ferry service between two major interior stiffening struts, Figures 9.49 and 9.50. In
highways that run north and south of the Seine. the approach spans, web thickness is increased
Because large ships use this section of the river to from 8 in. (200 mm) to 16 in. (400 mm) near the
approach the inland port of Rouen 22 miles (35 piers, and the bottom flange thickness is increased
km) to the east, vertical navigation clearance is to a maximum thickness of 17 in. (430 mm). The
164 ft (50 m) above water level, which results in a only portion of the segment that was precast is its
6.5% grade for its longer approach.15*21 sloping webs, Figure 9.51, which were precast at
Total length of structure is 4194 ft (1,278.4 m), the site. The other portions of the cross section,
consisting of the main bridge and two approach including top and bottom flanges, interior stiffen-
viaducts. The main crossing has a span of 1050 ft ing struts, and cable-stay anchorages (in the main
(320 m). On the right bank, the transition between structure only), were cast in place. Each segment is
the main span and the ground is quite short be- 9.8 ft (3 m) long.
cause of a favorable topography where limestone Extensive use of prestressing was made in the
strata slope upward to a relatively steep cliff. On deck to provide adequate strength to this light
the left bank, the terrain is flat and occupied by structure. To resist the extreme shear stresses it
meadows. With an allowable maximum grade of was decided to place vertical prestressing in the
6.5% and a maximum height of fill of 50 ft (15 m), webs. Pretensioned units were stressed on a casting
a nine-span viaduct was required to reach the main bed, Figure 9.52, and equipped with specially de-
bridge. In a structural sense, the bridge is divided signed button heads, thus producing a combina-
into tw o sections separated by an expansion joint at tion of pretensioning and anchorage plates. This
a point of contraflexure in the left-bank viaduct system has the advantage of ensuring a perfect
span adjacent to the cable-stayed side span, Figure centering of the prestressing force together with a
9.48.‘O very rapid transfer of this force at both ends. In-
tensive rupture tests proved that an extremely
high resistance to shear was created by this sys-
tem.20
Finally, prestressing w as also used as follow s,
Figure 9.53:20
69750
127840 _ _ _ _ _
I II
5.60 1 4.00 I 4.00 1 5.60
(18’) (13’) (13’) (18’)
FIGURE 9.49. Cross section of Brotonne Bridge.
FIGURE 9.50. Interior view of deck, Brotonne FIGURE 9.51. Precast webs, Hrotonnc zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFE
131 It lgC.
Bridge.
FIGURE 9.50. In ter ior view of d eck , B r oton n e FIGURE 9.51. Precast webs, Brotonnc Hr~tlgc.zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba
Bridge.
_--adjustable
-
bracketa
Lalgitullim1bctic0A-AzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
FIGURE 9.55. Half center span and pylon.
longitudinal rection
I
c
I
__ . . . _ - 2
* w . i
l O N ._ ” + .i. - .._.. Pzo. _ . . -. . . . .
FIGURE 9.60. llZain pier, pylon, anti deck during FIGURE 9.63. Aerial view of the Hroronne Hrldge,
construction, from reference 20. from reference 20.
(3 m) beyond the end of the completed section 9.9 Danube Canal Bridge, Austria
were used to place new elements.
The structure is shown at the start of main span This structure is located on the West Motorway
construction in Figure 9.61, before closure of the (Vienna Airport Motorway) and crosses the
main span in Figure 9.62, and completed in Figure Danube Canal at a skew of 45” . It has a 390 ft (119
9.63.20 m) center span and 182.7 ft (55.7 m) side spans,
428 Concrete Segmental Cable-Stayed Bridges
Figure 9.64. It is unique because of its construction final position and a cast-in-place closure joint w as
technique. Because construction was not allowed to made, Figures 9.66 through 9.69. In other words,
interfere with navigation on the canal, the struc- each half w as constructed as a one-time sw ing span.
ture was built in two 360.8 ft (110 m) halves on The bridge superstructure is a 5 1.8 ft (15.8 m)
each bank and parallel to the canal, Figure 9.65. wide trapezoidal three-cell box girder, Figure 9.70.
Upon completion the two halves were rotated into The central box was cast in 25 ft (7.6 m) long seg-
ments on falsework, Figure 9.7 1. After the precast
inclined web segments were placed, Figure 9.72,
the top slab w as cast.
Each half-structure has two cantilever pylons
fixed in a heavily prestressed trapezoidal crosshead
protruding under the deck with a two-point bear-
ing on the pier, Figure 9.73. At the deck level the
stays attach to steel brackets connected to pre-
stressed crossbeams, Figures 9.74 and 9.75.
Each stay consists of eight cables, two horizontal
by four vertical. At the top of the pylons each cable
is seated in a cast-iron saddle. The cable saddles are
stacked four high, Figure 9.76, and are fixed to
each other as well as to those in the adjacent plane.
The cables were first laid out on the deck, fixed to a
FIGURE 9.65. Construction of half-bridge on bank of saddle, and then lifted by a crane for placement at
canal. the top of the pylon. The cables were then pulled
FIGURE 9.66. Plan of Danube Canal Bridge during construction and final state.
Danube Canal Bridge, Austria 429 zy
FIGURE 9.67. Danube Canal Bridge during rotation.
at each extremity by a winch rope to their attach- tion the structure was lowered to permanent
ment point at the deck level. bearings by emptying the sand box.
During rotation of the two half-bridges, the deck At the canal-bank end the deck had a concrete
and pylon sat on a bearing consisting of five wall on its underside, bearing on a circular con-
epoxy-glued circular steel plates. The top plate was Crete sliding track, Figure 9.77. The bearing be-
coated with teflon, sitting in turn on a reinforced tween the wall and the track was effected by two
concrete block that sat on a sand box. After rota- concrete blocks clad with steel plates, under which
430 Concrete Segmental Cable-Stayed Bridges
9.10.1 PROPOSED GREAT BELT BRIDGE, The rail traffic was based on speeds of 100 mph
DENMARK (161 km/hr).23 Navigational requirements stipu-
lated that the bridge deck be 220 ft (67 m) above
The competition for a suitable bridge design in water level, and the clear width of the channel was
Denmark produced many new concepts and ar- to be 1130 ft (345 m).
chitectural styles. The design requirements spec- A third prize winner in this competition was the
ified three lanes for vehicular traffic in each direc- Morandi-style design proposed by the English con-
tion and a single railway line in each direction. sulting firm of White Young and Partners, Figure
Notable Examples of Concepts 431
Morandi (Lake Maracaibo, Wadi Kuf, and so on) between pylons of 1148 ft (350 m) and a spacing of
o r stro ng ly influenc ed b y his sty le (Chaco/ the stays at deck level of 32.8 ft (10 m). Pylon
Corrientes). They were typified, for the most part, height above water level was 520 ft (158.5 m). In a
by the transverse A-frame pylon with auxiliary transverse cross section the deck was 146 (44.5
X-frame support for the girder. However, an entry m) wide with two centrally located vertical stay
in the Danish Great Belt Competition by Ulrich planes 39 ft 4 in. (12 m) apart to accommodate the
Finsterwalder of the German firm of Dyckerhoff two rail traffic lanes, and three automobile traffic
& Widmann deviated from this style and was lanes in each direction outboard of the stay planes,
awarded a second prize. Figure 9.80.
Finsterwalder proposed a multiple span, multi- The solid concrete deck had a thickness of 3 ft
stay system using Dywidag bars for the stays, Fig- (0.9 m) in the transverse center portion, under the
ure 9.10. This proposal contemplated a spacing rail traffic, and tapered to a 1.3 ft (0.4 m) thickness
-k! 58,M
22,50
f 0.00
i
-_-_-_--------_-__- _______r____
r ________,/__ ------
/ I
r _ _ . r ____ - -----‘-‘-,
-------, ‘-----:- -.---7 --__ -_,_ _ _
Bahn
j lu~+~ -q-i-’ (
1 1
n L. ..I’ ! ~ ‘C
Ir; ! sam& :o,llo
’ ON ----______ _
- - - - - - - - - - ------_--
15,25 ------&2,00?c--- 10,00------+2,00- 15,25 - - -
k MO
FIGURE 9.80. Danish Great Belt Bridge, elevation and cross section (coultesv of
Dyckerhof’f’ & Widmann).
Notable Examples of Concepts 433
at the edges. The deck was to be constructed by the span w ith 650 ft (198 m) flanking spans. The layout
cast-in-place balanced cantilever segmental of the main structure is shown in Figure 9.82.‘ 4
method, each segment being supported by a set of Structural arrangement of the bridge deck is
S&F s. shown in Figure 9.83. The bridge deck, which will
carry three lanes of traffic in each direction, will
span between longitudinal edge girders on each
side. The longitudinal edge girder is in turn sup-
The proposed Dame Point Bridge over the St. ported by a vertical plane of stays arranged in a
Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, as designed harp configuration. The concrete deck and edge
b) the firm o f H o w ard N eed les Tammen & girders take local and overall bending from dead
Bergendoff, is a cable-staved structure with a con- and live load in addition to the horizontal thrust
crete and a steel alternative. .4n artist’s rendering from the stavs.25 The stav cables are anchored in
of the concrete cable-staved bridge alternative is massive vertical concrete pvlons, two at each main
show n in Figure 9.81. Navigation requirements pier, which carry all loads to the foundations, Fig-
dictate a 1250 ft (381 m) minimum horizontal ure 9.84.
opening and a vertical clearance of 152 ft (46.3 m) In the center span, at each edge of the deck, the
above mean high water at the centerline of the stavs are in a single plane spaced 30 in. (0.76 m)
clear opening. I‘he proposed concrete cable-stayed vertically, Figures 9.84 and 9.85. Stavs in the side
main structure w ill have a 1300 ft (396 m) central spans, along each edge, are in tw o planes spaced 30
in. (0.76 m) transversely. Spacing of pairs of stavs
along the edge beam is approximately 30 ft (9.1 m).
Preliminary design contemplates 7 to 9 Dlwidag
bars per stay, li in. (31.75 mm) in diameter, the
number of bars per stay being a function of stress
in the stay. The Dywidag bars are to be encased in a
metal duct. During erection the fabricated length
of duct is left uncoupled. After final adjustment
the lengths of duct are coupled and pressure-
grouted. Thus, the steel encasing tube will then be
composite for live load and secondary dead load.‘”
Construction proceeds bv conventional methods
from the top of the pier bases at elevation 15.0 ft
(4.6 m) to the level of the roadway at elevation
144.6 ft (44 m). At this point, a fixed formtable is
FIGURE 9.81. lhmc Po int l3ritigc , artist’s rendering secured and the first elements of the pylon and
(cotll-tc’sv of’ Ho\vxcl Needles I‘a~nrncn ,Y- Bergendoff). edge girders are cast. Erection of the deck is bv the
FIGURE 9.82. Dame Point Bridge, concrete cable-stayed alternative, from reference
23 (courtesy of Howard Needles ‘l‘ammen & Bergendoff).
105’-10” (32 3m) zyxwvu
.Pr ecast T Be a m
Cast -in-sit u Beam
FIGURE 9.83. Dame Point Bridge, structural arrangement of bridge deck. from
reference 24 (cowtesy of Howard Needles I‘ammen & Bergendoff).
Tower -.,
SIDE V I E W FR ON T V I EW
434
;OMETRIC VIEW OF ERECTION SEQUENCE PLATE 17
x
,’ /
,?zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
/’ / zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
*’ 15, <,,de’, 15
436 Co ncrete Segmental Cable- Stay ed Bridges
balanced cantilever method. Two pairs of traveling horizontal. Two existing roads parallel the canyon
forms are then used for sequential casting of 17.5 faces; a straight bridge across the river would re-
ft (5.3 m) lengths of edge girders on each side of quire extensive cuts into the rock faces of the can-
the pylon. The bridge deck consists of single-T yon to provide the necessary turning radius at the
precast floor beams spanning between longitudi- bridge approaches. This would be not only expen-
nal edge girders and a cast-in-place topping. The sive but would also be damaging to the environment.
precast T’s are pretensioned for erection loads. Conventional piers in the river provide prohibitive
After erection the entire deck is post-tensioned to design constraints, not only because of the 450 ft
provide positive precompression between edge (137 m) water depth, but also because of the seis-
girders under all conditions of loading, Figure micity of the area. The hydroseismic (seiche effect)
9.85.24*25 forces provide a formidable design load.
A hinge expansion joint is provided at the cen- After extensive studies, the proposed final solu-
terline of the main span to allow for changes of tion w as that of a hanging arc, Figures 9.87 and
superstructure length due to temperature, creep, 9.88. The geometric configuration of this structure
and shrinkage. Similar joints are provided at the is such that the stays are tensioned to control the
end piers, and link connections are used to prevent stresses and strains, in order to balance all the dead
vertical movement of the superstructure. load with zero deflection; the curved girder carries
the traffic and absorbs the horizontal component
of the stays as axial compression. The stays are an-
9.10.3 PROPOSED RUCK- A- M UCKY chored on the slope according to the design forma-
BRIDGE, U.S.A. tion to control the line of pressure in the girder.
Thus, an ideal stress condition is achieved with
The site for the proposed Ruck-A-Chucky Bridge almost no bending or torsional moments. After
designed by T. Y. Lin International, Figure 9.86, is numerous studies and trade-offs a final radius of
approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of the pro- curvature was selected at 1500 ft (457 m).26
posed Auburn Dam and about 35 miles (56 km) Two alternative designs have been prepared for
northeast of Sacramento, California, crossing the this structure, one with a steel box girder and one
middle fork of the American River. The river at with a lightweight concrete box girder. The con-
this location is about 30 ft (9 m) deep and 100 ft crete box girder, Figure 9.89, is fixed at the abut-
(30.5 m) wide; however, upon impounding of the ments and has no hinges or expansion joints in the
water behind the proposed dam, the river will be- 1300 ft (396 m) span. Depth of this box girder is
come 450 ft (137 m) deep and 1100 ft (335 m) 8.5 ft (2.6 m), so as to provide vertical stiffness and
wide.26 to distribute live load and construction loads on the
In order to provide a 50 ft (15 m) vertical clear- deck to a sufficient number of adjoining cables.
ance above high reservoir water level, a bridge Stay anchorage at the girder is at 30 ft (9 m) inter-
length of 1300 ft (396 m) will be required between vals, based on construction and aesthetic consider-
the hillsides, w hich rise at a 40” angle from the ations. 26
PEDESTALS
SOUTH INSlOE
FIGURE 9.87. Kuck-A-Chucky Bridge, plan of bridge with concrete alternate, from
reference 26.
.
ABt J WEN T
54’-0”
FIGURE 9. 89. Ruck-A-Chuckv Bridge, cross section of concrete box girder alternative,
f ro m ref erenc e 26
10.1 Zntroduction to Particular Aspects of Railway moderate proportion of the design load. Fatigue
Bridges and Field of Application and durability of railway structures, therefore, are
essential problems and need careful consideration,
Construction of segmental post-tensioned bridges particularly in view of the fact that maintenance
for railway structures started in France in 1952 and repair of railway structures under permanent
w ith a b rid g e c ro ssing the Rho ne Riv er at La
Voulte, Figure 10.1. It has been used extensively
since that time in many countries. Precast seg-
m ental c o nstruc tio n w as intro d uc ed in railw ay
structures in France with the Marne la Vallee Via-
d uc t and in Jap an w ith the Kako g aw a Brid g e,
while incremental launching was adopted for sev-
eral large railway crossings including the world’s
longest bridge of this type: the Olifant’s River
Bridge in South Africa (see Section 7.5).
The major characteristic distinguishing railway
bridges from highway bridges is the magnitude
and application of loading. Live loading on a rail-
way structure is two to four times larger than that
applied to a highway bridge of comparable size.
Every time a train crosses a railway bridge, the ac-
tual load applied to the structure is much closer to
design live load than for a highway bridge, where FIGURE 10.1. La Voulte Bridge. view of the com-
even dense truck traffic usually represents only a pleted structure.
441
Segmental Railway Bridges
traffic is a very critical operation that can lead to
unacceptable disturbance in a railway network.
ON PIER AT MID-SPAN
FIGURE 10.5. Mm-and Bridge, typical cross section. FIGURE 10.6. Mm-and Bridge, construction of the
superstructure.
Deck area 31,200 ft* 2,900 m2 Both concrete and reinforcing steel quantities far
Concrete 3,100 yd” 2,400 m3 exceed those required for a typical highway be-
Reinforcing steel 618,000 lb 280,000 kg cause of the very important increase of loads due
Prestressing steel 256,000 lb 116,000 kg to the railway lines in the box girders.
(longitudinal and The structure was completed and opened to
transverse) traffic in 1977.
Segmental Railway Bridges
single box carries the twin tracks, with the depth
varying between 13.6 ft (4.15 m) and 17.9 ft (5.45
m) for the maximum span length of 280 ft (85 m)
as show n in Figures 10.9 and 10.10. The segmental
deck was cast in place, with travelers working in the
conventional balanced cantilever fashion.
Elevation
(a)
(b)
FIGURE 10.8. Cergy-Pontoise Bridge, dimensions. (a) Elevation. (b) Typical cross
section.
Marne la Vallee and Torcy Bridges near Paris, France 445
FIGURE 10.10. Ckrgy-Ponroise Bridge, main span FIGURE 10.12. Mane la Vailee Bridge, view of
closure. finished structure from ground level.
Produce a structure that is aesthetically pleasing In plan, the structure is laid out on a curve with a
when seen constantly from nearby. minimum radius of curvature of 1640 ft (500 m),
Protect the neighboring population from unac- Figure 10.11. Characteristic dimensions of the
ceptable noise aggression. Marne la Vallee Viaduct are shown in Figures
10.13 and 10.14 and are summarized as follow s:
Basically, the structure is a single box of constant
depth built of precast segments assembled by pre-
stress into a continuous beam; the beam rests upon 1. Bridge over the Marne River:
a. Total length, 528 ft (161 m).
vertical piers provided with an architectural shape
and regularly distributed at distances of 90 ft (27 b. Three-span continuous bridge with spans
m) to 120 ft (36 m), Figure 10.12. of 157,246, and 125 ft (48,75, and 38 m).
Both parallel tracks are laid on the transversely c. Cross section: constant-depth box section
prestressed deck slab of the box girder and on a with depth of 12.8 ft (3.90 m), web thick-
crushed-stone bed retained sideways by three con- ness varying from 20 to 35 in. (0.50 to 0.90
tinuous reinforced concrete walls. A central noise m) and bottom flange thickness from 7 in.
barrier separates the two opposite tracks and pre- (0.18 m) at midspan to 5 1 in. (1.30 m) over
vents the noise of a train riding one track to travel the river piers. Length of precast segments
across to the other. At the edge of the concrete box 5.6 ft (1.71 m).
girder, precast concrete panels manufactured with d . Tw o riv er p iers are fo und ed o n large-
special white cement improve the appearance of diameter bored piles and support the
the structure while providing the outside sound superstructure through special teflon
barriers. bearings.
n
I
ALLUVIUM DEPOSITS
LIMESTONE
SAND
FIGURE 10.13. Mar-ne la Vallee Bridge, typical sections of deck and piers.
446
Marne la Vallee and Torcy Bridges near Paris, France 447
Lot 4 SW
_ 76s~ .I
1 +o
L t 3 sur 4 1 1 . 7 0 m
9 j+
!i 32 ?i3 rl,
FIGURE 10.23. Clichy Railway Bridge, layout and elevation of the structure. (n) Plan
view. (h) Elevation.
portion of the deck, Figure 10.27. Maximum twin slab sections were poured in place between the
weight of precast webs was 19 tons (17 mt), webs in balanced cantilever on very simple travel-
whereas segments that included the full three-web ers. Web segments were 7.3 ft (2.22 m) long for the
box (or even a more conventional single box for constant-depth part of the deck and 4.8 ft (1.48 m)
the equivalent span length) would have weighed in for the variable-depth part. In fact, the slabs were
excess of 66 tons (60 mt). After assembly of precast cast in place between the three webs in two or three
webs with longitudinal post-tensioning, the two increments of that length respectively (a length of
Clichy Railway Bridge near Paris, France 451
LEG ENDE
(a)
I L 3.10
5 50m
(b)
c -I
;I
51nl
--L zyxw
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
Bridge
Location
[ft @)I"zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgf
and Span Lengths
@J Saulieu
115-3@ 144- 115
(35 - 3 @ 44 - 35)
Bridge
Layout
662
(202)
Total
Width
(ft)
41.0
(12.50)
Height
(W
10.8
(3.30)
BOX
Width
(f0
18.0
(5.50)
Web
Thick.
(in.)
18/49
(0.45/1.25)
TOP
(in.)
11
(0.275)
Flange Thick.
Bottom
(in.)
IO
(0.25)
Pier
Height
461121
(14137)
C0ncr.
[ftvf?
WWI
2.52
[Ib/yd3
H.T.
Steel
(k g/ m?1
(0.77)
[Ib/yd3
(kg/&)1
78
(46)
Reinf.
Steel
Year
Corn-
lft WIzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJ
pleted
240
(140) 1978
Q Serein Lrmg. grade: 0.95%
115-3@ 1 4 4 - 1 1 5 Radius in plan: 662 41.0 10.8 18.0 18/49 11 IO 661148 2.52 78 240
(35 - 3 @ 44 - 35) 26,000 ft (8000 m) w-w (12.50) (3.30) (5.50) (0.45/1.25) (0.275) (0.25) (20/45) (0.77) (46) (140) 1979
0 SamRium Circular profile
155 ~ 5 (a: 164 - 137 in elevation:
(47.2 - 5 6 50 - 41.8) R = 130,000 ft 1112 40.3 11.5 18.0 20 12.5 12.5 46 2.46 84 210
(40,000 m) (339) (12.30) (3.51) (5.50) (0.50) (0.32) (0.32) (14) (0.75) (50) (125) 1979
@ figtine
109-8@ 144- 1 0 9 Long. grade: 2.5% 1370 39.0 10.8 18.0 24 12.5 14 43/105 2.30 84 250
(33.4 - 8 @ 44 - 33.4) Straight in plan (419) (11.90) (3.30) (5.50) (0.60) (0.32) (0.35) ( 13/32) (0.70) (50) (150) 1978
@I Rochc Long. grade: 3.5%
108-7@149-108 Radius in plan: 1260 39.0 10.8 18.0 24 12.5 14 43/l 15 2.30 84 250
(33.1 - 7 I@ 45.5 - 33.1) 10,600 ft (3250 m) (385) (11.90) (3.30) (5.50) (0.60) (0.32) (0.35) (I 3135) (0.70) (50) (150) 1978
0 Seine River
114-ZOl- 114 Long. grade: 0.55% 429 41.0 13.1 19.0 24135 11 12120 36 84 190
(34.8 - 61.4 - 34.8) Straight in plan (131) (12.50) (4.00) (5.80) (0.60/0.90) (0.28) (0.30/0.50) (11) (50) (110) 1980
Q cmler Cad (length)
85 - 105 - 85 Long. grade: 0.2% 279 40.0 7.8 19.0 12 10 8 43
(26 - 32 - 27) Straight in plan (85) (12.10) (2.37) (5.80) (0.30) (0.25) (0.20) (13) - 1978
456
Segmental Railway Bridges in Japan 457
(bottom slab during the first stage, webs and top
slab during the second stage). The typical con-
struction cycle allowed casting a half-span every
week-that is, constructing two spans per month.
The launching operation proper called for a
very efficient system, developed and perfected
previously in Germany, including under each web
of the box section:
FIGURE 10.35. Saone Kivcr Bridge, xrial 1 ie\\ with Kyobashigawa Bridge
casting vard in behind abutment in foreground. Natorigawa Bridge
SLIDING PACE
TEMPORARY
F O R PUSHN;zyxwvutsrqp
SUPPORT APPROACH
_^
-wAN~PRECAST Y A R D
e
* .~~ - - - - -~
66.00
199 8Om
66.00 33.90
459
HAKATA zyx
ELEVA TION
p-s- 61 51 / j ---+I
2 so 2.70 m
IO'
90592 24, i
CROSS SECTION
FIGURE 10.39. Hyobashigalva Bridge, Japan
/
TOKYO
Segmental Railway Bridges
524.90 m
MORIOKA
,A z
ELEVATION
CROSS SECTION
FIGURE 10.40. Natorigawa Bridge, Japan.
Forces due to box girder deformations: creep, Longitudinal component of wind forces are de-
shrinkage, and temperature variations scribed in the AASHTO specifications for bridges.
Loads induced by the length variations of long
welded rails under temperature variations Transuerse Ho riz o ntal Fo rces Centrifugal horizorltal
force can be very important f-or high-speed trains.
Longitudinal component of wind forces
For the 200 mph train from Paris to Lyons this
force is more than 400 tons for some viaducts 1200
Braking and ac c eleratio n f o rc es are one-
ft (380 m) long with two tracks and radius of cur-
seventh of the total weight of live loads, with a
vature of 10,500 ft (3200 m). The lateral accelera-
ceiling of 285 tons for braking and 53 tons for ac-
tion is more than 20% of that of gravity.
celeration (French regulations).
Trans v ers e w ind fo rce is d esc rib ed in the
Forces due to longitudinal deformations of the
AASHTO standards (50 lb/ f?).
box girder vary because of creep, shrinkage, and
temperature variations. The bearing displace-
ments induce horizontal loads by distortion or 10.10.3 BEARINGS
friction.
Length variations of the long welded rails due to In order to gain complete control of these ver)
temperature variations create a horizontal force large horizontal forces, the bearings are specially
parallel to the rail. This force can be estimated at designed to take care of the vertical loads and ro-
50 tons per rail (length of rail more than 100 me- tation of the box girder and simultaneously to pro-
ters). For a two-track bridge it is 2 x 2 x 50 = 200 vide all possible horizontal restraints (fixed bear-
tons. ing, bearing free lengthwise or crosswise, or both).
Special Design Aspects of Segmental Railway Bridges 461
NAGOYA
-
ELEVA TION
CROSS SECTION
FIGURE 10.41. Kisogawa Bridge, Japan.
These bearings are specially manufactured for this ference of potential with the ground may be mea-
tvpe of structure, Figures 10.46 and 10.47. The sured at regular intervals, and a permanent con-
sliding parts consist of a teflon-coated plate resting nection with the ground may be decided on as a
on a stainless steel plate, and the restraints are pro- result.
vided by steel keys.
10.10.~ DURABILITY OF THE STRUCTURE
10.10.4 STRAY CURRENTS
Because very difficult problems of train traffic
For structures carrying electrified railways there is would arise during repairs to these bridges, their
some uncertainty about the long-term effect of durability needs special attention. The following
stray currents generated near the power lines. In provisions were established for the high-speed
order to preclude electrolytic corrosion of rein- bridges between Paris and Lyons:
forcing steel and prestressing steel, the following
precautions are now taken in prestressed concrete Under the worst service loads the concrete must
structures: remain under a 140 psi minimum compression.
For continuous bridges, the design shall be
The deck is electrically isolated from the ground, checked by weighing the dead-load vertical force
piers, and abutments by elastomeric plates. on the bearings.
The reinforcing and prestressing steel systems of The stressing force of the post-tensioning tendons
the entire deck are interconnected by mild steel shall be less than 80% of the ultimate strength of
bars to equalize the electric potential. The dif- the tendons.
462 Segmental Railway Bridges
317.00 m
ELEVATION
fy FJ
L. ‘i r’.
---e-J
I 2.61
53
‘!I
1
2.30 ./.
5.90
2.70 /
L
1
2.41
I
10.92 m
CROSS SECTION
FIGURE 10.42. Ashidagawa Bridge, Japan.
10.10.6 CONCLUSION
(b)
55 k 55 k 55 k 55 k
5.4 k/cF (25tl 125t1 (25d (25d
(8 t/ml) (8 t/ml1
V Y V v
FIGURE 10.45. Vertical loading on railway bridges. (a) Typical UIC - track loading.
(b) Comparison of superimposed dead and live loading on highway and railway bridges.
463
464 Segmental Railway Bridges
10.11 Proposed Concepts for Future Segmental
Railway Bridges
The different systems (kiln, electrical resistances, In order to avoid a drop in the long-term me-
and low-pressure steam) have all been applied suc- chanical properties of the concrete, the tempera-
cessfully to segmental bridges. The segments for ture curve during the heat curing must necessaril\
the Choisy-le-Roi and Courbevoie bridges were include, see Figure 11.2:
kiln cured. Electric heating was adopted for the
c o nstru c tio n o f the u p stream and d o w nstream An initial curing period of two to three hours,
b rid g es o n the Paris Ring Ro ad and the Blo is during which the concrete is kept at the ambient
Bridge, among others. Form heating using low- temperature
p ressu re steam w as u sed f o r the Pierre Benite ,411 increase in temperature at a low rate of less
Bridges, the Oleron Viaduct, and the B-3 South than 36°F (20°C) per hour
Viaducts.
A period (depending upon the concrete strength
Whether forms are heated by electricity or b)
to be attained) during which the temperature is
steam, it is relatively easy to produce a long curing
held constant and below 150°F (65T)
cycle, and the desired final concrete strength is
easily obtained. A short curing cycle, on the other A period during which the concrete is cooled at a
hand, requires a great deal of caution and meticu- rate similar to that used for the temperature in-
lous preliminary calculations. Particular attention crease
must be given to:
‘The lo ss o f streng th in the lo ng term w ill b e
greater:
1. Choosing a cement, the performance of which If the initial curing period is short
is adapted to the accelerated curing of concrete If the temperature increase is rapid
(preferred is artificial Portland cement with: If the maximum temperature is high
C,,A s 11% and C,,SIC,S 2 3).
2. C o nsistently m anu f ac tu ring c o nc rete w ith a As an example, the short-cycle treatment used
minimum water content and a maximum tem- for the B-3 Viaduct segments was the follo\~ing,
perature of 95°F (35°C) at the time of pouring. see Figure 11.3:
3. Using suffic iently rig id fo rm s to resist the
thermal expansion of the concrete in its plastic Initial period of 14 hour at 95°F (35°C) (mixing
state while heating. temperature)
PREHEATING ALTERNATIVE
212
i I
I
2 to 3H
-Y-Jw\-
I I I I
FORM
ti
STRIPPING
achieve maximum efficiency of consolidation and Ducts must have sufficient grouting inlets, shut-
permit easy replacement in the case of a break- off valves, and drains to allow proper grouting and
down during casting operations. External vibration to avoid accumulation of water during storage.
may lead to fatigue failure in welded joints, and Vent pipes should not be spaced more than ap-
regular inspection should be made to help prevent proximately 400 ft (120 m) apart.’ This spacing
any sudden failure of this kind.3 may have to be reduced, depending upon the ex-
Paste leakage through formw ork joints must be pertise of the personnel performing the grouting.
prevented by suitable design of joint seals. Nor- Particular attention must be paid to the qualit!
mally this can be achieved by using a flexible seal- of duct connections at the joints between segments.
ing material. This is particularly important at the At the joints, accurate placing is mandator\. ~I‘he
joint face with the matching segment, where loss of method of duct connection depends on the type of
cement paste can lead to poorly formed joint sur- joint3:
faces and subsequent spalling and loss of matching,
requiring repair. Special attention must be given to Telescopic sleeves pushed over projecting ducts
the junction of tendon sheathing with the forms.3l4 -w id e jo ints
All form surfaces, especially welded joints in con- Screw-on type sleeves-wide joints
tact with the concrete, must be perfectly smooth
Internal ru b b er o r p lastic sleev es- m atc h- c ast
and free from reentrant areas, pitting, or other
joints
discontinuities, which could entrap small volumes
of concrete and lead to spalling during form strip- G a ske ts or other special seals-match-cast joints
ping.3 No special provisions: clean ducts with a torpedo
af ter jo inting to rem o v e p enetrated ep o xv if
anv - m atc h- c ast jo ints
I I .3 Post-Tensioning Materials and Operations
Connection tightness is essential in order to pre-
1 1 3 . 1 GE,\‘ERAL vent penetration of joint material, water, or other
liquids or solids into the ducts, which would intro-
Technical details relating to the different methods duce a risk of blockage, and also to prevent leakage
av ailab le are d esc rib ed in the v ario u s post- at the joint during tendon grouting operations.3
tensio ning manuals5g6 and in the sp ecific d o cu-
ments issued by suppliers. 1 1 . 3 3 TE,VDO.V ASCHORS
dK,
2 3 k 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 lk
FIG U RE 11.5. Prestressing in a cantilever bridge. Variation of uobble 1.1.ic
coefficient for cantilever tendons in each of the structure’s 18 spans.
15 16 17 18
M
CANTILEVER
tion
n ”zy
1O’K
ANCHORED IN
BLOCK - OUTS
TENDONS ANCHORED AT
THE SEGMENT
w
2 3 5 7 9 11 13 is 17 18 CANTILEVER
FIGURE 11.6. Prestressing in a cantilever bridge. Wobble friction coefficient for C;LII-
tilever tendons in the 10 spans without hinges.
As an example, a straight tendon in the top slab cage as the concrete is poured (when the tendon is
fillet between slab and web was isolated. The wob- in the slab rather than in the fillet, the accidental
ble friction coefficient depends on the care exer- deviations are much smaller). For the first seven
cised in fastening the duct to the reinforcing steel cantilevers (see Figure 11.7) the wobble coefficient
Post-Tensioning Materials and Operations 473
F L E X I B L E
2 3 4 5 6 +
1
8 9
L L::!!::!:
10 11
:-
12 0 U 15 16 17
fortunate that a direct check was made at the site, tend o n stressed at b o th end s, if the f ric tio n
which revealed the actual initial load at transfer to coefficients are multiplied by 4, the minimum force
be the following for the four tendons under con- in the tendon is reduced bv only 16%.
sideration: 130 kips (60 mt), 210 kips (96 mt), 130 It is interesting to examine the results for the
kips (60 mt), and 200 kips (90 mt). The average actual prestress obtained in cantilevers 2 and 3 (the
initial prestress load per tendon was therefore 170 ones having the worst results) shown in Figure 11.8
kips (78 mt), and the probable final force would for each section, compared with the prestress used
have been 150 kips (70 mt) as compared to the as- in the calculations. The lac k o f p restress, m o st
sumed value of 350 kips (160 mt). Fortunately, the m arked at midspan, w as c o m p ensated by ad d i-
situation could be easily corrected and remedial tional tendons to bring the force back up to that
measures put into effect as follows: required by the calculations in the first two spans.
Afterward, the originally calculated prestress was
1. The reinfo rc ing steel and lo c al p restressing alwavs sufficient.
tendons allowed for a certain margin of safety.
2. It was possible to restress two of the four cables To summarize, the authors wish to underline the
in the first cantilever and then to change the following points:
p ro file and m etho d o f p lac ing seg m ents in
order to stress all the tendons at both ends for 1. Benc h tests sho u ld b e p erf o rm ed on site to
the rest of- the cantilevers. determine a realistic value of the modulus of
elasticity of the tendons to be used to compute
The above results, quoted rigorously so as to il- the theoretical tendon elongations.
lustrate several important aspects of friction losses, 2. Realistic values of curvature and wobble fric-
must not lead the reader to suppose that the safetv tion coefficients should be used in the design
of the structure was at any time compromised. Thk and further controlled on site. Direct friction
force in a tendon varies much more slowly than tests should be made together with a statistical
anv changes in the friction coefficients for ordinar) analvsis of the measured elongations for all
tendon profiles. For example, in a 270 ft (80 m) tendons.
5UPPORT SUPPORT
MID - 5PAN h
l.ax, %f- 1.W
As in conventional post-tensioned structures, seg- Unbonded tendons may be used in segmental con-
mental construction requires the grouting of pre- struction provided that the performance require-
stressing tendons after tensioning to provide cor- ments of the post-tensioning steel are also met by
rosion protection and to develop bond between the the tend o n anc ho rag e, notably with respect to
tend o n and the su rro u nd ing c o nc rete. C u rrent fatigue characteristics. In u nb o nd ed p o st- ten-
recommendations and provisions of good practice sioning a corrosion protection system must be
are theref o re ap p lic ab le to seg m ental b rid g es. provided to guarantee at least the same degree of
However, several important points need to be ex- corrosion protection as for bonded tensioning.
amined. This may be achieved by enclosing the tendons in
Grouting must not be carried out if the temper- flexible ducts (such as polyethylene pipes) and by
ature in the ducts is less than 35°F (2°C) or if the cement grouting after tensioning.
su rro u nd ing c o nc rete tem p eratu re is less than
32°F (2°C). This requirement virtually precludes
grouting operations during the winter months in I I .4 Segment Fabrication for Cast-in-Place
the northern and middle western United States, Cantilever Construction
unless very special winter precautions are used. It
is preferable to postpone all grouting operations
until the following spring, even though some ten- 11.4.1 CONVENTIONAL TRAVELERS
dons may be left tensioned and ungrouted for a
long period. Attention must then be given to cor- The c o nv entio nal f o rm trav eler su p p o rts the
rosion protection of the high-tensile steel bars or weight of fresh concrete of the new segment by
strands. Satisfactory protection is obtained by seal- means of longitudinal beams extending out in can-
ing all tendon ducts at both ends after blowing out tilever from the last segment in order to support
with cool compressed air. Hot air should not be the forms and service walkways.
Form Trav elers with Top M ain Beam (Fig ure
2.83) The longitudinal main beams or girders are
usually located above the segment to be concreted,
in line with the webs. The outside forms, the bot-
tom forms, the work floor, and the service walk-
ways are hung from the main beams with the help
of cross beams. The inside forms are supported on
a trolley, which travels inside the deck.
The main beams are anchored to the previous
segment. In order to maintain stability during the
pouring operation a counterweight is sometimes
used to reduce the uplift forces applied to the con-
crete section. When the traveler is transported to
its new position ready for the next segment, the
counterweight keeps it in balance between two suc-
cessive anchoring positions. The main beams that
support the load due to concrete, forms, walkways,
and so on are often subject to large deflections,
which can give rise to transverse cracking along the
joints between segments. These cracks appear at
the upper face of the bottom slab and at the con-
nection between web and top slab. This undesir-
FIGURE 11.9. I‘ourville-la-Kwiere Bridge form trav-
able condition can be avoided by using a rigid
eler.
structure; the weight of the traveler is increased
together with the prestress required in the can- 1 I .4.2 SELF-SUPPORTING M OBILE FORMWORK
tilevers. The form traveler used for the Oissel
Bridge weighed 120 tons (110 mt) and may be con- In the case of traditional form travelers, the re-
sidered as a heavy form traveler. sulting deflections seen during construction are
If the travelers are light, care must be taken to alm o st entirely d ue to the m ain b eam s. The
compensate deflections during concreting by ad- formwork as such usually acts only as a mold and
justing jacks. This type of traveler weighs (exclud- does not support any part of the total load, even
ing counterweight) a little less than half the though it comprises very stiff walls.
maximum concrete segment weight. An example In several recent bridges the traveler concept has
of a light form traveler is shown in Figure 11.9 for been modified so as to use the rigid formwork as
the Tourville Bridge. Each traveler weighs 33 tons the weight-carrying member, thus producing a
(30 mt).
self-supporting rigid mold. Several advantages are
gained with this concept:
Form Travelers with Lateral Main Beams (Figure
Surveying control and correction of bridge deck
11.10) Travelers with their main beams above the
geometry are easily obtained.
bridge deck present the disadvantage of hindering
the construction operation concerning the upper Cracking near the joints caused by the deflection of
part of the segment. For this reason certain form conventional travelers is completely eliminated.
travelers have their main beams disposed laterally The work area is maintained completely free and
parallel to the outside webs, underneath the bridge allows prefabricated reinforcing steel cages to be
deck. This solution leaves a clear working surface used as in precast segmental construction.
and allows easy access to all surfaces to be formed,
reinforced, and concreted. In this way, the tech- This type of mobile formwork was first used for
nology originally developed for precast segmental constant-inertia bridge decks such as the Kennedy
construction can be applied to cast-in-place can- Bridge, Dijon, and the Canadians Interchange in
tilever methods, resulting in shorter construction Paris, Figure 11.12.
cycles. The Moulin-les-Metz Bridge in eastern During the concreting operations, the mobile
France, Figure 11.11, was constructed using this formwork is prestressed to the existing deck. The
type of form traveler. exact positioning of the formwork is obtained by
Segment Fabrication for Cast-in-Place Cantilever Construction
1 a CONCRETING PHASE
FIGURE 11.11. Moulins-les-Metz form traveler. FIGURE 11.12. Canadians Viaduct (Paris), view of
form traveler in operation.
means of adjusting pins located at the rear in res- while pouring the segment. Figure I 1.13 shows the
ervations provided in the previously poured seg- arrangement for the Canadians Viaduct in Paris,
ments. The formwork is transported to its new po- France. Monostrands located in the webs are provi-
sition, ready for the next segment, on an overhead sionally anchored to the front of the traveler and
trolley, which travels along short steel girders can- embedded in the webs of the concrete segments to
tilevered out from the existing hardened concrete be incorporated in the reinforcement of the per-
in line w ith the w ebs. manent structure.
A further refinement was to use pretensioned The use of the self-supporting mobile formwork
reinforcing to add to the stability of the traveler was later extended to variable-depth bridge decks
478 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
FIGURE 11.13. Canadians Viaduct (Paris), details of the self-supporting form traveler.
as well as three-web cross sections, as in the Clichy, balanced by two forces F sustained by the previ-
Orleans, and Gennevilliers Bridges. ously described locating pins. Practically all the
The structural members of the mobile formwork shear force is taken by the upper pins. Because of
are therefore the side forms of the exterior face of the large forces transmitted through the top pins
the outside webs and the bottom forms of the to the concrete, precast concrete elements are used
underside of the bottom slab, both of which are to avoid the transmission of high stresses to young
stiffened transversely by front and rear frames concrete, Figure 11.16. These forces are transmit-
braced together for additional rigidity, Figure ted by friction between pin and concrete, and this
11.14. In this manner a rigid box is formed, which determines the necessary prestress force.
is prestressed to the existing deck. The change of
section height is achieved by vertical displacement 11.4.3 TWO-STAGE CASTING
of the bottom forms, which are fastened to the
front stiffening framework and bottom slab of the The method of two-stage casting involves, first, the
last segment. fabrication of the bottom slab and the webs to-
The stability of the self-supporting mobile forms gether with a small part of the top slab in order to
of the Gennevilliers Bridge was ensured by (Figure create a flange in which all or some of the can-
11.15): tilever tendons can be located. This operation, car-
ried out using a conventional form traveler, pro-
1. Two steel pins fixed to the top of the outside duces either a U-shaped or a W-shaped section,
forms and matching imprints provided on the depending on the number of webs, Figure 11.17.
outside face of the previous segment, the con- After the cantilever tendons are stressed the form
nection being assured by high-strength bars traveler is moved to the next position, the top is
going through each web. poured using a mobile formwork of relatively sim-
2. Two steel pins fixed to the upper surface of the ple design. This second stage usually follows the
bottom forms and matching the corresponding first with a minimum interval of two or three seg-
imprints provided in the last segment bottom ments, and concrete can be placed in a simple pour
slab, again held by prestress bars. over the length of several segments.
This method has the advantage of reducing the
The self-weight of the mobile forms and the fresh concrete volume to be supported by the form
concrete creates an overturning moment, which is traveler, thus reducing the weight of the traveler.
Segment Fabrication for Cast-in-Place Cantilever Construction 479
bunt a n d r r ar st if f r ncr s
‘B0 t t 0 m f 0r ms ’
Mob/ h t r u s s
\ Bot t om f or ms
FIGURE 11.14. Self-supporting mobile forms for variable-depth bridge decks. (a)
Co ncreting. (b) Mo ving f&w ard .-
In addition, the second stage is independent with ments, because of the long spans in this structure.
respect to the first and so is no longer on the critical The same procedure was used for the Clichy, Join-
path of concreting operations. ville, and Woippy Bridges, Figure 11.18.
The bridge decks of the Saint Isidore and Mag-
nan Viaducts on the Nizza A -8 bypass w ere con-
structed using this method. All of the 130 ft (40 m) 11.4.4 COMBINATION OF PRECAST WEBS WITH
spans of the Saint Isidore Viaduct were completed CAST-IN-PLACE FLANGES
for stage one only, including closure to the pre-
ceding span, before the second stage was com- The preceding methods allowed a considerable re-
pleted, using mobile formwork w hich rolled along duction in the construction cycle. Two pairs of
the bottom slab from one abutment to the other. segments could thus be completed every week, cor-
As regards the Magnan Viaduct, the second stage responding to an average rate of construction of 7
followed the first with an interval of three seg- to 10 ft (2 to 3 m) per working day.
MOBILE FORM STABILITY
Pr est r essina b a r s
FIGURE 11.15.
Pin
y’
. I.
.1. .(r+.“.r.,
--,.. . ” ” .,
‘1. .‘.W *&e “,~..,‘?C~~:r^~.y’~.~~
ADJUSTABLE ADJUSTABLE
BRACKETS
The precast webs, with epoxy match-cast joints, FIGURE 11.22. Construction of the pier segment for
are placed with the aid of a mobile handling system a cast-in-place cantilever deck.
rolling along the webs of the previously placed
segments. They are then prestressed to the existing
structure before the top and bottom slabs are
poured in place on the length of two segments. prestressing the pier top, Figure 11.22. This spe-
cial segment may either be given the minimum
11.4.5 PRACTICAL PROBLEM S IN CAST- IN- PLACE length to insure adequate connection to the pier
C O N STR U C TI O N C A M B ER C O N TR O L for the stability of the future cantilever or else be of
such length as to allow both travelers to be installed
Before proceeding with the cantilever construction simultaneously, Figure 11.23.
proper, a starting base must first be completed on Another important problem relates to the safety
the various piers. This first special segment, called of the travelers during construction. Chapter 4 de-
a pier segment or a pier table, is generally con- scribed the difficulties of ensuring pier safety in
structed on a temporary platform anchored by the event a form traveler fell during transfer from
one position to the next. The difficulties would
even be greater in the event of an accident during
the casting operation. Consequently, all precau-
tions must be taken both at the design stage and
during construction to eliminate this potential
hazard. The load-carrying members of the traveler
must be carefully inspected and Ray even be load
tested before use so as to practically eliminate the
danger of structural failure.
The most critical areas are in the safety of the
suspension rods and the transfer of the traveler
reactions to the concrete. Preferably all suspension
rods and anchor bars should be doubled. Also, the
prestressing tendons must have an adequate mar-
gin of safety. Use of a single strand or a single bar
in each web of the box should be avoided. Rather a
multistrand tendon with individual anchors for
each strand or two prestress bars should be used.
Worldwide use of cast-in-place cantilever con-
struction has established an extremely good safety
record, much better than that for cast-in-place con-
FIGURE 11.21. Precast web placing equipment for struction on fabework. Accidents are very few and
Clichy Bridge carrying the metropolitan line over the far between; however, designers and constructors
Seine River. must always be safety conscious.
Segment Fabrication for Cast-in-Place Cantilever Construction 483
I
ELEVATION OF TYPICAL CANTILEVER
z
Downward deflection IS posltlve
I
CASTING AND VERTICAL DEFLECTIONS (in mm)
PRESTRESSING
SEGMENT
& &J @
0 2 1 5 (9) 1131
0 3 5 10 20 (30)
0 4 8 16 29 49
I TOTAL
+9 +22 41 69
DEFLECTION
FIGURE 11.24. Partial deflections due to girder weight and prestressing at each ~011.
structio n stag e.
bring the traveler in the proper position to realize exactly on the camber diagram. The results of this
the desired final geometry. The sketch and table in improper procedure are shown in detail in Figure
Figure 11.26 show how to use the camber diagram 11.27. The bridge is built with an undesired double
properly. It is very important to realize that at no curvature, particularly undesirable toward the end
construction stage does the profile of the cantilever of the cantilever. When the mistake is discovered, it
coincide with either the final deflection curve or is usually too late to put into effect any remedial
the camber diagram. measures, because the final shape of a cantilever
The natural tendency would be to build up the d ep end s essentially u p o n the ac c u rac y o f the
traveler to the required offset to make its nose fall geometry near the piers, where the deck is sub-
Characteristics of Precast Segments and Match-Cast Epoxy Joints 485
Camber
/
curve
zyxwvuts 41 /’
.-
,’
LY,-;-~
-69
.' /‘
Yr 9
6 0
jetted to the highest moments and where its b. To compensate for minor imperfections in
deflections have the greatest effect at midspan. the match-cast surfaces.
2. In the finished structure after hardening:
a. To ensure the watertightness of the joints,
I I .5 Characteristics of Precast Segments and
especially in the top slab.
Match-Cast Epoxy Joints
b. To participate in the structural resistance
Developed originally to allow a rapid and safe as- by transmitting compression and shear
sembly of precast segments at the construction site, forces. However, before hardening of the
the technique of match casting was progressively epoxy resin, the joints present no shear re-
refined as experience was gained. We shall de- sistance whatsoever, because the epoxy
scribe the characteristics of segments in the early behaves like a perfect lubricant. It was
structures to further highlight the latest improve- therefore necessary to provide shear keys
ments and variations of the original concept. in each web in order to ensure the shear-
force transfer between segments. These
11.5.1 FIRST-GE~VERATIOS SEGME.VTS keys, as well as those situated in the top
slab, also allowed a very accurate assembly
In those early structures the epoxy resin played of one segment with respect to another.
several important roles:
During assembly of the deck, some sort of tem-
1. During assembly before hardening: porary fixation, either mechanical or by means of
a. To lubricate the mating surfaces while prestress bars, allowed the placing equipment
final positioning took place. (launching girder, crane, and so on) to be quickly
486 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
1
zyxwvutsrq
I
unloaded without waiting for the cantilever ten- tained by ordinary calculations. It is obvious that N
dons to be stressed. is smaller than F (the sum of forces F, and FJ. Let
Figure 11.28 shows how a typical first-generation (Y be the angle of the key support faces with respect
segment can be assembled to the existing structure to the horizontal; then F - N = W tan (Y, and for a
using a temporary apparatus located on the top typical case of tan (Y = 0.50, F - N = W/2. Consider
and bottom slabs, which is used to create forces F, a segment weighing 50 tons (45 mt), temporarily
and F, which ensure the equilibrium of the new assembled by a prestress force of 100 tons (90 mt)
segment at the joint. located in the top slab; the axial force reduction is
These two forces, combined with the weight W 25 tons (23 mt)-that is, 25% of the total applied
of the segment, give the resultant force R, w hich is prestress force.
inclined with respect to the joint. Because of the If the rate of erection of the precast segments is
very small coefficient of friction of the epoxy, the sufficient to ensure the positioning of four seg-
shearing component of R produced by W can ments before the resin in the first joint has set, then
be balanced only by the vertical component of the the reduction in the effective axial force in this
reaction C, which exists normal to the bottom face joint will be 100 tons (90 mt), which more or less
of the web shear keys, Figure 11.28. The resultant corresponds to one tendon of twelve f in. diameter
R is composed, therefore, of the oblique reaction C strands. The same conclusion would be valid when
supported by the shear keys and a horizontal reac- the permanent prestressing was used to ensure the
tion N, which is responsible for securing the joint. temporary stability of the cantilever.
The axial stress distribution at the joint cross In conclusion, it is recommended that this re-
section differs in this case from what would be ob- duction of the effective prestress force be taken
Characteristics of Precast Segments and Match-Cast Epoxy Joints 487
Fl
(J)
lb)
(a)
FIGURE 11.28. Temporary assembly. (a) Elevation of temporary assembly. (6) Joint
equilibrium.
into account while verifying the cantilever resis- It is also preferable to choose the intensity and
tance and stability. Failure to do so may result in the point of application of the forces F, and F, such
temporary joint opening, which is undesirable al- as to allow the axial force N to be as close as possi-
though not dangerous for stability. ble to the section centroidal axis, thus ensuring a
488 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
nearly uniform axial stress distribution over the be satisfied, however, in order that the resin cure
total height and hence a resin film of constant properly.
thickness.
1. Mixing the constituents in their correct pro-
Permanent Assembly: Structural Importance of Epoxy portions.
Resins As regards the final prestress tendon pro- 2. Eliminating any solvents that have a fatal effect
files, it was shown in Chapter 4 how the resistance on the propertles of the resin.
of the different cantilevers is ensured by a first 3. A v o id ing any flexible ad d itiv es, such as
group of tendons, known as cantilever tendons, thiokol, that greatly increase the deformabilit)
which may be straight or curved in profile and an-
of the epoxy.
chored on the various segment faces. The stressing
4. Mixing and applying carefully.
operations remain in the critical path of construc-
tion because a new pair of segments cannot be
With respect to the last point, the surfaces to be
placed before the last pair has been stressed to the
joined must be specially treated if the best results
existing cantilever, Figure 11.29.
are to be obtained. Comparative tests have shown
The second group of tendons joins the different
that sand blasting gives the most satisfactorv I-e-
cantilevers together and makes the structure COII-
suits, the surfaces being kept clean. dry, and free
tinuous. They are anchored either in block-outs in
from g rease d uring p lac ing . I n d am p o r rain!
the bottom slab or in the fillets at the junction be-
weather alcohol is burnt on the joint surfaces to
tween the top slab and the webs after upward de-
eliminate surface moisture. The water present in
viation to top slab level.
the concrete itself has no detrimental effect on the
The service shear forces that act upon the joints
performance of the resin.
vary according to the type and characteristics of
It has also been established that rapid placing ot
the structure. In variable-depth bridge decks with
successive segments has a favorable effect on the
draped prestressing tendons the shear stress across
properties of the resin. The additional compressive
the joints is usually low. In a long-span, constant-
stress applied to an epoxy joint under polymeriLa-
depth bridge deck with straight tendons, however,
tion when the next segment is prestressed im-
the shear stresses at the joints can exceed 600 psi (4
proves the resin’s ultimate mechanical properties.
MPa), as was the case in several structures men-
Finally, note that in variable-height structures
tioned in Chapter 4. A bad choice, or improper
the joint detailing is such that the joint plane is
use, of the epoxy resin can be a critical factor con-
not normal to the principal stress, especially at the
cerning the shear resistance of the joints, and for
bottom slab level. The epoxy joint is then subjected
this reason joints of this type require strict quality
to shear forces that may be quite large and that can
control.
cause failure of the bottom slab in the event of
In general, the different types of epoxy resins
nonpolymerization of the epoxy resin.
available have final strengths substantially exceed-
In addition to the precautions taken to ensure
ing that of concrete, so they do not constitute a
correct curing, one may provide against the risk of
weak point in themselves. Several conditions must
bad results by including shear keys in the bottom
slab.
A mbient Temperature
41°F 50°F 59°F 68°F 86°F 95°F
Epoxy Grade (5°C) ( 10%) ( 15°C) (20°C) (30°C) (35°C)
5 to 15°C 40 min. 15 min.
1 5 t o 25°C 20 min. 1 5 min.
25 t o 40°C 25 min. 1 8 min.
490 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
On site, each 10 lb (5 kg) mix of epoxy resin must Other characteristics of the epoxy glue that may
be applied to the concrete surface within the pot- be tested on site are:
life period as specified above.
The angle of internalfriction: The ease w ith w hich
4. Open Time of the Applied Epoxy Glue The the excess resin may be squeezed out of the joint
open time of the glue is defined as the period be- when subject to uniform pressure.
tween its application to the concrete surface and
the moment when it reaches its workability limit
temperature. Because of the much greater heat
dissipation from the thin layer [& to a in. (1 to 3
mm)] on the concrete surface, the applied glue
takes much longer to reach the workability limit
temperature than the mix in the pot.
,4X4cm,
s’
/
100 mm
Shrinkngp: Must be practically nil. ceptable ultimate shear stress at the interface is
Water absorption rate and solubility in water: 1400 psi (10 MPa).
Maximum permissible true water absorption- 2. Shear Modulus The instantaneous shear
12%. Maximum permissible quantity of epoxy sol- modulus (Ci) must be greater than 220,000 psi
uble in water at 25°C (i7” F)--4%. (1500 MPa) at:
Hen t resista rice: Minimum required value accord-
ing to Mostens (DIN 53458) on week-old 10 x 15 15°C (59°F) for grade 5 to 15°C
x 120 mm test rods is 50°C (122°F). 25°C (77°F) for grade 15 to 25°C
,Mechu rricnl p)-opertie.) 40°C (104°F) for grade 25 to 40°C
1. Shenr resistance The shear resistance of the The long-term shear modulus must be greater
mixed epoxy glue is determined on rectangular than 14,500 psi (1000 MPa) after 28 days at the
concrete test specimens with the following dimen- same temperatures as above. Solid cylindrical test
sions: 1.6 x 1.6 x 6.3 in. (4 x 4 x 16 cm) w ith a pieces are used for measuring these values in con-
resin interface at 17” to the vertical, Figure 11.33. junction with the easily made test apparatus shown
The concrete test pieces are made from a high- in Figure 11.34.
quality concrete comparable to that used in precast Certain epoxy resins show an excessive sensitiv-
segment manufacture and are c ure d under water ity to high temperatures that makes them unac-
seven days f-rom time of casting. ceptable in warm climates. Figure 11.35 shows
After removal from the water the pieces are dab- comparative results of ten different resins tested
dried and the surfaces to be assembled are pre- for the Rio Niteroi Bridge. It is obvious that a
pared by shot blasting, wire brushing, or other product that becomes practically plastic with no
similar methods to remove laitance. The test pieces shear modulus at 60°C is completely unacceptable.
are then resubmerged in water for three hours, 3. Tensile Bending Strength A three-p o int
after which they are removed and dabbed dry with bending test is carried out on a pair of glued con-
a clean cloth. The resin is then applied in a layer of crete cubes with a compressive strength of 5700 psi
& in. (2 mm) on one surface and the test beam (400 kg/ cm2), Figure 11.36. The faces to be glued
clamped in an assembly that maintains a normal are shot blasted, or bush hammered, so as to re-
pressure on the interface of 2 1 psi (0.15 MPa). The move laitance. The cubes are then submerged in
assembly is stored for seven d a ys at a temperature water for 72 hours. When taken out of the water
representative of the desired working conditions, the surfaces to be glued are dried simply by dab-
and then the test is carried out. The minimum ac- bing with a clean cloth. Immediately after the dab
492 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
Dial gauge,
I I
x1
View X-X View from one side
FIGURE 11.34. Shear=nioclulus test.
G (M.&)
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0 tzyxwvutsrqponml
(‘Cl
20 30 40 50 60 m
FIGURE 11.35. Variation of’ shear ~nodulus G with temperature.
drying the glue is applied in a layer of & in. (1.5 maximum group temperature. These cubes are the
m m ) to o ne o f the p rep ared f ac es. The c o rre- sam e siz e as tho se u sed f o r the compressive-
sponding face of the other cube is placed against strength determinations. The modulus must not be
the glue layer, and the two cubes are clamped to- less than 1,140,OOO psi (7850 MPa)
gether with a clamping force of 300 lb (150 kg). Practical Use of Epoxy in Match-Cast Joint.\ In
The assembly is then wrapped in a damp cloth,
regard to the use of the resin, the two compo-
w hic h m u st b e kep t w et u ntil the three- p o int
nents should be mixed carefully and quickly as
bending test is carried out.
near as possible to the surfaces to be coated. Under
4. Compressive S t r e n g t h The compressive no circumstances should oil or grease be allowed to
strength is determined according to DIN 1164 on 4 c o m e into c o ntac t w ith su rf ac es that are to b e
cm (14 in.) cubes of cured epoxy glue. After 24 glued. Most standard demolding agents are suita-
hours (from the time of preparing the samples) at ble for use, but care should be taken to ensure that
the maximum temperatures for each grade the no o il- b ased d em o ld ers are u sed . Exp o su re to
compressive strength must be not less than 12,000 w eather d u ring the sto rag e p erio d is o f ten
psi (80 MPa). The loading rate is to be approxi- sufficient to remove the demolding agent. For best
mately 3600 psi (25 MPa) per minute. results, surface laitance should be removed by shot
5. Elastic modulus in compression The instan- blasting or bush hammering. This treatment is
taneous modulus (Ei) is determined on cubes of normally carried out in the storage yard. With the
p u re ep o xy af ter c u ring f o r sev en d ay s at the use of multiple keys, the structural role of the
Manufacture of Precast Segments
,L o a d amlied here , ,
p--j
-~ -___ zyxw
FIGURE 11.36. Tensile bending-strength test.
epoxy is considerably reduced and a special prepa- ing along the bed for the successive casting op-
ration of the surface is not a mandatory feature. erations.
Immediately before the glue is applied, the sur- 2. Short-line casting (with either horizontal or
faces are to be cleaned to remove traces of dirt, vertical casting), where segments are man-
grease or oil, and dust. ufactured in a step-by-step procedure with the
Under normal climatic conditions it will not al- forms maintained at a stationary position.
wavs be possible to avoid dampness on the surfaces
to be glued. If the surfaces do show signs of mois- For match-cast joint structures, the accuracy of
ture, they must be dab dried with a clean cloth, and the segment geometry is an absolute priority. Ade-
no gluing may proceed until all free water has been quate surveying methods and equipment must be
eliminated. used to ensure an accurate follow-up of the
The thickness of the glue layer should be about geometry and an independent verification of all
h in. (1.5 mm). As soon as possible after the resin measurements and adjustments.
has been applied, the surfaces must be brought to- Immediately after the manufacture of a segment
gether. Pressure must be applied before the open the as-cast geometry should be controlled and
time o f the epox) resin expires. The pressure compared to the theoretical geometry to allow any
applied by either temporary or final prestress necessary adjustment to be incorporated in sub-
should not be less than 30 psi (0.2 MPa). sequent casting operations. This aspect of match
casting is particularly important for the short-line
method and will be covered later in this chapter.
11.6 Manufacture of Precast Segments
11 h.2 LONG-LINE CASTLX’G
11.6.1 1,VTRODUCTION
In this method all the segments are cast, in their
The various methods used until now for precasting correct relative position, on a casting bed that
segments fall into two basic categories: exactly reproduces the profile of the structure with
allowance for camber. One or more formwork
1. Long-line casting, where all segments to make units travel along this line and are guided by a
up either half or a full cantilever are manufac- preadjusted soffit. With this method the joint sur-
tured on a fixed bed with the formwork mov- faces are invariably cast in a vertical position.
494 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
Figure 11.37 shows the casting sequence.3 The After form stripping, it is not necessary to im-
pier segment (3) is cast first, then the segments on mediately transfer the segments to the storage area
either side of the pier segment (1) and (2). If a pair in order to continue casting.
of forms is used, then the symmetrical segments on
each side of the pier segment can be cast simul- The disadvantages are:
taneously, thus saving casting time. As segment
casting progresses, the initial segments may be re- Substantial space may be required. The minimum
moved for storage, leaving the center portion of length is usually slightly more than half the length
the casting bed free. If enough forms are available, of the longest span of the structure, but it depends
then the casting of a second pair of cantilevers may upon the geometry and the svmmetrv of the
proceed even though the first pair is not com- structure.
pletely cast. The casting bed must be built on a firm foundation
Figure 11.38 shows the typical cross section of a that will not settle or deflect under the weight of
long-line casting bed with the formwork in opera- the segments. If the structure is curved, the long
tion. The method was initially developed for line must accommodate this curvature.
constant-depth box girders (Choisy-le-Roi and
All equipment necessary for casting, curing, and so
Courbevoie Bridges). It was later extended to the
on must be mobile.
case of variable-depth decks such as the Oleron
Viaduct (the two sketches of Figures 11.37 and 11.6.3 SHORT-LIIVE HORIZOh’TAL CASTI.YG
11.38 refer to this structure) and also adopted in
other countries (Hartel Bridge in Holland). The short-line casting method requires all seg-
The important advantages of the long-line cast- ments to be cast in the same place, using stationary
ing method are: forms, and against the previously cast segment in
order to obtain a match-cast joint. After casting
It is easy to set out and control the deck geometry. and initial curing, the previously cast segment is
Travelling
crane leg
Mobile outside Telescopic inside
II r formwork f-form work
FIGURE 11.38. Typical cross section of long-line casting bed with formwork.
Manufacture of Precast Segments 495
removed for storage and the freshly cast segment is It is important that the reader fully comprehend
moved into its place. The casting cycle is then re- the principle of the method insofar as building a
peated. This operation is illustrated in Figures deck of a given geometry is concerned. When a
11.39 and 1 1.40.“*4 straight box is desired, Figure 11.41, the match
marking mate segment (n - 1) is moved from the
casting position to the match-cast position along a
straight line, and this is usually verified by taking
measurements on four elevation bolts (a) em-
bedded in the concrete roadway slab and two
alignment stirrups (b) located along the box cen-
terline. A pure translation of each segment be-
tween the cast and match-cast positions therefore
results in the construction of a perfectly straight
bridge (both in elevation and in plan view), within
the accuracy of the measurements made at the
/ z
BLANK END
TO STORAGE
casting site.
To obtain a bridge with a vertical curve, the
match-cast segment (n - 1) must first be translated
from its original position and then give a small ro-
tation in the vertical plane (angle CY shown in Fig-
ure 11.42). Usually the bulkhead is left in a fixed
position, and all segments have in elevation the
shape of a rectangular trapezoid with the tapered
face along the match-catch segment. It is therefore
only necessary to adjust the soffit of the cast seg-
ment during the adjustment operations.
A curve in the horizontal plane is obtained in the
same fashion, Figure 11.43, by first moving the
match-cast segment (n - 1) to its position by a pure
FIGURE 11.39. ‘I‘ypical short-line precasting opera- translation followed by a rotation of a small angle p
t i on. in plan to realize the desired curvature.
TO STORAGE 4 /,
STRAIGHT BRIDGE
PLAN VIEW
_------- m-e-----
e-------A- 1-------;
BRIDGE WITH
VERTICAL CURVE
PLAN VIEW
496
Manufacture of Precast Segments 497
BRIDGE WITH
HORIZONTAL CURVE
PLAN VIEW
Change in the superelevation of the bridge may The basic advantages of the short-line casting
also be achieved with a short-line casting; however, method are therefore the relatively small space re-
the principle is a little more difficult to properly q uired and the fac t that all eq uip m ent and
grasp, Figures 11.44 and 11.45. A constant trans- formw ork rem ain at a statio nary p o sitio n. The
verse fall of the bridge does not need to be re- mobility of equipment necessary for the long-line
peated in the casting machine. Segments may be method is no longer needed. Also, horizontal and
cast with soffit and roadwav slab both horizontal vertical curves as well as variable superelevation
and placed at their proper attitude in the bridge by are obtained with short-line casting without the
offsetting the bearing elevation under the webs to major change in soffit configuration that would be
o b tain the d esired cro ss fall. O nly a v ariab le required in the long-line casting method. How-
superelevation must be accounted for in the cast- ever, success will depend upon the accuracy of ad-
ing operation, and this is the no rm al case in justment of the match-cast segments, and precise
bridges with reverse curves and in transition areas survey and control procedures must be initiated
between curves and straight alignments. In such a (Section 11.6.5). This last aspect represents the
case match-cast segment (n - 1) needs to be ro- major potential disadvantage as a direct conse-
tated by a small angle such as y around the bridge quence of the intrinsic potential of the method.
centerline. Because the bridge geometry is usually
defined at roadway level and not at soffit level, the 11.6.4 SHORT-LINE VERTICAL CASTING
rotation given to the match-cast segment results in
a slight horizontal displacement of the soffit in the N o rm ally , f o r b o th the lo ng - and sho rt- line
casting machine, which must be accounted for. methods, the segments are cast in a horizontal po-
Also all surfaces of the box segment (top slab, sition. A variation in the short-line method is that
soffit, and webs) are no longer true planes but are u sed f o r the A lp ine M o to rw ay s near Ly o ns,
slightly warped. To allow the formw ork panels to France, where the segments were cast in a vertical
adjust to this change of shape, it is absolutely man- position (cast on end) as shown in Figure 3.100.
datory to eliminate all restraints such as closed tor- The procedure is as follows: after the first segment
sionally stiff members. is cast, the forms are removed and moved upward
498 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
PLAN VIEW
FIGURE 11.44. Short-line casting-bridge with variable super-elevation.
\ END BULKHEAD
so that each succeeding segment can be cast above claimed for vertical match casting include easier
the previous one. A f ter a seg m ent is c ast and placing and vibration of the concrete. However,
cured, the segment beneath it is transferred to special handling equipment and procedures are
storage and the one removed from the forms is required to rotate the segment from the vertical to
moved down, to rest on the floor. The advantages its final horizontal position.
Manufacture of Precast Segments 499
In order to correctly position the countercasting zontal plane and follow the curvilinear abscissas.
segment, information is needed about the final The segment lengths chosen on this basis may be
geometry of the structure. The overall geometry of retained, but in calculating the real lengths of
a bridge structure is normally defined by the cast-in-place closure joints and three-dimensional s
geometry of the roadway. From this roadway curve must be used.
geometry it is necessary to determine the geometry Because of the way a casting machine works, the
of the concrete structure itself. segment joint at the bulkhead end is invariably
The longitudinal reference line to which all the perpendicular to the axis of the segment. There-
necessary parameters are related is known as the fore, in plan view, the segments are generally of
box girder line (BGL). This line may coincide with trapezoidal shape, except for segments over the
the top concrete surface of the box girder, but it piers which are rectangular in order to provide a
may also be a fictitious line of reference if the box constant starting point for each cantilever, Figure
girder top slab shape is not regular. 11.48.
The box girder line is usually described using
two curves, Figure 11.47: Segment Casting Parameters
One curve (a) in a horizontal plane, w hich gives y All measurements on a segment are made when
as a function of x for each point where the box the seg m ent is still in the c asting m ac hine.
girder line intersects a joint plane between seg- Readings must be taken when the concrete has
ments and also the center points of supports (abut- hardened and before formwork stripping, Figure
ments or piers); this curve is simply the projection 11.49. Horizontal alignment readings give the dis-
of the true space box girder line onto a horizontal tance of the segment axes as marked on the stir-
plane and is sometimes referred to as the “ bgl” rups from the casting-machine reference line.
(small letters). Longitudinal profile level readings are given by the
One curve (5) in a developed vertical plane giving z four bolt elevations relative to the horizontal refer-
as a function of c for the same points mentioned ence plane.
above. Thiss curve is the real box girder line, BGL. Readings must be taken on the segment just cast
and also on the match-cast segment. Corrections
To complete the definition of the segment posi- are applied to allow for the geometric defects in
tion in space-at each joint line and at support the preceding segment, Figure 11.50, and are used
centers-we must define the transverse slope of as “ theoretical values for adjustment.”
the theoretical extrados line.
It is important for both the bgl and the BGL to
zyxwvu
Survqr Control During Precasting Operations
calculate the m and s parameters, respectively, in
order to obtain an accurate determination of pro-
The surveyor in charge of the operations must
jected and real span lengths.
complete a data sheet for each segment containing
The calculations and structural drawings refer to
essentially:
nominal segment lengths and span lengths. Usu-
ally these lengths refer to the projection on a hori-
1. Theoretical basic data supplied by the design
office, allowing the preparation of the hori-
zontal alignment and the two parallel bolt
lines.
2. Corrected values defined either graphically or
Bo x g irde r line by computer.
3. Survey control readings.
4. Linear measurements on the segments.
5. Schematic representation of the segment to
rapidly verify the relative positions of the seg-
ment axes.
Ho rizo nta l pqc c tio n 6. A level check to pick up any gross error in level
o f b o x g irde r line
l bgl’ readings on the same segment.
FIGURE 11.47. Bo x girder line curves. 7. Comments on the casting operations.
Manufacture of Precast Segments 501
( Segment ax is / Hj+vi*3
Pier
\
f
Ew
i’ d w
zyxwvu
L
!-
1dsw
Esw
. A!
?--
L3
r
FIGURE 11.49. Casting-machine orientation and segment
measurements.
As an example, Figure 11.5 1 shows the typical for corrections when casting the next segment.
survey control made on the first four segments of a Figure 11.53 shows how this would be done for the
typical cantilever. Control of alignment and levels plan alignment. Similar corrections are made for
may be followed graphically or numerically by the longitudinal profile on the two parallel bolt
computer, using the basic geometric data obtained lines. It is essential not only to follow carefully the
in the casting machine and show n in Figure 11.52. trajectory of the two bolt lines separately but also to
In order to avoid any significant deviation from check for each segment that the superelevation
the theoretical geometry, it is necessary to provide (given by the crosswise difference in level between
502 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
the two bolt lines) varies regularly according to the 2. To ensure that no major errors have escaped
theoretical geometry. Failure to do so has resulted the control in the precast yard or factorv.
in important geometric imperfections on certain
projects. Such checks at the site should include:
1. To compare actual deflections with computed The principles of geometry and survey control are
values, more complicated to explain than to use, once the
Manufacture of Precast Segments 503
THEORETICAL AX15 OFO, THEORETICALAXIS OFO,
cAsTI Nt M~CI~NE
SEGMCNTO ’ QGMENT~
SEGMENT 0 sEGMENTI
REAL AXIS OF 1
basic principles of a casting machine are thor- are the Chillon and St. Cloud Viaducts in Europe
oughly understood. The short-line method has and Linn Cove Viaduct in the United States. At
great potential to construct segments for bridges, Saint Cloud, 120- to 140-ton segments were cast
even those with very complicated trajectories, on a one-day cycle, and the final geometry of the
rapidly and economically. Outstanding examples bridge was obtained with no on-site adjustment.
504 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
O n the o ther hand , a lo o se ap p ro ac h to In the case of wide decks or long spans, where the
geometry control at the casting yard may lead to seg m ent leng th is red u c ed to red u c e the u nit
serious difficulties at the project site. weight, the usual geometric proportions may vary
c o nsid erab ly ; su c h is the c ase fo r tw o no tab le
structures:
11.66 PRECASTING YARD AND FACTORIES
St. Cloud width 70 ft. length 7 ft,
The precasting operations are usually carried out ratio 10
in a yard or even a factory if the size of the project
St. Andre de Cubzac width 58 ft, length 5.8 ft.
allows the corresponding investment. All opera-
ratio 10
tions, such as:
S c a l e 11500
zyx
1. Launching track for tr,irder
\ ,’ ’ _/’
a n d trolle!y
10 Rplnforcernent asspmbty \ I/
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjih
/ _ 27
“\ ‘‘\ ,’ ,/’’ /’
2 Access ramp.
0% ,A’
3. Loading point for s e g m e n t s 0
J
4. Launching g\ rdetzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
a sse m bly :‘i
zone
5 Segment storage.
6. Travelllng crane t r a c k
I. hlauld bottom
FIGURE 11.54. St. Cloud Viaduct, precasting yard layout. (1) Launching track for
girder and trolley. (2) Access ramp. (3) Loading point for segments. (4) Launching-
girder assembly zone. (5) Segment storage. (6) Traveling crane track. (7) Mold bottom.
(8) Prestressing steel storage. (9) Tower crane track. (10) Reinforcement assembly. (11)
Concrete plant. (12) Precast elements. (13) Prestress tendon manufacture. (14) Offices.
(15) General services. (16) Toll gate position. (17). Future carriageway alignment.
506 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bedges
Staff quarters
Retnforcement
FIGURE
SEGMENT
L-l
LENGTH
L
11.56.
zyxwv CONJUGATE
FIGURE 11.57. R-3 Sot~rh Viaducts, inside view of the precasting f’acto~~~.
FIGURE 11.58. B-3 South Viaducts, plan view of the precasting factory.
FIGURE 11.59. B-3 South Viaducts, detail of a casting In either long- or short-line casting, segments can-
machine. not be handled before the concrete has reached a
sufficient strength to prevent:
4. Positioning of steel cage inside the formwork. Spalling of edges and keys
5. Adjustment of casting machine, including Cracking of the parts of the segment subjected to
alignment of match-cast segment and sealing appreciable bending stresses due to self-weight
of all form panels.
Inelastic deformations that would ultimately im-
6. Concrete casting and finishing. pair proper matching of the segments
7. Steam curing.
8. Formwork stripping; followed by transfer of Critical sections in a typical single-cell box segment
the match-cast segment to the storage yard and are, Figure 11.60:
508 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
I
FIGURE 11.60. Critical sections in a typical segment at time of formwork stripping.
FIGURE 11.62. Handling precast segments. (a) Two-web segment. (6) Three-web seg-
ment. (c) Four-web segment.
upper to the lower layers of segments without ex- of a barge-mounted crane, ensuring the collection
cessive bending of the slab. of segments from the precasting site and their po-
sitioning in the final structure. A terrestrial crane
was employed for the Gardon, Bourg-Saint An-
11.8 Placing Precast Segments deal, and Bonpas Bridges. The same crane, ma-
neuvering either on land or over water (on a
Transportation and placement of segments may be barge), assured the positioning of all the segments
performed by one of several methods, depending used to construct the upstream and downstream
on the site location and the general characteristics bridges of the Paris Ring Road.
of the structure. These methods can be divided When site conditions are suitable, the same lift-
into three main categories: ing crane may be used both to serve the precasting
yard and to transport the segments to their final
1. Transportation by land or water and place- position in the structure (Hartel Bridge, Holland).
tnent by an independent lifting apparatus. This principle w as enlarged successfully during the
2. Transportation by land or water and place- construction of the bridges over the Loire River at
ment with the help of a beam and winch carried Tours (Motorway Bridge and Mirabeau Bridge),
by the bridge de c k itself. where the segments were placed with the aid of a
3. Transportation by land, water, or along the mobile portal frame. The portal frame is placed
bridge deck already constructed and place- astride the bridge de c k and moves along a track
ment with the help of a launching girder. supported by two bailey bridges, one either side of
the structure. The track length is approximately
There are tnethods that fall into none of these cat- twice that of the typical span, and the track itself is
egories, such as the use of a cableway, but their use moved forward progressively as construction pro-
is limited. ceeds. The bailey bridges are supported on tempo-
rary piers driven into the river bed. The segments
11.8.1 INDEPENDENT LIFTING EQUIPMENT are first brought to the bridge deck and then taken
by the mobile portal frame, which transports them
This method, where feasible, is the simplest and to their final position in the finished structure, Fig-
least expensive. It was used for the Choisy-le-Roi, ure 1.47.
Courbevoie, Juvisy, and Conflans bridges, where Where a mobile truck or crawler crane is used
the navigable stretch of water lent itself to the use for placement, there are often difficulties in the
510 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
positioning of the key segments at midspan, be- The total construction time for such an overpass,
cause the finished structure on either side of the including the piers, usually does not exceed two
key segment prevents the crane from maneuvering weeks, of which less than one week is spent on the
properly and hinders the positioning of the seg- bridge superstructure itself. This method has been
ment, which may be carried out only from the side used with great success for the Rhone-Alps motor-
of the structure. For the B-3 Motorway Bridges a way overpasses, with spans varying between 60 ft
special apparatus was designed to place those seg- (18 m) and 100 ft (30 m).
ments in the cantilever arm to be constructed in the
direction of the completed structure, Figure 3.95.
Two longitudinal girders are braced together and 11.8.2 THE BEL4iM-ASD- WI,VCH .klETHOD
rested on the pier head of the cantilever to be con-
structed at the front, and on the existing structure The beam-and-winch method of placing precast
at the rear. The apparatus consists of a mobile segments was conceived for the construction of the
winch-trolley, ensuring the hoisting and position- Pierre-Benite Bridges over the Rhone River. This
ing o f the seg m ents, and an ad v anc ing tro lley construction method requires a fairly simple ap-
situated at the rear and equipped with a translation paratus rolling along the already constructed part
motor. The front and rear supports are conceived of the cantilever and ensuring the lifting, transla-
in such a manner as to transmit the vertical loads tion, and positioning of all the segments. The ap-
through the segment w ebs. paratus is shown diagrammatically in Figure 11.63.
The segments on the other side of the cantilever It consists of the lifting gear B carried by the trolle)
are easily placed by the mobile crane. This beam C rolling along the bridge deck on tracks D. The
may easily be used to ensure cantilever stability segment A is brought, bv land or water, beneath
d u ring c o nstru c tio n w hen the p iers are no t the p ier in q u estio n, w here it is lifted bv the
sufficiently rigid to support unsymmetrical load- equipment. It is then transported to two launching
ing. The cantilever is rigidly fixed to the girders by beams E that cantilever out from the bridge deck,
clamping bars capable of resisting both tension and upon which it continues to advance until reaching
compression. The crane and the girders, used to- its final position, whereupon it is lifted to its final
gether, will allow a 130 ft (40 m) span to be erected level next to the previous segment, Figure 11.64.
in four working days. This system can, of course, be simplified if the
Placement of segments with a mobile crane has seg m ent c an b e b ro u g ht b y so m e ind ep end ent
found another application in the construction of means to a location vertically below its final posi-
small-span structures such as three-span motorway tion in the structure.
o v erp asses (see the d isc u ssio n o f the A lp ine As originally conceived, this system was not
Motorway, Section 3.15, and Figure 3.103). The c o m p letely ind ep end ent: ano ther c o nstru c tio n
segments are precast in a central factory, trans- procedure was required to erect the pier segment.
ported to the various sites by road and positioned The pier segment was cast in place in the Pierre-
b y a m o b ile c rane ac c o rd ing to the erec tio n Benite Bridges. It w as p recast and p laced by a
scheme, which consists essentially of the following: crane for the Ampel Bridge in Holland and by a
floating barge crane for the Bayonne Bridge over
the river Adour. This weakness was eliminated in
Two temporary adjustable props, easily dismount-
the c o nstru c tio n o f the Saint- A nd re- d e- C u b z ac
able, placed at the one-fourth and three-fourths
Brid g e. Fo r this stru c tu re, the p ier seg m ents,
points of the central span.
which form the starting point for each cantilever,
Temporary supports with jacks allowing cantilever were placed by the same equipment that placed the
construction typical span segments, Figure 3.72. The equipment
was hung, with the help of cables, to an auxiliary
Temporary prestress to tie the segments together mast fixed to a lateral pier face. The pier segment
before stressing the final prestress was brought in from the opposite side, lifted and
Elimination of the classic cast-in-place closure joint placed by the mobile equipment’s winches. In the
by direct junction of the two cantilever arms face to same position the following segment was located
face. and the auxiliary mast removed, Figure 3.73. At
this point it was a simple matter to reposition the
Final prestress by continuous tendons instead of mobile lifting equipment in order to place the typi-
cantilever-type layout. cal span segments, Figure 3.70.
recast Segments 511
PIER BLOCK
4ENT PONTOON
4th &age
Girderlauchmg
ELEVATION
SFCTION A
forces by friction between adjoining plates, Figure FIGURE 11.71. Blois Bridge, launching-girder as-
11.71. sembly detail.
The use o f a v ery lig ht structural steel
framework carried with it the risk of large deflec-
tions. These were reduced and controlled by two
sets of cable stays, passive and prestressed, which
came successively into play during maneuvering of
a segment (upper passive stays) and during the
launching-girder advancement (lower prestressed
stays). This launching girder was later used for the
erection of two other structures: the Aramon
Bridge on the Rhone River, Figure 11.72, and the
2950 ft (900 m) long Seudre Viaduct.
The Saint Cloud Bridge on the Seine, Figure
3.78, is a recent example of the use of a large
launching girder. The girder could place segments
weighing up to 143 tons (130 mt) in spans of up to
335 ft (102 m) with a minimal radius of curvature FIGURE 11.72. Aramon Bridge over the Rhone
in plan of 1080 ft (330 m), Figure 3.79. The weight River.
of the launching girder was 260 tons (235 mt) and
its total length was equal to 400 ft (122 m). with a constant triangular section made up of indi-
The adjustments adopted were similar to those vidual elements assembled by prestressing. This
used for the Oleron, Blois, and Chillon bridges. launching girder is notable, apart from its assembly
The launching girder, which used upper passive by prestress, for its ability to follow extremely tight
stays and lower prestressed stays, was constructed curves. The movements used for the Chillon Via-
Placing Precast Segments 515
duct were, of course, used for this purpose. How- tions that can be interchanged and assembled on
ever, in the Saint Cloud Bridge it was necessary site. In this way the girder length can be varied ac-
also for the launching girder to take up several in- cording to the span length and the weight of the
termediate positions during the erection of a given segments. Connections are made with tensioned
cantilever so as to bring each segment to its final bolts, Figure 11.74, which reduce considerably the
position in the structure. The total lateral transla- number required and consequently the time
tion reached 19.7 ft (6 m) at its maximum. Con- needed to assemble or dismantle the structure.
struction speed of the bridge deck was 130 ft (40 These connections have recently replaced those
m) per week, including all launching-girder ma- made with high-strength bolts and fishplates, nota-
neuvers. Two other structures erected with the ble on such structures as the Deventer Bridge and
help of the Saint Cloud launching girder were the the B-3 Viaducts.
Angers Bridge and the Sallingsund Viaduct. Means of erection adjustments also have im-
The launching girder used for the Alpine proved, tending to reduce the forces applied to the
Motorway network was conceived for spans and deck itself by ensuring that the girder supports are
segment weights of more modest dimensions; it is located over the piers or at least in the very near
typical of lightweight universal equipment that can vicinity.
be easily dismantled for reuse in another structure, This natural evolution leads us toward a new
Figure 11.73. This girder allowed the handling of type of launching girder, one whose total length is
segments weighing up to 55 tons (50 mt) over slightly greater than twice the typical span length,
spans up to 200 ft (60 m). allowing the simultaneous placing of the typical
Reflecting on the launching girders mentioned segments of cantilever N and the pier segment of
above, we note that their evolution centers on two cantilever N + 1.
major characteristics: the structural conception of
the girder and the assembly method (connection Launching Girders Slightly Longer Than Twice the
types, number of elements, and so on). Typical Span
Launching girders tend more and more to be of
the lightweight type, relying on exterior forces to The first launching girders of this type were used
cope with different loadings. These exterior forces on the following bridges: Rio Niteroi in Brazil; De-
are provided by the external active cable stays, venter in Holland, Figure 3.50; and B-3 South
which allow the structure to be placed in a condi- Viaducts in the eastern suburbs of Paris, Figure
tion ensuring a favorable behavior under a given 3.93.
zyx
loading. This approach to launching-girder design The Rio Niteroi Bridge (Section 3.8), linking the
provides more optimal use of materials than did city of Rio de Janeiro with Niteroi, consists of 10
the first-generation girders of variable cross sec- miles (16 km) of bridge deck constructed by four
tion. identical launching girders, Figures 3.55 and 3.56.
Another advantage of a constant cross section is Each 545 ft (166 m) long girder could be com-
that it facilitates the construction of standard sec- pletely dismantled. The constant triangular sec-
FIGURE 11.73. Alpine Motorway launching girder. FIGURE 11.74. Prestressed connections.
516 Technology and Construction of Segmental Bridges
tion, weighing 440 tons (400 mt), could cope with Owing to the length of the bridge and the pres-
spans of up to 260 ft (80 m). The connections were ence of a large stretch of water beneath the struc-
identical in principle to those used for the Blois ture, the segments were brought to the launching
girder. Each installation was equipped with three girder on barges. The cantilever stability of the
supports of nontunnel type, one fixed and the bridge was assured by the launching girder itself,
other two retractable. and ties and props were positioned as construction
The erection sequence was as follows, Figure proceeded.
1.51: The launching g ird er u s e d f o r the D ev enter
Bridge in Holland, Figures 3.49 and 3.50, were
Phase 1: Segment placing also capable of being entirelv dismantled and of
The girder rests on three supports, each one over a triangular section. Its total length was 5 12 ft (156
pier. Two segments are erected simultaneously, m) f o r a w e i g h t o f 1 9 8 t o n s ( 1 8 0 m t ) . T h e
one on either side of the double cantilever under maximum span length was 243 ft (74 m).
construction. The pier segment of the next can- Assembly of the launching-girder elements was
tilever is also placed with the launching girder in c o nsu m m ated b y p restress b ars no rm al to the
this position. joints. It was supported by the fixed supports, of.
which the rear and the central allowed the passage
Phase 2: M oving the launching gder forw ard
of a segment, and two sets of cable stavs: central
The girder rolls on two temporary translation sup-
stays and launching stays. The translation opera-
ports, one placed above the pier of the finished
tions were identical to those of the Rio Niteroi
cantilever and the other above the pier of the can-
Bridge, even though only one segment could be
tilever to be constructed. These temporary sup-
lowered into place at a time.
ports are attached to the trolleys; the launching
What was peculiar about this launching girder
girder is lifted, thus freeing the permanent sup-
was its abilitv to raise itself to its working level bv its
ports; and the trolleys are engaged, enabling the
own means, and this from the ground level where
translation of the launching girder to a position to
it was assembled. This was made possible bv the
erect the next cantilever. The temporary transla-
central suspension mast, which acted as a lifting
tion supports are equipped with a mechanism al-
ja c k.
lowing transverse movements, as the structure in-
In the case of the B-3 South Viaducts, Figure
cludes a certain amount of horizontal curvature.
3.92, the constantly varying structure supported b\
The Rio Niteroi girder was equipped with three 200 piers, crossing five railway tracks, the Ourcq
sets of active stays: lateral stays, central stavs, and Canal, and several urban roadwavs, was mastered
launching stays. The lateral stays, positioned on b y a hig hly m ec haniz ed launc hing g ird er. The
the underside of the two spans and constantly simultaneous placing of two segments of the same
under tension, ensure the resistance of the girder cantilever, each weighing between 33 and 55 tons
while the load (segment) passes near midspan. The (30 and 50 mt) either side of the pier, is controlled
central stays strengthen the girder in the vicinity of by a radio-controlled servo mechanism that syn-
the central support. The launching stays, under chronizes the loading at each end of the girder.
tension while maneuvering the girder, transfer the A g ain the leng th o f the lau nc hing g ird er w as
front and rear reactions to the central support. slightly greater than twice the typical span length,
TYPICAL
CROSSw8ECTION
References
12.1 Bidding Procedures Obviously, the design and the bidding (tender-
ing) of a project are closely related. Contractual
A bridge design should on principle be economical bidding procedures vary from country to country,
and as a practical matter must fall within budgetary and c u rrent ec o no m ic p ressu res are lead ing to
restrictions of a particular project. The economic changes in these procedures. The various bidding
“ moment of truth” for a given bridge design occurs methods used in various countries can be broadly
when bids are received and evaluated. categorized (with some possible variations) as fol-
In a basically stable economy where material and lows: (1) single design, (2) design and build, (3)
labor costs are predictable within relatively small value engineering, and (4) alternate designs.
fluctuations, the selection of structure type and
materials is relatively straightforward. This situa- 12.1.1 SISGLE DESIGl\
tion prevails when the time required for the design
is relatively short and thus is not affected by eco- Heretofore, single design was the major method
nomic cycles, or, if the design time is relatively used in North America and Great Britain. In this
long, the economic cycles are mild. In an inflation- method, in general, design drawings prepared for
ary economy there is no economic stability, and de- bid are very detailed, to the extent that even the
signers are hard put to make rational choices, as length and other dimensions of every reinforcing
they have no control over economic parameters bar may be given. The bidding period is followed
that can influence their design decisions. In short, by a tight construction schedule. The contractor
the p ro b lem is w hether ec o no m ic assu m p tio ns bids and executes the project in strict accordance
made during the course of design are valid at the with the bidding documents. No variation from the
time of bidding. documents is allowed unless an error in design is
518
Bidding Procedures 519
discovered, or a specific detail proves impractical to The advantage of the design-and-build method
consummate, or geological perturbations are dis- is that in an atmosphere of engineering competi-
covered that differ from what was assumed in de- tion, innovative designs and construction practices
sign and delineated in the contract documents. advance very rapidly. The state of the art of de-
These changes are authorized by a change order, signing and constructing bridges advances in re-
and if there is an increase in cost the contractor is sponse to the need for greater productivity. The
paid an “ extra.” disadvantage is the lack of control over the selec-
This system worked well for many vears when tion of the type of structure and its design. There is
the economy was fairly stable and predictable and some concern, too, that quality of construction may
when economic changes were gradual over an ex- suffer as a consequence of overemphasis on pro-
tended period. Its disadvantage is its lack of flexi- ductivity and initial cost. However, the contractor
bility to accommodate an inflationary economy, is usually required to produce a bond and guaran-
sudden price changes in materials, a rapidly ad- tee his work over some period of time, and any de-
vancing technology, and the current emergence of fects that surface during this period have to be re-
specialtv c o ntrac to rs with u niq u e eq u ip m ent o r paired at his expense. Whether such a system could
skills, proprietarv designs, and patented construc- be adopted in the United States is debatable.
tion methods. Its biggest advantages are ease in
administering the contract and absolute control 1 2 . 1 3 VALUE E.\‘GI.~EERI,~G
over the final design.
Value engineering is defined by the Society of
American Value Engineering as “ the systematic
application of recognized techniques which iden-
In so m e Eu ro p ean c o u ntries, b y c o ntrast, b id tify the function of a product or service, establish a
documents are prepared with the intention that value for that function, and provide the necessary
the contractor will prepare and submit his own function reliability at the lowest overall cost. In all
detailed design for the prqject. Thus, bid plans will instances the required function should be achieved
be more general and, for a bridge, may show only at the lowest possible life-cycle cost consistent with
sp an leng ths, p ro file, and ty p ical sectio ns. The requirements for performance, maintainability,
contractor may then refine the original design or safety, and esthetics.“ ’
submit an alternate design of his own choice, the In 1962 the concept of value engineering be-
responsibilitv for producing the final design and came mandatory in all U.S. Department of Defense
details being his rather than the engineer’s, This armed services procurement regulations (ASPR).
procedure allows the contractor to use any special Bef o re this tim e v alu e eng ineering had b een
equipment or technique he may have at his dis- applied to materials, equipment, and systems. The
posal. For example, a cast-in-place concrete box advent of ASPR provisions introduced value en-
mav be substituted for a steel superstructure where gineering concepts to two of the largest construc-
the contractor has special know-how in concrete tion agencies in the United States-the U.S. Army
construction, or the change may be less drastic and Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Navy Bureau of
involve only a reduction in the number of w ebs in a Yards and Docks. Soon thereafter the U.S. Bureau
box girder. of Reclamation and the General Services Adminis-
Verification of the adequacy of the contractor’s tratio n (GSA ) ad o p ted and inserted v alue en-
final design is generally carried out by a “ proof en- gineering clauses in their construction contracts,
gineer” who is retained by the owner or is on the and the U.S. Department of Transportation estab-
owner’s engineering staff. In order to minimize lished a value engineering incentive clause to be
d isag reem ents b etw een the c o ntrac to r and the used by its agencies.
proof engineer, European codes have been made Several value engineering clauses (or’ incentive
very specific. As a result, European contractors clauses) are in use today by many agencies. In gen-
usually maintain large in-house engineering staffs, eral, they all have the following features’:
although they may also use outside consultants.
The outcome apparently is a savings in construc- 1. A paragraph that defines the requirements of
tion cost, achieved by the investment of more de- a proposal: (a) it must require a change to the
sig n tim e and effo rt than in the sing le-d esig n contract and (b) it must reduce the cost of the
method. contract without impairing essential functions.
520 Economics and Contractual Aspects of Segmental Construction
2. A “ d o c u m entatio n” paragraph that itemizes a value engineering proposal. This is, of course,
the information the contractor should furnish v alu e eng ineering ’ s b ig g est d isad v antag e. An)
with each proposal. It should be comprehen- nu m b er o f c o ntrac to rs m ay hav e m o re cost-
siv e eno u g h to ensu re q u ic k and ac c u rate effective proposals that they are not allowed to
evaluations, d etailed eno u g h to ref lec t the submit because they were not low bidder on the
contractor’s confidence in its practicability, and base bid. Its advantage is that to some degree it al-
refined to the point where implementation will lows contractor innovation to be introduced.
not cause undue delay in construction opera-
tions. Careful development of this paragraph
and meticulous adherence to its requirements
w ill p rec lu d e sc atter-sho t p ro p o sals b y the Alternate designs, as it is developing in the United
c o ntrac to r and b u rd enso m e rev iew b y the States, basicallv is an attempt to produce a hvbrid
agency. sy stem consisiing o f the b est elem ents o i the
3. A paragraph on “ submission.” This paragraph single-design and the design-and-build methods. It
details the procedure for submittal. attempts to accomplish the following:
4. A paragraph on “ acceptance,” which outlines
the right of the agency to accept or reject all Retain for the authorizing agency control over the
proposals, the notification a contractor may “ type selection” of the structure and its design
expect to receive, and appropriate reference to Provide increased competition between materials
proprietary rights of accepted proposals. (structural steel versus concrete or prestressing
5. A paragraph on “ sharing,” which contains the strand versus bars) or construction procedures
f o rm u la f o r d eterm ining the c o ntrac t p ric e (cast-in-place versus precast segmental or balanced
adjustment if the proposal is accepted and sets cantilever versus incremental launching, and so
forth the percentage of savings a contractor 04
may expect to receive. Provide contractor flexibility (construction proce-
dures, methods, and/ or expertise)
As generally practiced by highway agencies in
the United States, a value engineering proposal This method has developed, with encouragement
must indicate a “ substantial” cost savings. This is to from the Federal Highway t\dIninistratiorl, as an
preclude minor changes such that the cost of pro- anti-inflationary measure to combat dramatic in-
cessing offsets the savings to be gained. Some other creases in highway construction costs. A technical
reasons for which a value engineering proposal 2
Advisory published by the Federal Highway Ad-
may be denied are as follows: ministration states:
requirements as a result of the method of con- volved. However, the problem of adequacy of data
struction, erection, or type of tendon system does not diminish the importance of the question
should be evaluated at the shop drawing stage. and the need to attempt to answer it.
4. Changes in eccentricity of prestress should be Another anti-inflationary measure used in recent
accompanied with appropriate changes in pre- years is that of stage construction. This concept
stress force to produce the same minimum may take one of two forms. Major structures, be-
compressive stress due to prestress. c au se o f their siz e, lend them selv es to stag e
c o nstru c tio n-that is, sep arate su b stru c tu re and
5. The minimum prestress force should be such
that under any loading condition, both during superstructure contracts. Usually several years will
and after construction, stresses will be within elapse between bidding and awarding of the sub-
structure contract and the superstructure contract.
allowable limits. Consideration should be given
The economic superstructure span range for dif-
to secondary moments due to prestress, redis-
ferent alternative types and materials is a variable.
tributed moments due to creep, and stresses
In this form of stage construction the substructure
resulting from thermal gradient (between the
is let first; thus the spans for the superstructure de-
top and bottom of the girder and between the
sign become fixed. This may or may not impose an
inside and outside of webs).
economic disadvantage to specific superstructure
6. C o ntrac to r rev isio ns to c o ntrac t p lans, w ith
alternates. The substructure must be designed for
supporting calculations, should be submitted
the largest self-weight superstructure alternative,
to the engineer for approval.
which may or may not be the successful super-
structure alternative. It ap p ears that this f o rm
of stage construction may be to some extent self-
12.1.5 SU,MMARY REtMARKS OlV BIDDIiVG canceling or counterproductive to cost savings.
P R O C ED U R ES With a total alternative design package, the sub-
structure (foundation, piers, span arrangement)
All of the bidding procedures described above can also have alternatives commensurate with the
have one thing in common: they all attempt to superstructure alternatives.
produce the lowest initial cost by competition in The other form of stage construction concerns a
construction and/ or design. All of the last three large project, containing many bridges, that is sub-
approaches (design-and-build, value engineering, divided for bidding purposes into a number of
and alternate designs) require decisions based on smaller projects. Its primary purpose is to encour-
comparisons of basic structural materials, structure ag e sm all c o ntrac to rs bv p ro v id ing prqjects o f
types, construction methods, and so on. This im- m anag eab le siz e, thu s Inc reasing c o m p etitio n.
plies that the basic premise in the selection process However, certain construction techniques, by vir-
is equivalency-comparable service, performance, tue of the investment in sophisticated casting or
and life-cycle cost of the facility. erection equipment, require a certain volume of
Life-cycle costs refer not only to initial cost, but work to amortize the equipment and be competi-
also to maintenance and any rehabilitation costs tive. Depending upon the size of the subdivided
during the life of the structure. True cost of the contract, this form of stage construction in some
project must be considered. What may be initially instances may also become counterproductive.
least expensive may in the long run, when future The value engineering concept can be divided
costs are accounted for, be actually most expensive. into two major areas of application: during design
Some newer structure types and designs are at the and during construction. Value engineering pro-
fringe of the state of the art and have only been cedures in the design stage may result in very
used in the United States within the last decade or specific recommendations based on a certain set of
less. Thus, an adequate background of experience assumptions at a particular point in time for the
is unavailable to evaluate life-cycle costs. The esti- design. If conditions change during the interval
mation of life-cycle costs may be difficult in many between the design decision and the actual con-
cases, such as for new and progressive bridge de- struction, which can be several years, conditions on
signs. Functionally, alternative structures are de- w hic h the assu m p tio ns w ere b ased m ay hav e
signed to the same criteria. Only years of opera- changed. Such changes could make the original
tional experience can provide the data base for value engineering decision incorrect. The alterna-
reasonably estimating life-cycle costs and thereby tive design concept, on the other hand, does not
true equivalency in design insofar as cost is in- make all such specific design decisions at an early
Examples of Some Interesting Biddings and Costs 523
stage but retains some options in order to allow a the contractor was faced with a difficult and costly
later response to changed conditions. Therefore, erection procedure. At least one cableway span-
there is an apparent incompatibility between the ning the entire valley would have been required to
application of value engineering principles in the transport men and material to appropriate loca-
design stage and the concept of alternative designs tions during the construction procedure. Complete
for bidding purposes. However, the concept of site installations on both sides of the valley would
value engineering is a powerful tool and can be have been required, which were accessible only
made compatible with the concept of alternative with a great deal of difficulty.
d esig ns if its p rincip les are used to d eterm ine The superstructure design alternative submitted
whether a given project should require alternative under this proposal employed the Dywidag system,
designs and, if so, what structure types should be w hich includ ed the fo llo w ing : (1) use o f the
considered as equivalent alternates. threaded-bar system especially suited to segmental
construction, (2) increased prestress-force eccen-
tricities, since most longitudinal prestressing bars
12.2 Examples of Some Interesting co uld b e p laced and ancho red in the slab , (3)
Biddings and Costs diagonal prestressing in the webs to cater to the
shear stresses, and (4) a modification in construc-
12.2.1 PI.L’E VALLEY CREEK BRIDGE, C‘4LIFORNlA tion sequence so as to work from piers 5, 4, 3, and
2, Figure 2.44.
The Pine Valley Creek Bridge (Section 2.7) was the Changes proposed under the value engineering
first segmental bridge in the United States to in- clause are summarizied in Table 12.1. Total sav-
corporate the concept of value engineering (cost- ings as a consequence amounted to $382,000.3
red uctio n incentiv e p ro p o sal) in the b id d ing
documents. The original design assumed cast-in- 12.22 VAIL PASS BRIDGES, CO LO RADO
place balanced cantilever construction with the
prestressing force (P,) and moment (Pr x e) based The Vail Pass structures are part of Interstate I-70
on strand capabilities. near Vail, Colorado, in an environmentally sensi-
Pro jec t p lans d ev elo p ed b y C A LTRA N S re- tive area. Environmental considerations played a
quired construction of the cantilevered sections at dominant role in the selection of the bridge types
piers 3 and 4 before those at piers 2 and 5 (refer to and the design thereof. Another factor considered
Fig ure 2.40). Bec ause o f rig id sp ec ific atio n re- was the relatively short construction season at the
quirements for the protection of the valley slopes, high elevations of the sites.
Sav ing s
Original CRIP estimated
$382,000
524 Economics and Contractual Aspects of Segmental Construction
Of the 21 bridge structures in this project, 17 ference in bid prices for the alternatives. Precast
were designed and bid on the basis of alternative segmental was the low bid on project 1 and cast-
designs. O ne alternativ e d esig n c o nsid ered in-place segmental was the low bid on project 4.
trapezoidal steel box girders composite with a con- Based upon length (width was constant), the seg-
crete roadway flange. The other alternative design mental concept was successful in approximately
was for precast concrete segmental box girder de- 60% of the total project.
sign, with the Federal Highway Administration re- The co nsultants, Internatio nal Eng ineering
quiring that the contractor be given the option of Company, Inc., estimated that the additional cost
cast-in-place segmental construction. to produce alternative designs was about 2.5% of
zyxw
At two locations, the site constraints were such construction cost. It is difficult to estimate what
that they were bid without alternatives as steel box savings were achieved by bidding alternative de-
girders. Two other locations required 80 ft (24 m) signs rather than a single design; however, overall
long simple-span underpass structures to provide savings of 7 to 10% of the construction costs are
for wildlife migration. These structures were built not unreasonable.4
of cast-in-place concrete box girder construction.
The remaining 17 structures were completely de- 12.2.3 LO.VG KEY BRIDGE, FLORID.4
signed and detailed for the two alternatives, one in
structural steel and the other in precast concrete The Long Key Bridge in the Florida Keys was bid
segmental (with a contractor option of providing a utilizing the concept of alternate designs. Four
cast-in-place segmental design). Spans varied in complete sets of contract plans were prepared for
number from two to five and in length from 30 to the alternative construction schemes indicated in
260 ft (9 to 79 m). Table 12.3. Plans for the AASHTO precast, pre-
Table 12.2 tabulates the five contracts that in- tensioned I girders were prepared by the Florida
volved the 17 bridges bid on the basis of alternative Department of Transportation. Plans for the three
designs and lists them in the order in which they basic precast segmental schemes were prepared by
w ere bid.4 Approximately a year elapsed between the state’s consultant, Figg and Muller Engineers,
the letting of the first and last contracts. Although Inc.
considerable differences in bid prices are shown in In the preliminary design stage three methods
individual projects, for the total project there is less o f seg m ental c o nstru c tio n w ere c o nsid ered f o r
than $80,000 d if f erenc e o u t o f an ap p ro xim ate this p ro jec t: b alanc ed cantile\.er, sp an- b y - sp an,
total cost of- $17 million, or less than 0.5% dif- and 1,rogressk.e placing. ‘l‘he progressi\,e placing
Total
Proj. Bridge No. Length Length Low Steel Cost/F?. LOW Concrete CostiFr’,
No. No. Spans (ft) (ft) Bid Steel Bid Concrete
Substructure
method was discarded because it was felt to be (at T ABLE 12.4. Long K ey Bridge, Bid T abulat ion
the time) too new for acceptance in U.S. practice. It
Bid Rank Alternative Chosen Relative Bid
was later introduced on the Linn Cove Bridge in
North Carolina. The basic difference in the two 1 D 1. 0000
span-by-span alternatives for the Long Key Bridge 2 F 1. 0225
is in the pier configuration: V piers or vertical 3 F 1. 0539
piers. 4 F 1. 0963
5 B 1.1731
Aside from the construction alternatives and
6 F 1. 1844
pier types, the contractor was offered the option
7 F 1. 2557
on all segmental alternatives of transversely rein-
8 H 1. 3063
forcing the top flange either with epoxy-coated
conventional reinforcing steel or by transversely
piers and drilled shaft foundations. The contractor
p retensio ning w ith 4 in. ( 12.7 m m ) d iam eter
elected to precast the segments near the project site
strand. Further, he had the option on all segmental
and cast the segments rightside up, using trans-
alternatives of either precasting or casting in place
v erse p restressing in the to p f lang e. H e slip-
the traffic barriers.
formed the cast-in-place barriers after segment
The contractor also had the option of casting the
erection. Further, he elected to move the scaffold-
segments rightside up or upside down. Casting the
ing tru ssw o rk f ro m sp an to sp an b y u sing a
segments upside down was intended to facilitate
barge-mounted crane as opposed to having the
transversely pretensioning the top flange. How-
falsework trusses mounted on barges.
ever, since no w aterproof membrane or w earing
Table 12.5 presents a cost analysis of the low bid
surface was specified, the top flange surface of the
as compared with the AASHTO pretensioned I-
deck was required to have a grooved or tined sur-
girder alternative.5
face for skid resistance. If the segment were cast
upside down, then, the form would be required to
T ABLE 12.5. Long K ey Bridge, Cost Analy sis of t he
produce the desired texture. Specifications were Low Bid and t he AASHT O I-Girder Bid
left open such that strand or bar prestressing ten-
dons could be bid. All conventional steel rein- Span-by-Span Precast A A S H T O
Segmental I Girder
forcement was required to be epoxy coated in all
alternatives. Total cost” $26.63/ft2 $30.95/ftZ
The eight basic alternatives for this project pro- Superstructure $21.43/ft2 $23.59/f@
duced bids from eight contractors, as indicated in cost
Table 12.4. Note that there were six bids for the Substructure cost $ 5.20/f? $ 7.36/f?
span-by-span method, one for the balanced can- Segments erected $19.16/ft2
tilever method, and one for the precast preten- Total bid $15,307,375.91 $17,956,538.75
sioned AASHTO I girders. Total area 468, 301 ft2 470, 277 ft*
The low bid in precast segmental was $2.6 mil- “The mobilization bid items were proportioned to the structural
lion less than the AASHTO I-girder bid. Low bid items in all cases. The Florida Department of Transportation
was for the span-by-span alternative with precast V estimate was $14,550,000.
526 Economics and Contractual Aspects of Segmental Construction
Substructure
Bid Rank A lternativ e Cho sen Relative Bid Bid Rank Relative Bid Alternative
T ABLE 12.9. Zilwaukee Bridge, Ranking of Alternative C used a transverse prestressed deck in
Second Bids order to reduce the number of girders. Strong
competition was expected from the steel industry,
Bid Rank Relative Bid Alternative
as this site is readily accessible by water from the
1 1 .oooo C o nc rete yards of two major fabricators. However, the low
2 1.0798 C o nc rete bidder, G. F. Atkinson Company, selected alterna-
3 1.0829 C o nc rete tive C and cast the bridge generally in half-span
4 1.1231 Steel segments on falsework to the ground as a series of
5 1.1501 Steel
balanced T’s. About 60 ft (18 m) of the 250 ft (76
m) span over the navigation channel was con-
12.2.6 CLINE AVENUE BRIDGE, INDIANA structed in three segments on falsework suspended
from the cantilevered boxes on each side.‘j
The Cline Avenue bid documents were very liberal There were six other bidders, of which only one
toward redesign, with the bidder only having to in- bid the steel alternative and none bid alternative A.
form the state of the intention to redesign at bid Relative bids are listed in Table 12.11. The first six
opening. As designed, the plans and specifications bids were for alternative C, and the last and highest
provided the option of a steel plate girder or pre- was for alternative B.
cast segmental box girder structure. The structure
was redesigned as cast-in-place on falsework, pre- 122.8 RED RIVER BRIDGE, ARKANSAS
stressed concrete box girder, except for the main
channel spans which are cast-in-place segmental. This is a seven-span structure with five interior
The steel option was a composite load factor de- spans of 210 ft (64 m), end spans of 135 ft (41 m),
sign. The low concrete bid was for $53,545,770.55 and a roadway width of 32 ft (9.75 m). Estimated
with the engineer’s estimate being $53,560,259.78. cost was $3.3 million. Eight bids were received, six
Relative bids are listed in Table 12.10. in structural steel and two for concrete segmental.
Bids ranged from $3.22 to $4.89 million. The con-
12.2.7 NAPA RIVER BRIDGE, CALIFORNIA
crete segmental was completely open as to the
The Napa River Bridge (Section 2.11) is another method of construction (both concrete bids were
example of the use of alternative designs. For this based on the incremental launching method). Rel-
project, because the lower structure height made ative bids are listed in Table 12.12.
falsework feasible, bid documents were prepared
for three alternative schemes: T ABLE 12.11. Napa Riv er Bridge, Ranking of Bids
A : C o nv entio nal c o ntinu o u s c ast- in- p lac e b o x Bid Rank Relative Bid
girder bridge
1 1.0000
B: Trap ez o id al c o ntinu o u s stru c tu ral steel b o x 2 1.0928
girder bridge 3 1.1218
C : C antilev er p restressed seg m ental c o nc rete 4 1.1837
b rid g e w ith either p rec ast o r c ast-in-p lac e 5 1.2765
6 1.4305
segments, and erection either by the balanced
7 1.5210
cantilever method or on falsework
1 1 .oooo Steel
T ABLE 12.10. Cline Av enue Bridge, Ranking 2 1.1437 Steel
o f Bi ds 3 1.2685 Steel
4 1.2800 Steel
Bid Rank Relative Bid Alternative
5 1.3099 C o nc rete
1 1 .oooo C o nc rete 6 1.3229 C o nc rete
2 1.0252 Steel 7 1.4267 Steel
3 1.0596 Steel 8 1.5175 Steel
528 Economics and Contractual Aspects of Segmental Construction
Stru c tu ral steel p ric es v aried fro m a lo w o f submitted, three optional concrete redesigns were
$0.65/ 1b to a high of $0.93/ 1b with an average of bid.
$0.78/ 1b. Structural steel prices in Arkansas for this As designed, the plans and specifications pro-
type of construction had previously been in the vided the option of a steel plate girder or precast
range of $0.80 to $0.85/ 1b. The low bid price of segmental box girder structure. Bid documents
$0.65/ lb represents a reduction of approximately were quite liberal for redesign but required quite a
19 to 23%. All steel prices were for domestic steel. bit of detail with the bid documents. The winning
Note that the bid prices included the demolition bid was steel girders, as designed, priced at about
of the existing bridge. If this item were deleted, the $87/ f? without one abutment, which was to be con-
bidding would be rearranged as indicated in Table structed under another contract.
12.13. Th e ste e l g ird e rs w e re a n o n c o m p o site ,
The lu m p - su m p ric e f o r the c o nc rete su p er- working-stress design. The approximate]\ 15 mil-
structure was, for the low concrete bidder, $3 1.37/ lion pounds of A588 structural steel was bid at
ft2, w hic h c o m p ares f av o rab ly w ith the Key s $0.75/ 1b. It should be noted that additional savings
bridges in Florida. However, this price was not in steel could have been accomplished with a com-
c o m p etitiv e. Und o u b ted ly there are nu m ero u s posite design. Table 12.14 is a relative summary of
reasons why. One may be that there was no pre- the eight bids.
casting plant within sufficient distance of the site, Note that the low concrete bid was only 3.7%
and thus the cost of shipping the segments may above the low bid, which indicates the competitive-
have been prohibitive. The project was not large ness.
enough to attract contractors with the expertise to
set up a precasting operation at the site. The two 12.2.10 SU,ZI,M,4RY O F CALIFORSIA’S EXPERIE.VCE
zy
concrete segmental bids received were based on in-
cremental launching, and evidently the project was California’s experience with a cost reduction in-
not large enough to adequately amortize the cost of centive proposal (CRIP) (value engineering) and
the casting bed and launching equipment on this alternative designs for projects involving segmen-
project to make the method competitive. tal construction is summarized in Table 12.1 5.s
2/ 72 P i n e \‘alle> 17001450 $14.2 M = $69/ f-? A. Cantilever prestressed CRIP by contractor re-
Creek concrete segmental vised superstructure de-
box girder with sign and construction se-
either: quence. Savings to state,
1. Prestressed rock $191,000.
anchor footings”
2. Mined rock shaft
foundation
Y/ 72 .Stani.slaus 225oi550 $12.0 M = $127/ f? (inch. A. Cantilever prestressed Seven contractors bid steel
Kiter at New prov. for future widening) concrete segmental and two bid concrete 1.6%
Melones box girder separated low steel and
B. Structural steel box low concrete.
girder”
Both with either:
1. Prestressed rock
anchor footings
2. Mined shaft
foundations”
.3/ 73 Eel River Br. 13871310 $5.0 M = $37/ t? A. Conventional twin CRIP modified design to
and Overhead two-cell cast-in-place segmental single-cell
prestressed concrete boxes. Max. falsework
box girders height 92 ft +. Savings to
state, $112,824.
1 1174 Napa RiteI- at 22301250 $8.9 M = $54/ f? A. Conventional six-cell Six of seven bidders chose
Napa cast-in-place pre- C. Falsework heights var-
stressed box girder ied from 64 to 132 ft.
B. Structural steel box
girder
C. Cantilever prestressed
concrete segmental
two-cell box girder”
Y/ i5 Colomdo 27501220 7.4 M = $34/ ft2 A. Segmental pre- Cantilever construction
Ri\er at \‘uma stressed concrete considered by contractor
single cell box with but not used because con-
criteria provided to tractor owned adequate
convert to cantilever supply of falsework. Max.
f.alsework height 70 ft i_.
12176 Guadalupe 1009/ 155 $2.6 M = $28/ f? A.
Conventional seven- Maximum falsework
River at San cell prestressed con- height 40 ft over a season-
Jose crete box” ally dry river. Contractor
0. A four-cell pre- inexperienced in segmen-
stressed box designed tal construction.
for segmental con-
struction
.5/ 76 San Jo aq u in 94041460 $33.4 M = $79/ f? A . Prestressed concrete AH five bidders chose steel.
River at Anti-zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
with three main spans Lower-than-anticipated
och designed for can- (foreign) steel prices pre-
tilever segmental con- v ailed .
struction and 20 300
ft approach spans de-
signed for segmental
construction with
provisions to modify
to cantilever
B. Structural steel
welded plate girders
(unpainted A-588)
with 29 200 ft ap-
proach spans”
C . Same as A with 200 ft
approach spans
529
530 Economics and Contractual Aspects of Segmental Construction
TABLE 12.15. (Continued)
l/78 San Francisco 46501150 $24.3 M = $59/ft2 A. Precast delta girders” Much bidder interest in all
Bay at Dum- B. Twin single-cell pre- choices during prebid
barton (ap- stressed box girders stage. Final results: seven
preach spans) designed for seg- chose A, one chose C.
mental construction Some uncertainties about
with criteria for rede- criteria provided in B.
sign for cantilevering
or launching
C. Structural steel box
girder
(3 m) deep precast girders in each span, Figures Hoisting girder along the piers with special steel
12.3 and 12.4. Piers are founded on precast con- rigs, Figure 12.6
crete piles and were cast in place with a box section. Placing girder on top of the pier with the rotating
When the design was prepared, it represented the arm of the special rig, Figure 12.7
most advanced technology in terms of use of mate-
rials. The elastic stability of these very long, slender Transverse displacement of girder to its final posi-
tion
precast girders was even the occasion of interesting
innovative studies. Construction methods were also Suspension of the girder at both ends was achieved
far from conventional. by the means of special cantilevers to provide the
All girders were prefabricated in a yard located highest safety against lateral buckling during lift-
at the original ground level. Moving and lifting op- ing operations of such slender girders, Figure 12.8.
erations for one girder (see Figure 12.5) included: The project was carried out smoothly and com-
pleted successfully a long time ahead of the other
Placing girder on dollies, moving in two perpen- contracts for the entire crossing.
dicular directions to bring it at the foot of the sup- Fifteen years later, the same problem of safely
porting piers and economically building an aesthetically pleasing
I
11'-4"
*'-o"
1 1'4"
LzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
11'-4" I:
FIGURE 12.4.
I
TABLE 12.16. Cost Comparison Between Tancarville and Brotonne Approach Viaducts
Tancarville, 1956
(Adjusted 1973) Brotonne, 1973
1. Quantities (per ft”)
(super- and substructure)
Concrete (yd3) 0.14 0.11
Reinforcing steel (lb) 11 14
Prestressing steel (lb) 6.4 3.1
2. Labor (hr/ftz) 4.1 1.6
3. Cost ($/ftZ)
Labor 14.20 5.60
Materials 6.90 6.30
Equipment, plant, and job overhead 15.70 5.00
Subcontracts 3.70 4.20
Design, overhead and fee 12.90 4.20
4. Total $53.40 $25.30
Increase in ESJiciency in Concrete Bridges 533
FIGURE 12.6. I‘ancarville Bridge, equipment for lifting precast girders in approach
spans.
50
c 40
8
ii
* 30
.r
::
ho
10
QIRDCR zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
----I
0
Tancarville Brotonne
LATERAL SA D D L E S (readjusted 1973) (1973)
-I-----
19% 1I K5
I
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
1960
I
1965
I
1970 YEAR
FIGURE 12.9. Brotonne Bridge, cantilever construc- FIGURE 12.11. Increase of productivity on power
tion of superstructure of approach spans. projects in France.
projects carried out by French Electricity between rates have constantly increased faster than material
1950 and 1970 showed that the annual value of in- rates.
vestment for each worker was multiplied by 2 The comparison between other items of the cost
without allowance for inflation and by 3 including breakdown of Tancarville and Brotonne is equally
inflation, Figure 12.11. Costwise the true gain instructive. Material costs are almost equal, in-
would be somewhat less significant, because labor cluding the value of subcontracts (pile foundations
References
and roadway work in both projects). The essential ogy and of the level of prices for the two respective
differences are seen in the two following areas: periods.
To estimate both projects at the level of today’s
E q u i p m e n t , p l a n t , and job overheads: reduced prices (1980) it would be necessary to multiply the
from $15.70 at Tancarville to $5 at Brotonne. This labor rates by 2.3 and the materials and equipment
difference is due essentially to increased efficiency rates by 1.7.
in management but also to a climate of fierce com-
petition.
Design, overheads and fees: reduced from $12.90
References
for Tancarville to $4.20 for Brotonne. The same
1. “Guidelines for Value Engineering (VE),” prepared
two reasons explain this drastic reduction, which by Task Force 19, Subcommittee on New Highway
also reflects the change in the overall operation of Materials, AASHTO-AGC-ARTBA Joint Coopera-
large construction companies during the last tive Committee.
twenty years from family-owned or controlled 2. “Alternate Bridge Designs,” FHWA Technical Advi-
craftsmen such as building contractors to modern sory T5140.12, December 4, 1979, Federal Highway
management industrial companies. Administration, Washington, D.C.
3. Richard A. Dokken, “CALTRANS Experience in
When Eugene Freyssinet designed his Plougastel Segmental Bridge Design,” Bridge Notes, Division of
Bridge masterpiece (see Chapter 8), he was per- Structures, Department of Transportation, State of
sonally involved in the project for more than California, Vol. XVII, No. 1, March 1975.
three years and probably involved in little else. One 4. A. B. Milhollin, and C. L. Benson, “Structure Design
generation later, an experienced engineer would and Construction on the Vail Pass Project,” Trans-
have to control or at least participate in many dif- portation Research Record 7 17, Transportation Re-
ferent projects during the same period. search Board, National Academy of Sciences,
In summary, the comparison of costs between Washington, D.C., 1979.
Tancarville and Brotonne approach viaducts with 5. James M. Barker, “North American State of the Art
prices of both projects reduced to 1973 levels is: Current Practices,” Prestressed Concrete Segmental
Bridges, Structural Engineering Series No. 6, Fed-
eral Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.,
Tancarville $53.40/f?
August 1979.
Brotonne $25.30/ftZ 6. Donald W. Alden, “California’s Experience with Cost
Saving Contracting Techniques,” Prestressed Concrete
Both projects were bid completely on a design- Segmental Bridges, Structural Engineering Series No.
and-build basis and awarded to the lowest bidder. 6, Federal Highway Administration, Washington,
The above costs are a true picture of the technol- D.C., August 1979.
13.1
13.2
INT RODUCT ION
MATERL4IS
13.2.1 Prestressiq Tendons
13
Future Trends and Developmenti
13.5
zyx
APPLICAT ION T O EXIST ING OR NEW BRIDGE
T Y PES
13.5.1 Overpass St rut
13.2.2 High Strength Concrete 13.5.2 Arches, Trusses, Rigid Frames
13.2.3 Fiber Reinforced Concrete 13.5.3 Wichert Truss
13.2.4 Pdymer Concre& 13.5.4 Stress Ribbon Bridges
13.2.5 Composite Concrete Materials 13.5.5 ! 3 p w e F- Bridges
13.2.6 Material Limitations
13.3 SEGMENTAL APPLICAT ION T O BRIDGE DECK S 13.6 SUM M A R Y
13.4 SEGMENTAL BRIDGE PIERS AND SUBSIXUClVRES R EFER ENCES
536
forced concrete emerged successively as favorite
materials, culminating in the twentieth century
with prestressed concrete. The present materials
Material zyxwv
ever, Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp. has de-
537
v e l o p e d a c o a t i n g f o r g l a s s f i b e r s f o r fiber-
reinforced concrete. Perhaps this coating could be
used in bridge construction have some or all of the used for a glass fiber prestressing strand. An ulti-
following disadvantages: weight, cost, or inherent mate strength of 400 ksi (2758 MPa) and a low
weaknesses in one form or another. In the recent modulus of elasticity ranging from 6000 to 10,000
past,‘development of improved bridge systems has psi (41 to 69 MPa) might be expected. The high
evolved primarily by more exact methods of cal- strength and low modulus would indicate a low
culation made feasible by the electronic computer percentage of prestress losses-a decided advan-
or by innovative bridge systems such as the cable- tage. The high strength would produce, for a given
stayed and segmental types of bridges. Intensive required prestress force, fewer or smaller tendons,
development of the materials themselves has thus reducing congestion. Smaller tendon sizes
barely begun. would reduce web thickness, thus reducing dead
weight and prestress force requirements, and so
13.2.1 PRESTRESSING TENDONS on. Obviously, suitable end anchorages would have
to be developed.
Until recently, corrosion of prestressing tendons
has caused few problems and little concern. How- 13.2.2 HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE
ever, with the advent of segmental construction
and transverse prestressing on the top flange, an Early prestressed concrete designs were based on
increasing concern has been expressed about the 3000 psi (20.7 MPa) strength concrete. As knowl-
potential deterioration of the tendons resulting edge of concrete properties and quality control in-
from their closeness to the deck surface and expo- creased, it became more feasible to use a 6000 psi
sure to the action of de-icing chemicals. Current (41.4 MPa) strength concrete for many prestressed
methods of alleviating this concern are the use of concrete structures. In the Pacific Northwest an
polyethylene ducts or the possibility of epoxy coat- 8 0 0 0 p s i ( 5 5 . 2 MPa) s t r e n g t h i s r e a d i l y a n d
ing the duct, epoxy coating post-tensioning bar routinely available. Use of such concrete has per-
tendons, and possibly epoxy coating the prestress- mitted the design of longer-span, lighter-weight
ing strand. A research effort is required to deter- concrete structures.
mine the production feasibility and cost; the effect, Within the past few years it has been found that
if any, that nonmetallic coatings might have on the strengths of 10,000 psi (68.9 MPa) and higher can
bond of strand to concrete; and the compatibility be obtained where special attention is given to (1)
of strains between the coating and the tendon. An- selecting the constituent materials, (2) propor-
other potential method uses individual unbonded tioning the concrete mix, and (3) handling, plac-
strands with successive coatings of teflon, a corro- ing, and curing the concrete.
sion inhibitor, and polypropylene, Figure 13.1. It has recently been demonstrated that the appli-
An old idea that may need to be resurrected is cation of ultrahigh-strength concrete is not only
that of using glass fibers for prestressing. This practical but also economically feasible. High-
material was being investigated in the 195Os,’ but strength concrete, 9000 to 11,000 psi (62 to 75.8
for either technical or economic reasons it never MPa), has been used in the columns of five high-
reached fruition. There were problems of chemical rise buildings in Chicago. The concrete was pro-
reaction of the glass fibers with the cement; how- duced in a local ready-mix plant and trucked to the
’ Polyproplylene
covering
700’. 0” 372’- 0”
d-
I-
I 1
I
AJ ELEVATION
35’- 6”
SECTION B-B
I’- 6
,- 1’. 6”
r
+I
SECTION A-A
36.000
‘-6”
‘7-6”
Deflection .
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba
FIGURE 13.4. Schematic load-deflection diagram
31,000 1 I I I I 1
5 6 7 a 9 10
Several types of fibers along with several of their
Concrete strength SKI
properties are listed in Table 13. 1.3,4 As can be
FIGURE 13.3. Variation of prestress force with con- seen, fibers have been produced from steel, plastic,
crete str-ength-Shubenacadie Bridge.
glass, and natural materials in various shapes and
sizes.
mately 10% as a result of the reduced dead load.
Two stages of behavior in the load-deformation
The optimum lower flange thickness is about 1 ft 8
curve have been generally observed when fiber-
in. (508 mm), obtained at 8 ksi (55 MPa) concrete
reinfo rc ed c o nc rete sp ec im ens are lo ad ed in
strength.
flexure. The load-deformation curve may be con-
13.23 FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE sidered as approximately linear up to point A in
Fig u re 13.4. Bey o nd this p o int the c u rv e is
A relatively new material that has not yet seen significantly nonlinear, reac hing a m axim u m at
much application in structures is fiber-reinforced point B. The load or stress corresponding to point
concrete. Fibers have been used to reinforce brittle A has been calledjirst-crack strength, elastic limit, or
materials since ancient times; straws were used to proportional limit, while the stress corresponding to
reinforce sun-baked bricks, horsehair was used to point B has been termed the ultimate strength.
reinforce plaster, and more recently various fibers Two theories have been suggested for predicting
have been used to reinforce Portland cement.3 A the first-crack strength of fiber-reinforced con-
4
state-of-the-art report prepared by AC1 Commit- crete: the spacing concept and the composite-materials
tee 544 defined fiber-reinforced concrete as “ con- concept. The spacing concept attempts to explain or
crete made of hydraulic cements containing fine or determine the first-crack strength by a crack-arrest
fine and coarse aggregates and discontinuous dis- m ec hanism d eriv ed f ro m the f ield o f f rac tu re
crete fibers.” mechanics. The basic mechanism that controls the
WITHOUT FIBERS
WlTH FIBERS
T ABLE 13.3. Summary of Propert ies of Concret e-Poly mer Mat erial
18 , , , , ( , , , , , , , y , , , ,
then impregnated with a chemical monomer, such
I
as methyl methacrylate (MMA), and irradiated Impregnated CP
with gamma rays, some startling changes in its ,6 - COnCrete5.4 w t
% MMA Failure
properties are produced, Table 13.3.’ Tensile and
compressive strength are almost quadrupled. 14
Modulus of elasticity is increased by a factor of 1.8
and modulus of rupture by more than 3.5. A com-
12
pressive stress-strain curve for this material shows
complete linearity up to more than 75% of failure -z
load, Figure 13.7.’ ,” 1 0
8
Thus far, research with this material has aimed
toward its application in bridge decks. Problems in 2
E
8
Unimpregnated
polymerizing large units such as bridge segments G
CP concrete
have yet to be solved. Practical resolution of these 6
problems could offer a tremendous advantage for
concrete structures.
TABLE 13.4. Relative Load Versus Relative prestressing has been used to a greater extent in
Deflection the construction of segmental bridges-to provide
g reater lo ad c ap ac ity and lo ad d istrib u tio n fo r
A ppro x.
large overhanging flanges and between adjacent
Relativ e
single-cell box girders.
Midspan
Approx. Deflectio n Although a few bridge designs have included
Relativ e at M ax. transverse prestressing, much greater use could be
Max. Load Lo ad made of it for more economical bridge structures.
For replacement of the decks on existing bridges,
Plain concrete 5 5
precast prestressed concrete segmental construc-
Steel-fiber reinforced 18 20
tion offers great advantages, only some of which
Po lymer impregnated 20 13
can be associated with identifiable costs.
Po lymer impregnated and 100 105
As with the segmental box girder, a full-depth
steel-fiber reinforced
segmental panel bridge deck may be precast in
short segment lengths longitudinally and may be
full deck width or partial deck width, Figure 13.8,
13.4. It is obvious that a vast improvement in be- depending on the width of deck required for a
havior and toughness can be expected. particular application. A lso , in ad d itio n to the
transverse prestressing, segmental bridge decks
13.2.6 AMATERIAL LIMITATIOSS may be conceived as having expoxied transverse
joints and longitudinal prestressing.
With improved material properties, not only would A transversely prestressed segmental full-depth
structures become lighter but also the depth of panel bridge deck, Figure 13.9, has been proposed
sup erstructure and thickness o f ind iv id ual ele- by T. Y. Lin International as an alternative design
ments would be reduced. There are some practical for SR 182, Columbia River Replacement Bridge,
limitations, however, as to how much the thickness in the state of Washington. This proposal has the
of a web, for example, may be reduced. The prac- following features:
tical limitations of placing the concrete in the forms
and of congestion of supplemental reinforcement 1. Precast full-depth panels of lightweight con-
and prestressing tendons must still be considered. crete to reduce dead load.
To some extent this could be alleviated by the use 2. Transverse prestressing to achieve large can-
of external tendons, as implemented in the Long tilever overhangs and thus economies in the
Key Bridge in Florida, Figure 6.53. This also has superstructure.
the advantage of reducing the complexity of fabri- 3. Attachment of the panels to the superstructure
cation for precast segments. with shear studs in block-outs of the panel to
Perhaps a more important limitation in using achieve composite action with the superstruc-
materials with improved properties is that at some ture.
point in the design, stress no longer becomes the
controlling criterion. Deformations, both global
and local, may govern. Because of the reduced
section required from a strength point of view,
there may be more concern not only with flexibility
of the structure in a global sense but also with the
possibility of web buckling and limberness of the
deck slab.
. Prestressmg tendons
1 Precast segments
sented are:
was constructed with a single span of 446 ft (136 m) bon bridge is safe against torsional oscillation.15 It
and a width of 10.2 ft (3.10 m). can have a relatively flat sag, such that the grade at
This type of structure has used prefabricated the abutments and piers can be kept at approxi-
transverse and longitudinal prestressed precast mately 4%. Its largest disadvantage is the large
segments supported on the main catenary cables. abutments required to sustain the large tensile
Wind-tunnel tests have indicated that a stress rib- force in the main cables.
Application to Existing or New Bridge Types 547
prime importance, we must not fall into a trap of 5. J. P. Romualdi and G. B. Batson, “ Mechanics of
oversophistication in d e s i g n a t t h e e x p e n s e o f Crack A rrest in Co ncrete,” Proceedings of the ASCE,
simplicity and thus economy in construction. Vol. 89, No. EM 3, June 1963.
As we strive for longer spans and improved 6. . P. Romualdi and G. B. Batson, “ Behavior of Rein-
J
means of constructing bridges, it would be well to forced Concrete Beams with Closely Spaced Rein-
forcement,“journa/ of the American Concrete
remember the words of F. Stiissi, an eminent Swiss Inst it ut e,
551
552 Index of Bridges
Great Belt (Denmark), 14, 401-405, 430-433 Marne River Bridges (France), 5, 357, 361, 362, 363
Gronachtal (Germany), 345 Marolles (France), 344
Guadalupe River at San Jose (California, U.S.A.), 529 Medw ay (U.K.), 7 1
Guadiana Viaduct (Portugal), 300-301 Miller Creek, see Vail Pass
Mirabeau (France), 21, 509
Hartel (Holland), 103-105, 494, 509 Morand (France), 442-444
Herval (Brazil), 31 Morlaix (France), 163
Hobbema (Canada), 8, 10 Moulin a Poudre (France), 163
Hokaw azu (Japan), 378 Moulin-les-Metz (France), 476, 477
Holderbank-Wildeck (Switzerland), 545 Mount Street (A ustralia), 401, 402
Houston Ship Channel (Texas, U.S.A.), 28, 68-71, 161, 169, M-25 Overpass (U.K.), 401, 402
212-222, 232, 238-239, 241, 536 Muhlbachtalbrucke (Germany), 338-339
Hyobashigaw a (Japan), 457, 459 Muscatuck (Indiana, U.S.A.), 84
Incienso (Guatemala), 71, 74, 75 Napa River (Napa, California, U.S.A .), 59-61, 81, 527,
Ingolstadt (Germany), 345 529
Inn (Germany), 345 Napa River (Vallejo, California, U.S.A.), 10
Interstate I-266, Potomac River Crossing, see Three Sisters Bridge Natorigaw a (Japan), 457,460
Iquacu (Brazil), 375 Neckarburg (Germany), 370, 376-380
Islington Avenue Ext. (Canada), 84 Neckarrews (Germany), 33
New Melones (California, U.S.A.), see Stanislaus River
JFK Memorial Causew ay (Texas, U.S.A .), 27, 83, 84, 109, 112- New Orleans, Greater (Louisiana, U.S.A.), 3
114,536 Niesenbachbrucke (Austria), 378, 380-382
Joinville (France), 164, 479 North Main Street Viaduct (Ohio, U.S.A.), 528
Juvisy (France), 95, 96, 233, 254, 509 Nuel Viaduct (France), 344
Abrahams, M. J., 30, 147, 224 Hadley, Homer M., 401, 439
Alden, Donald W., 535 Hale, Phil, 61
Heinen, Richard, 81, 411, 412
Ballinger, C. A., 30, 147, 224 Henneberger, Wayne, 109
Barker, James M., 535 Hoyer, E., 4
Batson, G. B., 540, 549
Baumgart, E., 31 Jackson, P. H., 4
Baur, Willi, 24, 30, 323, 352
Beloff, G., 20, 138, 139 Kashima, S., 147
Bender, Brice, 104, 105, 330, 331 Kingston, R. H., 353
Benson, C. L., 535
Bequin, G. H., 549 Lacey, G. C., 147
Best, K. H., 353 Lenglet, C., 440
Bezouska, T. J., 5 17 Leonhardt, Fritz, 24, 25, 26, 30, 149, 224, 323, 325, 345, 405,
Bezzone, A. P., 81 420,439
Bockel, Manfred, 296, 298, 302 Lin, T. Y., 30,436,440
Bouchet, Andre, 147 Lindberg, H. A., 67
Breen, John E., 109, 112, 113, 147 Lu, H. K., 440
Brown, R. C., Jr., 147
Brunei, 339 Macintosh, D. W., 81
Bryant, Walter, 419 Maddison, M., 353
Bums, N. H., 147 Mangnel, G., 4
Mathivat, J., 147, 260, 280
Caquot, Albert, 31 Milhollin, A. B., 535
Carpenter, James E., 549 Moth, Elizabeth B., 30
Chang, F. K., 439 Morandi, Riccardo, 400, 401, 403, 404, 407, 430, 432,
Cooper, R. L., 147 439
Muller, Jean, 12, 30, 147, 224, 399
Dill, R. E., 4
Dohring, C. E. W., 4 Navier, Claude Louis Marie, 83
Dokken, Richard A., 81, 535 Nehse, Heinz, 549
Downing, Dale F., 81
Podolny, W., Jr., 30, 147, 224, 320, 439, 549
Eiffel, Gustave, 41, 43 Pope, Thomas, 3
Esquillan, M., 34, 375
Redfield, C. M., 440
Feige, A., 439 Resal, 196
Finsterwalder, Ulrich, 11, 23, 30, 33, 36, 81, 320, 401, 402, Romualdi, J. P., 540, 549
404,410,432, 5 4 5 , 5 4 9 Rothman, H. B., 439
Fleming, J. F., 439 Rubinsky, A., 549
Ereyssinet, E., 4, 5. 11, 31, 210, 226, 354, 355, 363, 375, 392, Rubinsky, I. A., 549
394, 398, 399,535 Ryser, Rene, 549
555
556 Index of Personal Names
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Florida Department of Transportation, 524, 525, 526
Officials (AASHTO), formerly American Association of State French National Railways, 453
Highway Officials (AASHO), 5, 6, 8, 30, 55, 148, 149, 190, Freyssinet International, 11,439, 440
193, 199, 2.30, 243, 363, 460, 521, 524, 525, 526, 535, 538,
545 General Services Administration (GSA), 519
American Concrete Institute (ACI), 30, 36, 81, 97, 98, 147, 193, G. F. Atkinson Company, 527
199, 280, 295, 319, 324, 325, 326, 353, 404, 439, 466, 517,
539,549 Heavy Construction News, 81
American Consulting Engineers, Inc., 335 Hensel Phelps Construction Company, 304
American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), 439 Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff, 433, 434, 435, 440
American Railway Engineers Association (AREA), 148, 190
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Indiana State Highway Commission, 335
(ARTBA), 535 Institution of Civil Engineers, 340, 341, 342, 353, 439
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 30, 81, 352, 364, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering
365, 367, 399,409,410,439,440, 543,544, 549 (IABSE), 149,224,319,439
Arvid Grant and Associates, Inc., 419 International Engineering Company, Inc., 524
Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), 535 International Road Federation, 30, 147, 224
Associazione Italiana Cement0 Armato E Precompresso (AICAP),
353 Julius Berger-Bauboag Aktiengesellschaft, 403, 405-408
Associazione Italiana Economica Del Cement0 (AITEC), 353
Kuwait Ministry of Public Works, 547
Beton-und-Stahlbetonbau, 35, 36, 81, 284, 320
Bouygues, 547 Leonhardt and Andra, 24,323,419
British Rail, 340 L’Industria Italiana de1 Cemento, 403, 404
Bullen and Partners, 340
BVN/STS, 104,105, 330, 331 Main Roads Department, Australia, 20, 138, 139, 147, 399
Museum of Modern Art, New York, 30
California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), 10, 27,
47, 59, 61, 81, 523, 535 Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp., 537
California Division of Highways, see California Department of
Transportation Polensky-und-Zollner, 43
Concrete Society (London), The, 341, 342, 343, 353 Portland Cement Association (PCA), 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 37, 49,
Concrete Technology Corporation, 538, 549 50, 56, 74, 81, 135, 136, 147, 309, 320, 353
Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), 81, 320, 353, 517
Der Bauingenieur, 297, 298, 299, 320 Preston Corporation, 419
DRC Consultants, Inc., 62, 288 Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), 5, 6, 8-12, 30, 81, 110-112,
Du Pont de Nemours, 249 147, 224,320,466,517
Dyckerhoff & Widmann, 13, 19, 30, 33, 35, 62, 63, 76, 81, 284,
285,296,301, 303,307,320,404,412,432, 549 Ralph Rodgers Construction Co., 335
Roads and Transportation Association of Canada, 81
Engineering News-Record, 37, 38, 39, 81, 353, 399, 439, 440
Entreprises Campenon Bernard, 12, 122, 419 Siemens-Bauunion, 296
Society of American Value Engineering, 5 19
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 30, 147, 224, 310, Structural Engineers Association of California, 190
419,439,440,520,535,538,545,549
Federation Internationale de la Precontrainte (FIP), 224, 517, Texas Highway, 27, 109
549 Transportation Research Board, National Academy of Sciences,
Federation Internationale de la Precontrainte, ComitC Europeen 30, 319,439,535
du Beton (FIP-cEB), 190, 193 Travaux, 1 4 7 , 2 8 0
Figg and Muller Engineers, Inc., 313, 524 T. Y. Lin International, 436, 542
557
558 Index of Firms and Organizations
AASHTO-PC1 I-girders, 5, 6, 8 cast-in-place operation sequence (cycle), 18, 19, 38, 43,
Abutments, 8, 9, 24, 56, 132, 150, 205, 207, 232-235, 271-276, 63
333,336, 363 precast, 17, 18, 20, 29, 34, 82-147
Aesthetics, 232-234, 354, 424 Casting yard and factories, 20, 103, 135, 138, 504-507
Alignment, 25 Climbing forms, 45,49
Alternate designs, 29, 59, 60, 63, 114, 285, 371, 520-522 Competitive bidding, see Alternate designs
Arches, 12, 15, 16, 31, 47, 354-382 Concrete:
frames, 12 composite, 541
Assembly truss, see Truss, falsework creep, 40, 62, 71, 82, 83, 151, 155-158, 206, 231, 363, 365
curing, 114, 126, 466-469, 506
Balanced cantilever, see Cantilever construction design and properties, 466
Ballast, 62 fiber-reinforced, 539, 540
Bars: high-strength, 537-539
Dywidag, 36, 52, 284, 330, 377, 380, 382, 404, 408, 411, lightweight, 58, 60, 72, 145
412,432,433,538 polymer, 540, 541
high-strength, 34 shrinkage, 17, 62, 71, 82, 83, 365
Macalloy, 340, 341, 342 shrinkage damage, 324
Beam and winch, 20,91, 114-116, 128, 140, 510 Construction:
Bearings, 25, 29, 40, 41, 43, 83, 125, 132, 138, 203-205, 460, critical-path, 82
461 joints, 21
elastomeric, 68, 83, 96, 151, 158, 241-253, 418,426 push-out, see Incremental launching
lateral guide, 325, 338, 341 segmental, see Segmental construction
sliding, 326, 333, 414 sequence, see Erection sequence
temporary, 325, 338, 341 speed, 18
Bidding procedures, 5 18-523 Continuity, 34, 49, 85, 87, 158, 206
alternate designs, 520-522 Continuous superstructures, 155-158
design and build, 519 Contractual aspects, 518-535
single design, 5 18, 5 19 Contraflexure, 9, 21, 97, 113, 124, 150, 205
value engineering, 5 19, 520 Cranes:
Box girder, 10, 12, 14, 15, 21, 35, 37, 41, 43, 47, 48, 49, 58, barge (floating), 20, 22, 86, 87, 91, 109, 112, 138, 139, 237,
59, 68, 83, 88, 89, 103, 107, 109, 117, 138, 159, 160, 203, 238, 239, 311, 312
322 crawler, 20, 509
cast-in-place on falsework, 28, 29, 103 floating, see Barge
efficiency, 159, 160 portal, 20, 103, 105, 509
torsional moments, 169, 170, 205 swivel, 23
transverse load distribution, 164, 169, 170, 202 truck, 20, 128
transverse moments in deck slab, 170 Creep, see Concrete
variable depth, 37, 52, 203, 205 Cross section, 162-169, 202, 203, 217-219
Box sections, see Box girder; Cross section
Braking force, 331 Deflections, 17, 40, 157, 158, 159, 205-210, 483
Demolition, 352
Cable-stay, 12, 14, 16, 28, 400-440 Depth-to-span ratio, 35, 43, 52, 69, 89, 149, 322,402, 405
advantages, 401403 Design of segmental bridges, 148-223
structural style and arrangement, 403-405 Deviation blocks, 310
temporary system, 333, 349, 350 Diaphragms, 41, 53, 54, 57, 62, 67, 85, 90, 112, 124, 203, 204,
Camber, 40, 63, 71, 97, 205-210, 482-485 205, 207,332
Cantilever construction, 2-4, 11, 12, 17, 18, 23, 29, 31-146, Differential settlements, 276-280
149 Dimensional control, see Geometry control
cast-in-place, 17, 18, 29, 31-80 Double-T, 21, 322, 333
559
Zndex of Subjects
Earthquake, 49, 59, 71, 363, 390,418 Match-cast, 11, 17, 43, 82, 83, 85, 96, 97, 117, 124, 130, 199-
Ecology, 28,47, 304 202.409.418
Economics, 5 18-535 Match-cast joint, 199-202
Environment, 18, 23, 27, 28, 29, 48, 99, 122, 304 Material quantities, 219-220, 223
Epoxy, 488-493 Mayreder system, 377
joints, 17, 83, 87,96, 103, 112, 124, 127, 150, 199-202, 414 Median frame, 9, 11
Erection sequence, 66, 105, 127, 132, 133, 136, 341, 367, 397, Model, 109, 112, 200, 201
410,417 Mushroom girder, 21, 296, 298
Expansion joint, 12, 29, 41, 57, 68, 83, 97, 99, 107, 113, 125,
155,158, 205, 208, 303, 331, 345,414,418 Natural frequency, 418
Expansion of long bridges, 158-159 Negative moment tendons, see Cantilever construction; Prestress-
External post-tensioning, 23 ing tendons
Neoprene bearings:
Falsework bents, 25 double-row, 230, 241-253
Fatigue, 210-212, 441 influence of thickness and arrangement, 251-253
Finger joints, 138 properties, 245-248
Form traveler, 1, 17-21, 23, 36, 38, 40, 43, 50, 54, 58, 62-64, see also Bearings, elastomeric
70, 206, 302, 303, 475-478
Free cantilever, see Cantilever construction Piers, 39-41, 49, 63, 68, 89, 91, 99, 100, 113, 225-280, 301, 304,
Friction, 321, 323, 330, 351 308, 321,424
Foundations, 225-280 aesthetics, 232-234
caps, 49
Geometry control, 321, 322, 495-497, 499-504 deformation, 230, 231, 248-250, 257-261
double elastomeric bearing, 241-253
Hinges, 21, 34, 35, 49, 50, 62, 124, 126, 150, 205, 208, 363 elastic stability with flexible legs, 261-263
Freyssinet concrete, 357, 365 flexibility, 83, 158, 229, 230, 331
mid-span, 151, 155-159, 354 foundation, 49, 68, 234-241
for incremental launching, 350-352
I-girder, 8-10, 28, 29, 525, 526 loads, 230-232
Ice breaker, 124, 238, 239 moment-resistant, 228, 230, 234-241
Incremental launching, 12, 18, 24-27, 34, 84, 321-353 precast, 23, 228
alignment requirements, 343 properties with double-row neoprene bearings, 250, 251
balanced casting, 322, 323 properties with flexible legs, 257-261
casting area, 349 segmental, 543, 544
construction principle, 343-346 stability during construction, 263-271
continuous casting, 322 temporary, see Temporary bents
demolition by, 352 temporary bracing, 105, 270, 27 1
design, 343-352 temporary stays, 271
launching methods, 349 twin flexible legs, 228, 230, 253-263
piers and foundations, 350-352 Polyethylene pipe, 310
span arrangement, 343-346 Positive-moment tendons, see Continuity; Prestressing tendons
superstructure type, shape and dimensions, 343-345 Precast outrigger struts, 45, 73
Investment, 18, 29 Precast piles, 135
Prestressed concrete:
Jacking, lift-and-push, 323 evolution, 4, 5
Jacks, Freyssinet flat, 360, 365, 374 evolution of bridges, 5-8
Joints, see Construction; Expansion joint; Finger joints; Hinges; precast girders, 8-10
segments Prestressing:
continuity, 178, 179, 182
Keys, 11, 112, 124, 136, 199-202,409 future provisions, 212
longitudinal, 69, 107, 109, 125, 213
Launching gantries, 20, 22, 64, 67, 96, 98, 103, 105, 106, 109, temporary, 83, 103, 132-134, 334, 348, 414
117, 120-122, 124, 126-128, 134, 135, 141, 145, 511- three-dimensional, 36, 63, 69, 117
517 transverse, 17, 49, 60, 61, 69, 94
Launching girder, see Launching gantries vertical, 17, 41, 69, 70, 125
Launching nose, 25, 46, 322, 325, 331-333, 338, 341, 346-350, Prestressing tendons:
380 anchors, 470, 471
Launching sequence, see Erection sequence cantilever, 87, 109, 114, 173
Live load requirements, 149 continuity, 87, 109, 114, 149, 173
Long-bed, see Long-line method corrosion protection, 537
Longitudinal bending, 2 12, 2 13 ducts, 470
Longitudinal closure strip, 112 friction losses, 47 l-475
Long-line method, 85, 97, 103, 142, 143, 493-494 glass fiber, 537
Index of Subjects 561