Full-range analysis of multi-span prestressed concrete segmental bridges

Abstract

The in-situ concrete stitches of prestressed concrete segmental bridge are locations of potential weakness for the entire bridge deck but relatively little work has been carried out in this area. The effects of the performance of in-situ stitches on the global behaviour of bridge deck are not well understood. As most existing techniques cannot cope with such full-range analyses, a numerical technique has been developed for conducting full-range analyses of continuous prestressed concrete bridges under incremental loads or displacements. The bridge is modelled as a series of beam elements each of which is governed by the corresponding moment-curvature relationship of a representative section within it. While most of the existing techniques are only capable of analysing the behaviour of continuous prestressed concrete beams up to the peak load-carrying capacity, the present technique can extend well into the postpeak range, which is crucial to the investigation of ductility or deformability. The development and verification of the technique are presented in this paper.