• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.455-460
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• 2001

Generally, the contribution of curbs and median strip is not considered carefully in analysing and designing the girder bridges. There being curbs, the load given on interior girder relatively reduced and on exterior girder increased. Curbs and median strip reduce the load distribution factor by distributing the load given on girder fairly, In this paper, the Influence of curbs and median strip in wheel distribution through parameter study and lateral distribution test of PSC girder bridge was investigated. Finite-element analysis was performed with parameterizing the flexural rigidity of the girder, span length, girder spacing, median strip, curbs. The influence of curbs and median strip would increase with lowering rigidity of girder. In addition, curbs lower the load distribution factor of exterior and interior girders.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.5 no.1 s.16
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• pp.33-43
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• 2005

The girder wheel load distribution factors stated in the Korean Bridge Specification and AASHTO Standard Specifications do not account for the effect of skewness of plate girders, and very little research has been conducted on girder wheel load distribution factors. The purpose of the study is to propose load distribution factor formulas for skew plate girder bridges which comprise various parameters through structural analysis. To confirm the validity of finite element models used in this study analytic values are compared with the field test results. From the results it should be noted that span length is not such a dominant parameter compared with others. In view of better load distribution of interior girders, skew arranged cross beams or bracing are preferable, furthemore bracing system is more effective than cross beam system. By means of regression analysis on the basis of analytic results wheel load distribution factor formulas are proposed and compared with current codes.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.293-303
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• 2005

The girder wheel load distribution factors stated in the Korean Bridge Specification and AASHTO Standard Specifications do not account for the effect of skewness of plate girders, and very little research has been conducted on girder wheel load distribution factors. The purpose of the study is to propose load distribution factor formulas for skew plate girder bridges which comprise various parameters through structural analysis. To comprise the validity of finite element models used in this study analytic values are compared with the field test results. From the results it should be noted that span length is not such a dominant parameter compared with others. In view of better load distribution of interior girders, skew arranged cross beams or bracing are preferable, furthemore bracing system is more effective than cross beam system. By means of regression analysis on the basis of analytic results wheel load distribution factor formulas are proposed and compared with current codes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.233-245
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• 2007

Previous finite element studies have shown that AASHTO Standard load distribution factor (LDF) equations appear to be conservative for longer spans and larger girder spacing, but too permissible for short spans and girder spacing. AASHTO LRFD specification defines the distribution factor equation for girder spacing, span length, slab thickness, and longitudinal stiffness. However, this equation requires an iterative procedure to correctly determine the LDF value due to an initially unknown longitudinal stiffness parameter. This study presents a simplified LDF equation for interior and exterior girders of two-span continuous I-girder bridges that does not require an iterative design procedure. The finite element method was used to investigate the effect of girder spacing, span length, slab thickness, slab width, and spacing and size of bracing. The computer program, GTSTRUDL, was used to idealize the bridge superstructures as the eccentric beam model, the concrete slab by quadrilateral shell elements, steel girders by space frame members, and the composite action between these elements by rigid links. The distribution factors obtained from these analyses were compared with those from the AASHTO Standard and LRFD methods. It was observed through the parametric studies that girder spacing, span length, and slab thickness were the dominant parameters compared with others. The LRFD distribution factor for the interior girder was found to be conservative in most cases, whereas the factor for the exterior girder to be unconservative in longer spans. Furthermore, a regression analysis was performed to develop simplified LDF formulas. The formulas developed in this study produced LDF values that are always conservative to those from the finite element method and are generally smaller than the LDF values obtained from the AASHTO LRFD specification. The proposed simplified equation will assist bridge engineers in predicting the actual LDF in two-span continuous I-girder bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.237-249
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• 2016

There are constraints on truck weight, axle configurations and size imposed by departments of transportation around the globe due to structural capacity limitations of highway pavements and bridges. In spite of that, freight movers demand some vehicles that surpass the maximum size and legal weight limits to use the transportation network. Oversized trucks serve the purpose of spreading the load on the bridge; thus, reducing the load effect on the superstructure. For such vehicles, often a quick structural analysis of the existing bridges along the traveled route is needed to ensure that the structural capacity is not exceeded. For a wide vehicle having wheel gage larger than the standard 1830 mm, the girder distribution factors in the design specifications cannot be directly used to estimate the live load in the supporting girders. In this study, a simple approach that is based on finite element analysis is developed by modifying the AASHTO LRFD's girder distribution factors for slab-on-steel-girder bridges to overcome this problem. The proposed factors allow for determining the oversized vehicle bending moment and shear force effect in the individual girders as a function of the gage width characteristics. Findings of the study showed that the relationship between the girder distribution factor and gage width is more nonlinear in shear than in flexure. The proposed factors yield reasonable results compared with the finite element analysis with adequate level of conservatism.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.88-97
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• 2011

For Korean design provisions are not equipped for skewed steel box girder bridges, when American provisions are adopted, load distribution factors different from real behavior are determinated. Furthermore the possibility of over or under estimated bridge design involves. The aim of this study is to provide more rational load distribution factor formulas based on real behavior for shear at obtuse corner of skewed steel box girder bridges. In order to accomplish the aim finite element analysis for a variety of skewed steel box girder bridge structural models is carried out, and each parameters degree of influence on wheel load distribution factors of skewed steel box girder bridges are analyzed. Then multiple regression analysis is fulfilled in order to propose formulas for determinating shear force load distribution factor of skewed steel box girder bridges.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.157-166
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to examine the accuracy of the code provisions on lateral load distribution factors of prestressed concrete girder bridges. Most designers in Korea use the lever method or lateral load distribution formula in the existing design codes. However, the methods do not account for the effect of bridge skew or direction of diaphragm. Therefore, this study analysed the prestressed concrete girder bridge with grillage model for various girder spacings, directions of diaphragms, span lengths, and skews, and compared the results with those of existing design code. It has been found that lateral load distribution factors were proportional to the girder spacing while they were not significantly affected by the change of span length, direction of diaphragm, and skew. For bending moments, lateral load distribution factors from the grillage analysis were 60%~68% of those from Korean bridge design code. Therefore, the code provisions result in very conservative design. For support reactions, however, lateral load distribution factors from the grillage analysis were slightly greater than those from Korean bridge design code. Therefore, the capacity of bearings of the bridge with a large skew should be determined by grillage analysis.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.4 s.56
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• pp.148-158
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• 2009

Firstly the problems of existing foreign code concerning wheel load distribution factor for skew box girder bridges have been examined, and the main parameters which have effects on wheel load distribution factors are evaluated in this study. Further finite element analyses on various skew steel box girder bridges are carried out. Based on the analysis results, formulas to determine wheel load distribution factors are proposed using multiple regression analysis. It is found when using the proposed formulas in this study weak points of existing specifications could be improved and also time spent at structural analysis should be saved a lot, so that the validity and practicality could be verified.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.207-220
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• 2023

The safety of bridges are critical in our transportation infrastructure. Bridge design and analysis require complex structural analysis procedures to ensure their safety and stability. One common method is to calculate the maximum moment in the girders to determine the appropriate bridge section. Girder distribution factors (GDFs) provide a simpler approach for performing this analysis. A GDF is a ratio between the response of a single girder and the total response of all girders in the bridge. This paper explores the significance of GDFs in bridge analysis and design, including their importance in the evaluation of existing bridges. We utilized Bridge Weigh-in-motion (B-WIM) measurements of five simple supported girder bridge in Indonesia to develop a simple GDF provisions for the Indonesia's bridge design code. The B-WIM measurements enable us to know each girder strain as a response due to vehicle loading as the vehicle passes the bridge. The calculated GDF obtained from the B-WIM measurements were compared with the code-specified GDF and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) bridge design specification. Our study found that the code specified GDF was adequate or conservative compared to the GDF obtained from the B-WIM measurements. The proposed GDF equation correlates well with the AASHTO LRFD bridge design specification. Developing appropriate provisions for GDFs in Indonesian bridge design codes can provides a practical solution for designing girder bridges in Indonesia, ensuring safety while allowing for easier calculations and assessments based on B-WIM measurements.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2022

This paper discusses the field testing of two single-span double-tee girder (DTG) bridges in South Dakota to determine live load distribution factors (LLDFs) and the dynamic load allowance (IM). One bridge had seven girders and another had eight girders. The longitudinal girder-to-girder joints of both bridges were deteriorated in a way that water could penetrate and the joint steel members were corroded. A truck traveled across each of the two bridges at five transverse paths. The paths were tested twice with a crawl speed load test and twice with a dynamic load. The LLDFs and IM were determined using strain data measured during the field tests. These results were compared with those determined according to the AASHTO Standard and the AASHTO LRFD specifications. Nearly all the measured LLDFs were below the AASHTO LRFD design LLDFs, with the exception of two instances: 1) An exterior DTG on the seven-girder bridge and 2) An interior DTG on the eight-girder bridge. The LLDFs specified in the AASHTO Standard were conservative compared with the measured LLDFs. It was also found that both AASHTO LRFD and AASHTO Standard specifications were conservative when estimating IM, compared to the field test results for both bridges.