Corrosion resistant composite bridges using stainless steel I-sections and shear studs

本项目研究了不锈钢工字形截面和剪力钉在钢-混凝土组合桥中的应用。由于恶劣的环境、大的/可变的结构荷载以及进入它们经常所在的场地的限制，桥梁结构给承包商和结构设计者带来了许多挑战。建造和维护这些结构可能是及时和昂贵的，特别是在有盐和水的环境中。不幸的是，在过去的一些场合，如康涅狄格州的Mianus River大桥，桥梁中某些构件的腐蚀导致结构倒塌和生命损失。钢-混凝土组合梁由工字钢截面通过剪力连接件连接到混凝土板上，广泛应用于建筑和桥梁中，因为该系统优化了每种材料的使用，使梁能够在无支撑的情况下跨越很长的距离。然而，到目前为止，大多数研究都集中在碳钢在这些应用上。不锈钢传统上不太受欢迎，因为它的材料成本较高，而且现有的设计指导有限。近年来，研究人员也越来越多地将注意力转向这种材料，从而更好地了解了它的结构特性和性能。不锈钢与碳钢相比有许多优点，最显著的是优异的耐腐蚀性。这减少了桥梁维护的需要，因此较高的材料成本被较低的生命周期成本所补偿。这种更好的耐腐蚀性也降低了结构失效的可能性。本研究项目的目的是对采用不锈钢工字形截面和剪力钉的不锈钢-混凝土组合试件进行一系列的实验室试验(推出试验和全员弯曲试验)，以评估不锈钢的性能。实验将在布拉德福德大学结构工程实验室的坚固地板上进行。将对不锈钢部件和碳钢部件的性能进行比较。不同类型的剪切螺柱也将进行比较-焊接和螺栓/可拆卸。可拆卸的剪切螺柱在施工/拆卸方面具有进一步的潜在优势，并且在疲劳载荷下的性能可能比焊接螺柱更好。试验结束后，将使用有限元软件开发数值模型，以扩展研究成果并进行参数研究。这些结果最终将被用于制定纳入欧洲法规4的指导方针，促进不锈钢的开发，以提供更安全、更具成本效益和更低维护的钢-混凝土组合结构。

This project investigates the use of stainless steel I-sections and shear studs in steel-concrete composite bridges. Bridge structures present many challenges to contractors and structural designers owing to harsh environments, large/variable structural loading and limited access to the sites in which they are often located. Construction and maintenance of these structures can be timely and expensive, particularly in environments where salt and water are present. Unfortunately, on some occasions in the past such as the Mianus River Bridge in Connecticut, corrosion of certain elements in bridges has led to structural collapse and loss of life. Steel-concrete composite beams, comprising a steel I-section connected to a concrete slab by shear connectors, are widely used in buildings and bridges since this system optimises the use of each material and enables beams to span long distances unsupported. However, most research to date has focussed on carbon steel in these applications. Stainless steel has been traditionally less popular owing to its higher material cost and limited available design guidance. Researchers have also increasingly turned their attention to this material in recent years, leading to a better understanding of its structural properties and performance. Stainless steel offers many advantages over carbon steel, most notably superior corrosion resistance. This reduces the need for bridge maintenance and so the higher material cost is compensated for by lower life-cycle costs. This improved corrosion resistance also reduces the likelihood of structural failure. The aim of this research project is to conduct a series of laboratory experiments (push-out tests and full member bending tests) on stainless steel-concrete composite specimens using stainless steel I-sections and shear studs in order to assess the performance of stainless steel. The experiments will be conducted in the strong floor in the structural engineering laboratory of the University of Bradford. Comparisons will be drawn between the performance of stainless steel and carbon steel components. Different types of shear stud will also be compared - welded and bolted/demountable. The demountable shear studs offer further potential advantages with regard to ease of construction/dismantling and a potentially better performance under fatigue loading than welded studs. Following the experiments, numerical models will be developed using finite element software in order to extend the results of the research and enable parametric studies. The results will eventually be used to develop guidelines for incorporation into Eurocode 4, promoting the exploitation of stainless steel to provide safer, cost-effective and lower maintenance steel-concrete composite structures.