2015 Interim Revisions

LRFD Guide Specifications for the Design of

Pedestrian Bridges
D EC E M B E R 20 0 9

american  association of  state  highway  and transportation  officials

GSDPB–2-I1 www.transportation.org
ISBN: 978–1–56051–619-4
2015 Interim
Revisions

LRFD GUIDE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES

DECEMBER 2009

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY

AND TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS

© 2014 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
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© 2014 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. All rights reserved. Duplication is
a violation of applicable law.

ISBN: 978-1-56051-619-4 Pub Code: GSDPB-2-I1

© 2014 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
 2015 INTERIM TO LRFD GUIDE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE
INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION DESIGN OF PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES, SECOND EDITION

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION

General
AASHTO has issued interim revisions to AASHTO LRFD Guide Specification for the Design of Pedestrian Bridges
(2009). This packet contains the revised pages.

Affected Articles
Underlined text indicates revisions that were approved in 2014 by the AASHTO Highways Subcommittee on
Bridges and Structures. Strikethrough text indicates any deletions that were likewise approved by the Subcommittee. A
list of affected articles is included below.
All interim pages are printed on pink paper to make the changes stand out when inserted in the second edition
binder. They also have a page header displaying the section number affected and the interim publication year. Please
note that these pages may also contain non-technical (e.g., editorial) changes made by AASHTO publications staff; any
changes of this type will not be marked in any way so as not to distract the reader from the technical changes.

2014 Changed Articles

SECTION 7: STEEL TWIN I-GIRDER AND SINGLE TUB GIRDER SYSTEMS

7.2.2

iii

© 2014 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
SECTION 7: STEEL TWIN I-GIRDER 2015 INTERIM TO LRFD GUIDE SPECIFICATIONS FOR
AND SINGLE TUB GIRDER SYSTEMS DESIGN OF PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES, SECOND EDITION

7.2—STEEL TWIN I-GIRDER AND SINGLE TUB

GIRDER SYSTEMS
7.2.1—General
For potentially torsionally flexible systems such as
twin I-girder and single tub girder structural systems,
the designer shall consider:
• The out-of-plane stiffness of twin I-girders, prior to
becoming composite with a concrete deck, can be
significantly smaller than the in-plane, or vertical,
stiffness. This can lead to a lateral-torsional
buckling instability during construction.
• Single tub girders, prior to becoming composite
with a concrete deck, behave as singly symmetric
sections with a shear center below the bottom
flange. AASHTO LRFD Article 6.7.5.3 requires top
lateral bracing in tub section members to prevent
lateral torsional buckling of these sections.
C7.2.1
Several incidents have highlighted the need for a
careful evaluation of the stability of pedestrian bridges,
especially during the construction stages. Structural
systems consisting of two parallel girders can exhibit
very different behavior during construction, depending
on the bracing systems used. Lateral bracing contributes
significantly to the lateral-torsional buckling capacity of
the beam. For girders without lateral bracing during
construction, lateral-torsional buckling capacity should
be carefully evaluated. After the deck is cast, the section
is effectively a “C” shape, which is singly symmetrical.
Use of the appropriate lateral-torsional buckling equation
is critical, and reference should be made to Galambos
(1998). Further information is contained in Yura and
Widianto (2005), as well as Kozy and Tunstall (2007).

• Prior to becoming composite with a concrete deck,

twin I-girders with bottom flange bracing will
behave as a tub girder and will exhibit the same
tendencies toward lateral-torsional buckling. Top
lateral bracing shall be provided as for tub sections,
or the stability shall be checked as a singly
symmetric member.

7.2.2—Lateral-Torsional Buckling Resistance—

Twin I-Girder
For evaluating the stability of twin I-girder systems
without a composite deck or lateral bracing, the
equation given by Yura and Widianto (2005) may be
used:

π2 sE
M n = M cr = I yo I xo ≤ M px (7.2.2-1)
L2

where:
Mn = nominal in-plane flexural resistance of one
girder (kip-in.)

Mcr = critical elastic lateral-torsional buckling

moment of one girder (kip-in.)

s = spacing between girders (in.)

E = modulus of elasticity of steel (ksi)

L = effective buckling length for lateral-torsional

buckling (ft) (in.)

Iyo = out-of-plane moment of inertia of one girder

(in.4)

1
© 2014 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
SECTION 7: STEEL TWIN I-GIRDER 2015 INTERIM TO LRFD GUIDE SPECIFICATIONS FOR
AND SINGLE TUB GIRDER SYSTEMS DESIGN OF PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES, SECOND EDITION

Ixo = in-plane moment of inertia of one girder (in.4)

Mpx = in-plane plastic moment of one girder (kip-in.)

Where a concrete deck is used, continuous twin I-girder

systems shall be made composite with the deck for the
entire length of the bridge.

7.2.3—Lateral-Torsional Buckling Resistance— C7.2.3

Singly Symmetric Sections
The lateral-torsional stability of singly symmetric
sections not covered in Article 7.2.2 shall be
investigated using information available in the
literature.
Equations for the determination of the lateral-torsional
buckling moment in singly symmetric sections are given
in the Guide to Stability Design Criteria for Metal
Structures by Galambos (1998), specifically in
Chapter 5. Equation 5.10 of that chapter presents the
general formula for singly symmetric members where
bending is in the plane of symmetry. Methods for
accounting for location of loading with respect to the
shear center are provided, as well as for determining the
appropriate buckling lengths considering rotational
restraints.

8—TYPE SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

8.1—Arches
Arches shall be designed in accordance with the
provisions of AASHTO LRFD with guidance from
Nettleton (1977).
8.2—Steel HSS Members
8.2.1—General C8.2.1
The capacities or resistances of connections for steel AISC has partnered with CIDECT to publish a set of
HSS members shall be in accordance with Chapter K of HSS Design Guides. These guides are published
the specifications and commentary of AISC (2005) or internationally and have not been reviewed by AISC and
AASHTO Signs. Resistances for fatigue design shall be are not necessarily in accordance with the AISC
in accordance with Section 2.20.6 of Structural Welding Specifications. However, the documents are a good
Code—Steel ANSI/AWS D1.1 or Section 11 of resource on HSS connections and systems.
AASHTO Signs. All loads, load factors, and resistance
factors shall be as specified by AASHTO LRFD and
these Guide Specifications. For member design other
than connections:
• Flexure resistance of steel HSS members shall be
according to AASHTO LRFD Article 6.12 as box
sections.
• Shear resistance of steel HSS members shall be
according to AASHTO LRFD Article 6.11.9 as box
sections.

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© 2014 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.