M27BE Tutorial December 2010

The following questions illustrate the style of examination questions. They

carry different marks and are intended to test varies material in the module.
A few more questions will be available later in the new year.

Question 1

For bridge decks built by different materials, their rates of reaction to the same
temperature variation are not constant. Bridge designers have to take these effects
into consideration to check the serviceability of the structure.

a) Name and explain the two classes of temperature effects on bridge deck.

b) Explain how the following terms and their relationship influence the horizontal
thermal movement of a bridge deck.
(i) bridge deck material (i.e. concrete and steel) (ii) air shade temperatures (iii)
effective bridge temperatures (vi) deck surfacing.

c) Explain the factors you could consider to determine the total magnitude of
movement of the expansion joint for a simply supported single span bridge deck
which is built by precast prestressed concrete beams with in-situ overlaying
slab. Provide sketches to clearly show the directions of the movements due to
those factors.

Question 2

A highway authority requires a bridge over a truck road. The bridge is 25m long single
span and simply supported. The deck structure consists of 10 No. class 1 M8
prestressed concrete beams, with a composite deck as shown in Figure 2.1. The
height of the kerbs of the footpaths is 90mm.

14100 OVERALL WIDTH
400 2000 1000 7300 CARRIAGEWAY 1000 2000 400
HARD HARD
STRIP STRIP

1275 1275

Figure 2.1

Provide answers to the following questions using Table 2.1and Table 2.2.

a) Determine the number of notional lanes and lane width.

M27BE Tutorial December 2010

b) Determine the LM1 UDL and tandem load.

c) Using your answers to a) & b) above indicate on the deck plan the unfactored
load which will cause maximum bending moment at the mid-span.

d) If a permanent central reservation of 1m wide is now required at the centre of

the carriageway and the hardstrips on both sides are used as part of the
carriageway, repeat questions a) to c) above.

For the following four different deck sections where w = 11.2m for a), 6.7m for b),
13.5m for c) and 6.2m for d), determine

e) the number of notional lanes and lane width.

f) the European traffic load model LM1 UDL and tandem load.

Figure 2.2 The four types of bridge deck arrangements under consideration.
M27BE Tutorial December 2010

Table 2.1 Traffic load model LM1 with characteristic value defined in UK NA

Table 2.2 Number and width of notional lanes (from BS EN 1991 Part 2)

Question 3

a) For multi-span bridge design and construction, deck continuity over supports is
prefered by many designers. Provide five factors favouring this type of bridge
deck construction.

b) Precast concrete beam bridge deck construction using precast Y, M and U

beams has been in use for a long time and it is one of the favoured techniques
for small to medium span bridges There are two classes of bridge deck
continuity for this type of construction, namely semi-continuous and fully
continuous.

(i) Explain the differences of these two classes of bridge deck construction.
(ii) For each class in (i), illustrate two different types of continuity detail by
using appropriate sketches and labels.
(iii) Explain the advantages and the disadvantages of each type of continuity
construction in (ii).
M27BE Tutorial December 2010

c) In addition to the usual design considerations which have to be applied to all

precast bridge beams, there are three additional problems associated with the
continuous support area when precast beam make continuous over
intermediate supports. One of these associates with the long term continuity
moment due to creep and shrinkage at SLS.

Explain in detail the development of this continuity moment due to creep and
shrinkage of concrete. Provide sketches to clearly show the directions of
bending moment and deformation shapes of the bridge deck.

Question 4

A 30m long simply supported, single span composite bridge is located over a
waterway. It consists of a series of Y8 precast prestresssed concrete beams at 1.25m
centres, with a 230mm deep in situ concrete slab. Figure 4.1 represents a single unit
of the composite deck per precast beam. The maximum unfactored bending moment
at mid-span of the deck caused by the traffic load and all superimposed dead weight is
1500kNm.

From the manufacturer’s data the Y8 beam has the following properties:

Area = 584688 mm2.

Neutral axis depth from bottom of beam, yb = 639 mm
Section modulus Zbot = 185.86 x 106 mm3. Ztop = 156.07 x 106 mm3.
Unit weight of the beam = 14.62kN/m
Unit weight of concrete = 24kN/m3.

Figure 3.1 Section view of a single composite beam unit

M27BE Tutorial December 2010

Material properties
Precast concrete fck = 50 N/mm2
Ec = 35 kN/mm2 fck( at transfer) = 40 N/mm2

Insitu concrete fck = 40 N/mm2

Ec = 30 kN/mm2

You may assume the centroid of the prestressing force is at 120mm above the bottom
of the Y8 beam.

a) Using the material properties above and the section moduli of the composite
section provided below, calculate the stresses at the beam top & bottom as well
as the top of slab due to self weight, full traffic load and the superimposed dead
load. You have to account for the effect of construction method but don’t need
to include the effect of prestressing force in this calculation.

Section properties of the composite section

ỹ = 895 mm ( from bottom of beam)
I = 240 x 109 mm4

b) Determine the required jacking force, P, using the appropriate stress calculated
in a) to ensure that the stress at the bottom of the beam is limited to the
allowable tension of ZERO (No tension condition). You may assume 30% total
long term prestress losses.
c) Assuming the differential shrinkage strain is 150 x 10-6, calculate
i) the restraining force, by assuming 45% of the fully restraining force
being effective due to creep effect;
ii) calculate and draw the final self equilibrating shrinkage stress at the
composite section.

Question 5

It is proposed to build a new railway bridge and an Approval in Principle (AIP)

document will need to be prepared. The proposed bridge has two spans and either two
simply supported spans or a bridge with continuity over the central support are being
considered.

a) List the 8 most relevant main headings you would need to consider within the
AIP to adequately document the proposed structure. Give brief explanations
why these headings are relevant for the purpose of the document.

b) Which span option would you recommend? Provide a sketch to show the
deck/joint of your preferred option over the central support.
M27BE Tutorial December 2010

c) What are the advantages of your chosen option compared with the other
option? Clearly refer to each component (for example bearings or movement
joints, if any) shown in the sketch in b) to explain your reasons.

Question 6

a) Describe the criteria for an expansion joint to be considered as performing

satisfactory.

b) Explain the factors you could consider to determine the magnitude of movement
of a expansion joint for a simply supported single span bridge deck which is
built by precast prestressed concrete beams with in-situ overlaying slab.
Provide sketches to clearly show the directions of the movements due to those
factors.

c) What is an “Integral Bridge”? In addition to the usual design considerations,

what additional factors must be considered for the design of an Integral Bridge ?
.