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

使用预制构件和系统加快桥梁建设最近引起了桥梁司法管辖区的极大关注和兴趣。预制件和系统可以快速组装，减少对现场附近环境的影响，最大限度地减少延误和车道关闭时间，以及对出行公众的不便，节省时间和纳税人的金钱。其中一个系统是横向放置在箱梁上的全深度、全宽度预制混凝土桥面板，在箱梁上提供灌浆口袋，以容纳焊接到钢梁或嵌入混凝土梁的剪力连接件群。加拿大公路桥设计规范CHBDC对这种由箱形截面斜交和直线型预制桥梁系统的经济设计没有提供足够的指导或规范。文献回顾揭示了一些重要的未解决的分析、设计和性能问题，这些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)施工阶段斜交组合箱梁桥的静载和活载分配系数；(Ii)组合箱梁桥在极限和疲劳极限状态下直线和斜交组合梁桥的活载分配系数；(Iii)极限和疲劳极限状态下的钢钉群的能力，而不是单钉应用，在剪力槽中加入超高性能混凝土(UHPC)作为填充材料；(Iv)极限状态和疲劳极限状态下钢通道连接件的承载能力；(V)桥墩上方受拉侧预制板与板连接的极限和疲劳能力，特别是在负弯矩区域使用玻璃纤维增强聚合物(GFRP)筋作为板主筋的情况下的极限和疲劳能力。 这项研究的长期目标旨在通过开发经过实验校准的、基于计算机的分析模型来帮助此类预制箱梁桥的高效设计，该模型能够准确地预测其在荷载条件下的响应。研究内容包括有限元数值模拟、正交各向异性板理论和实验程序。这项研究预计将导致一个更经济的预制桥梁设计过程，潜在地为桥梁所有者节省大量成本。拟议的研究计划将促进与行业的互动，这将使桥梁工程专业受益。从长远来看，这种预制桥梁系统的设计将产生更可靠、更经济的表达和方法，可能会被纳入加拿大公路桥设计规范，就像申请者基于他目前的NSERC Discovery和Engage Grants以及来自行业的额外资金为即将到来的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.