• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.50-61
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• 2012

In recent years, various research and developments to introduce composite bridges of new concept have been performed. The types of integral bridge and portal rigid frame bridge are having advantages in bridge maintenance and structural efficiency by eliminating expansion joints and bridge supports. However, the detail of typical girder-abutment connection has problems such as complexity of construction and increase of the construction cost. A new type of bridge, called prestress integral composite girder(PIC girder) bridge, is proposed in this study, which decreases the cost of construction and improves the efficiency of construction by simplifying the detail of construction for girder-abutment connection. PIC girder bridge has the connection detail in which the steel girder and the abutment are integrated by using the PS bar installed in the connection. In this study, finite element analysis and mock-up load test are conducted to evaluate the propriety of design, the effective of fabrication and structural safety for PIC girder bridge. The adequacy of the PIC giredr bridge is verified by the results of static/dynamic load test and finite element analyses.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.209-226
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• 2016

Integral bridges are typically designed with flexible foundations that include one row of piles. The construction of integral bridges solves difficulties due to the maintenance of expansion joints and bearings during serviceability. It causes integral bridges to become more economic comparing with conventional bridges. Research has been focused not only to enhance the seismic performance of newly designed bridges, but also to develop retrofit strategies for existing ones. The local performance of the pile to abutment connection will have a major effect on the performance of the structure and the embedment length of pile inside the abutment has a key role to provide shear and flexural resistance of pile-abutment connections. In this paper, a simple method was developed to estimate the initial value of embedment length of the pile for retrofitting of specimens. Four specimens of pile-abutment connections were constructed with different embedment lengths of pile inside the abutment to evaluate their performances. The results of the experimentation in conjunction with numerical and analytical studies showed that retrofitting pile-abutment connections with CFRP wraps increased the strength of the connection up to 86%. Also, designed connections with the proposed method had sufficient resistance against lateral load.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2011

In this study, the structural details of steel girder-abutment joints with shear connectors and tie bars were suggested to improve the rigid behavior and crack-resisting capacity of the joints in integral bridges. Experimental loading tests of steel girder-abutment joint specimens with the proposed and empirically constructed structural details were carried out, and the capacities and behavioral characteristics of the joints were evaluated through loading tests. Based on the results of the loading tests, it was estimated that all types of tested joints can be applied to the steel girder-abutment joints because they have sufficient stiffness and crack-resisting capacity under the required design and yield loads. According to the initial stiffness, crack propagations, and load-strain relationships, however, the joints with shear connectors and tie bars showed better structural behaviors compared to the empirically constructed joint.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.319-336
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• 2021

To achieve a rational detail of the girder-abutment joints in composite integral bridges, and validate the performance of the joints with perfobond connectors, this paper proposes two innovative types of I-shaped steel girder-concrete abutment joints with perfobond connectors intended for the most of bearing capacity and the convenience of concrete pouring. The major difference between the two joints is the presence of the top flange inside the abutments. Two scaled models were investigated with tests and finite element method, and the damage mechanism was revealed. Results show that the joints meet design requirements no matter the top flange exists or not. Compared to the joint without top flange, the initial stiffness of the one with top flange is higher by 7%, and the strength is higher by 50%. The moment decreases linearly in both types of the joints. At design loads, perfobond connectors take about 70% and 50% of the external moment with and without top flange respectively, while at ultimate loads, perfobond connectors take 53% and 26% of the external moment respectively. The ultimate strengths of the reduced sections are suggested to be taken as the bending strengths of the joints.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.453-463
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• 2012

Steel-concrete composite rigid-frame bridge is a type of integral bridge having advantages in bridge maintenance and structural efficiency from eliminating expansion joints and bridge supports, the main problems in bridge maintenance. The typical steel-concrete composite rigid-frame bridge has the girder-abutment connection where a part of its steel girder is embedded in abutment for integrity. However, the detail of typical girder-abutment connection is complex and increases the construction cost, especially when a part of steel girder is embedded. Recently, a new type of bridge was proposed to compensate for the disadvantages of complex details and cost increase. The compensation are expected to improve efficiency of construction by simplifying the construction detail of the girder-abutment connection. In this study, a static load test has been carried out to examine the behavior of the girder-abutment connection using real-scale specimens. The results of the test showed that the girder-abutment connection of proposed girder bridge has sufficient flexural capacity and rebars to control concrete crack should be placed on the top of abutment.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.647-657
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• 2017

To achieve this goal, two four-span concrete box-girder bridges with typical configurations of California highway bridges are selected as representative bridges: an integral abutment bridge and a seat-type abutment bridge. A detailed numerical model of the representative bridges is created in OpenSees to perform dynamic analyses. To examine the effect of earthquake incidence angle on the fragility of skewed bridges, the representative bridge models are modified with different skew angles. Dynamic analyses for all bridge models are performed for all earthquake incidence angles examined. Simulated results are used to develop demand models and component and system fragility curves for the skewed bridges. The fragility characteristics are compared with regard to earthquake incidence angle. The results suggest that the earthquake incidence angle more significantly affects the seismic demand and fragilities of the integral abutment bridge than the skewed abutment bridge. Finally, a recommendation to account for the randomness due to the ground motion directionality in the fragility assessment is made in the absence of the predetermined earthquake incidence angle.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.35-51
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• 2020

Integral abutment bridges (IABs) are those bridges without expansion joints. A single row of steel H-piles (SHPs) is commonly used at the thin and stub abutments of IABs to form a flexible support system at the bridge ends to accommodate thermal-induced displacement of the bridge. Consequently, as the IAB expands and contracts due to temperature variations, the SHPs supporting the abutments are subjected to cyclic lateral (longitudinal) displacements, which may eventually lead to low-cycle fatigue (LCF) failure of the piles. In this paper, the potential of using finite element (FE) modeling techniques to estimate the LCF life of SHPs commonly used in IABs is investigated. For this purpose, first, experimental tests are conducted on several SHP specimens to determine their LCF life under thermal-induced cyclic flexural strains. In the experimental tests, the specimens are subjected to longitudinal displacements (or flexural strain cycles) with various amplitudes in the absence and presence of a typical axial load. Next, nonlinear FE models of the tested SHP specimens are developed using the computer program ANSYS to investigate the possibility of using such numerical models to predict the LCF life of SHPs commonly used in IABs. The comparison of FE analysis results with the experimental test results revealed that the FE analysis results are in close agreement with the experimental test results. Thus, FE modeling techniques similar to that used in this research study may be used to predict the LCF life of SHP commonly used in IABs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2018

Integral abutment bridges (IABs) have no joint across the length of bridge and are therefore also known as jointless bridges. IABs have many advantages, such as structural integrity, efficiency, and stability. More importantly, IABs have proven to be have both low maintenance and construction costs. However, due to the restraints at both ends of the girder due to the absence of a gap (joint), special design considerations are required. For example, while replacing the deck slabs to extend the service life of the IAB, the buckling strength of the steel girder without a deck slab could be much smaller than the case with deck slab in place. With no deck slab, the addition of thermal expansion in the steel girders generates passive earth pressure from the abutment and if the applied axial force is greater than the buckling strength of the steel girders, buckling failure can occur. In this study, numerical simulations were performed to estimate the buckling strength of typical steel girders in IABs. The effects of girder length, the width of flange and thickness of flange, imperfection due to fabrication and construction errors on the buckling strengths of multiple and single girders in IABs are studied. The effect of girder spacing, span length ratio (for a three span girder) and self-weight effects on the buckling strength are also studied. For estimation of the reaction force of the abutment generated by the passive earth pressure of the soil, BA 42/96 (2003), PennDOT DM4 (2015) and the LTI proposed equations (2009) were used and the results obtained are compared with the buckling strength of the steel girders. Using the selected design equations and the results obtained from the numerical analysis, equations for preventing the buckling failure of steel girders during deck replacement for maintenance are presented.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2012

Integral and rigid frame bridges have advantages in bridge maintenance and structural efficiency by eliminating expansion joints and bridge supports. However, the detail of typical girder-abutment connection is rather complex and increases construction cost depending on construction detail. For the purpose of compensating disadvantages such as complexity and additional cost, a new type of bridge is proposed in this study, which improves the efficiency of construction by simplifying the construction detail of girder-abutment connection. The proposed bridge has the connection detail of steel girder and abutment integrated by prestressed PS bar installed in the connection. In this study, finite element analysis and fatigue load test are conducted to evaluate the fatigue capacity of the proposed girder-abutment connection. The results of the finite element analysis revealed that the possibility of the fatigue damage in the girder-abutment connection is very low. The results of the fatigue load test verified that the integrity of the girder and abutment connection is maintained after 2,000,000 cycles of fatigue loading.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.95-102
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• 1997

Jointless bridge is a new construction method applicable to bridge of short length. In the jointless bridge expansion of superstructure due to thermal effect was absorbed in the flexible pile-type abutment in stead of expansion joint in the conventional bridges. By removing expansion joint, it retards deterioration and extends life time of bridge. In this paper, jointless bridge of steel box girder type was studied through finite element analysis. Stress variations of superstructure and pile due to thermal effect was studied for the two span continuous integral bridge of 80m length and the results of analysis was presented.