Development of Cost-Effective Box Girder Bridge Design and Accelerated Construction in Skew and Straight Alignments

在桥梁施工中使用预制构件和系统已成为桥梁管辖区内备受关注和感兴趣的主题。预制元件和系统可以快速组装，减少对现场附近环境的影响，并最大限度地减少延误和车道关闭时间以及对旅行公众的不便，节省时间和纳税人的金钱。其中一种系统是横向放置在箱梁上的全深、全宽预制混凝土桥面板，其中提供了灌浆槽，以容纳焊接到钢梁或嵌入混凝土梁中的剪力连接件集群。加拿大公路桥梁设计规范（CHBDC）没有提供足够的指导或规范，用于斜交和右对齐的箱形截面预制桥梁系统的经济设计。文献综述揭示了一些重要的未解决的分析，设计和性能问题，需要详细的评估，并形成本研究的短期目标。这些问题包括：（i）施工阶段斜交箱形梁桥的恒载和活载分布系数;（ii）极限状态和疲劳极限状态下直交和斜交组合箱形梁桥的活载分布系数;（iii）钢柱螺栓群在极限和疲劳极限状态下的能力，与单柱螺栓应用相反，采用超高性能混凝土（UHPC）作为剪切窝的填充材料;（iv）槽钢连接件在极限状态和疲劳极限状态下的承载力，以及（v）预制板与在桥墩的受拉侧采用面板连接，以提高强度和长期耐久性，特别是在负弯矩区域使用玻璃纤维增强聚合物（GFRP）钢筋作为板主钢筋。 本研究的长期目标旨在通过开发实验校准的、基于计算机的、能够准确预测其在荷载条件下的响应的分析模型，为此类预制箱梁桥的有效设计做出贡献。研究将包括使用有限元法、正交各向异性板理论和实验程序的数值模拟。这项研究预计将导致一个更经济的预制桥梁设计过程，与潜在的显着节省成本的桥梁业主。拟议的研究计划将促进与行业的互动，这将有利于桥梁工程专业。从长远来看，这种预制桥梁系统的设计将产生更可靠和更经济的表达方式和方法，以便可能纳入加拿大公路桥梁设计规范，正如申请人根据其当前的NSERC发现和参与赠款以及行业的额外资金为其即将到来的2019年版本所做的那样。

The use of prefabricated elements and systems in accelerating bridge construction has recently been the subject of much attention and interest amongst bridge jurisdictions. Prefabricated elements and systems can be quickly assembled, reduce the impact on the environment in the vicinity of the site, and minimize the delays and lane closure time and inconvenience to the traveling public, saving time and tax payers' money. One of these systems is the full-depth, full width, precast concrete deck slab placed transversally over box girders where grouted pockets are provided to accommodate clusters of shear connectors welded to steel girders or embedded in concrete girders. The Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code, CHBDC does not provide enough guidance or specifications for the economical design of such prefabricated bridge system made of box section in skew and right alignments. Literature review revealed a number of important unresolved analysis, design and performance issues which require detailed evaluation and form the short term objectives of this research. These issues include: (i) dead and live load distribution coefficients for box girder bridges in skew alignment at construction stage; (ii) live load distribution coefficients for composite box girder bridges in straight and skew alignment at ultimate and fatigue limit states; (iii) capacity of steel stud clusters at ultimate and fatigue limit states as opposed to single stud applications, incorporating ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as filling material in shear pockets; (iv) capacity of steel channel connectors at ultimate and fatigue limit states and (v) ultimate and fatigue capacities of precast panel-to-panel connection in the tension side over piers for strength and long-term durability, especially with the use of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars as slab main reinforcement at the negative moment region. The long term objectives of this research aim at contributing to the efficient design of such prefabricated box girder bridges by developing experimentally calibrated, computer based, analytical models capable of predicting accurately their response due to load conditions. The research will include numerical modelling using the finite-element method, the Orthotropic Plate Theory and experimental program. This study is expected to result in a more economical prefabricated bridge design process, with potentially significant cost savings to bridge owners. The proposed research program will foster interaction with the industry that will benefit the bridge engineering profession. In the long term, more reliable and economical expressions and methodology for design of such prefabricated bridge system will be generated for possible inclusion in the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code as the applicant did for its forthcoming 2019 edition based on his current NSERC Discovery and Engage Grants and additional funding from the industry.