• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.151-158
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• 1998

This paper presents an optimal decision model for minimizing the life-cycle cost of steel box girder bridges. The point is that it takes into account service life process as a whole, and the life-cycle costs include initial (design, testing, and construction) costs, maintenance costs and expected failure costs. The problem is formulated as that of minimization of expected total life-cycle cost with respect to the design variables. The optimal solution identifies those values of the decision variables that result in minimum expected total cost. The performance constraints in the form of flexural failure and shear failure are those specified in the design code. Based on extensive numerical investigations, it may be positively stated that the optimum design of steel box girder bridges based on life-cycle cost approach proposed in this study provides a lot more rational and economical design, and thus the proposed approach will propose the development of new concepts and design methodologies that may have important implications in the next generation performance-based design codes and standards.

• 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.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.3A
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• pp.523-532
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• 2006

It is thought that the suggestion of efficient and rational design guideline based on the behavior evaluation of bridge structure system the included cross beam is necessary for the construction efficiency of two-I girder steel bridges. Therefore, in this study, the effects of influence parameters are investigated by the behavior analyses of the bridges, in which the influence parameters are location, spacing and rigidity of the cross beam. For this study, the existed two-I girder steel bridges firstly were selected with the model of case study and the FE analyses for some case models were performed to estimate the action of the cross beam in the bridge. From the analyses, it was estimated that if it consider local stress and load distribution of a floor system, shell and solid elements are compatible to modeling of the cross beams. Also, the efficient design guideline for the cross beam of two-I girder steel bridge was suggested from parameter studies used location, spacing and rigidity of the cross beam.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.359-379
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• 2020

Due to susceptibility of bridges in the past earthquakes, vulnerability assessment and strengthening of bridges has gained a particular significance. The objective of the present study is to employ an analytical method for the development of fragility curves, as well as to investigate the effect of strengthening on the RC box-girder bridges. Since fragility curves are used for pre-and post-earthquake planning, this paper has attempted to adopt the most reliable modeling assumptions in order to increase the reliability. Furthermore, to acknowledge the interaction of soil, abutment and pile, the effect of different strengthening methods, such as using steel jacketing and FRP layers, the effect of increase in the bridge pier diameter, and the effect of vertical component of earthquake on the vulnerability of bridges in this study, a three-span RC box-girder bridge was modeled in 9 different cases. Nonlinear dynamic analyses were carried out on the studied bridges subjected to 100 ground motion records via OpenSEES platform. Therefore, the fragility curves were plotted and compared in the four damage states. The results revealed that once the interaction of soil and abutment and the vertical component of the earthquake are accounted for in the calculations, the median fragility is reduced, implying that the bridge becomes more vulnerable. It was also confirmed that steel jackets and FRP layers are suitable methods for pier strengthening which reduces the vulnerability of the bridge.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.641-653
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• 2008

This paper proposes a practical and realistic method to establish an optimal lifetime maintenance strategy for deteriorating bridges by considering the life-cycle performance as well as the life-cycle cost. The proposed method offers a set of optimal tradeoff maintenance scenarios among other conflicting objectives, such as minimizing cost and maximizing performance. A genetic algorithm is used to generate a set of maintenance scenarios that is a multi-objective combinatorial optimization problem related to the lifetime performance and the life-cycle cost as separate objective functions. A computer program, which generates optimal maintenance scenarios, was developed based on the proposed method using the life-cycle costs and the performance of bridges. The subordinate relation between bridge members has been considered to decide optimal maintenance sequence and a corresponding algorithm has been implemented into the program. The developed program has been used to present a procedure for finding an optimal maintenance scenario for steel-girder bridges on the Korean National Road. Through this bridge maintenance scenario analysis, it is expected that the developed method and program can be effectively used to allow bridge managers an optimal maintenance strategy satisfying various constraints and requirements.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.681-693
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• 2007

Construction techniques for continuous steel bridges were applied to steel-concrete double composite box girder bridges. Concrete depth and length at the bottom of the steel box in the negative moment region were determined by plastic moment region and negative moment region of the double composite section, respectively. Construction methods, such as crane lifting method, free cantilever method, and incremental launching method were used for the analysis of the construction stage. Two cases of the construction phase were considered and analyzed for the stress resultant of double composite girders. The behavior of the nose-deck elastic system was examined by three-dimensionless parameters, such as the nose length, the unit weight of the launching nose, and the flexural stiffness of the nose. The adoption of the launching nose has become an effective solution in the incremental launching of steel-concrete double composite box girder bridges.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2011

The introduction of the Eurocodes makes plastic design criteria available also for composite bridges, leading to more economical solutions compared with previous elastic design rules. Particularly for refurbishment old bridges with higher actual traffic loads, up to date outside the scope of the Eurocodes, strengthening should therefore be avoidable or at least be necessary only to a minor extent. For bridges with smaller spans and compact cross sections, the plastic load bearing capacity is clearly justified. In this work, however, the focus is placed on long span continuous composite bridges with deep, longitudinally stiffened girders, susceptible to local buckling. In a first step, the elastic - plastic cross section capacity of the main girder in bending is studied as an isolated case, based on high preloads acting on the steel girder only, due to the common assembling procedure without scaffolding. In a second step, the effects on the whole structure are studied, because utilising the plastic section capacity at midspan leads to a redistribution of internal forces to the supports. Based on the comprehensive study of an old, actual strengthened composite bridge, some limitations for plastic design are identified. Moreover, fully plastic design will sometimes need additional global analysis. Practical recommendations are given for design purposes.

• 한국방재학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.02a
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• pp.533-536
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• 2008

It is on increasing trend to employ H-rolled beams as main flexural members of bridges and of temporary structures owing to their handiness for construction, maintenance, and management. But in the case of applying H-rolled beams to bridges, maximum length of bridge span is around 20m. Therefore, to develop simplified steel-concrete composite bridge having long span using H-rolled beam needs new cross girder system at internal supports, optimization of bridge system without cross beams between supports and steel-concrete composite bridge deck. This study performs mechanical analysis of cross girder system for H-rolled beam steel-concrete composite bridge with long span and verifies its usefulness.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.189-198
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• 2019

This paper aims to study the mechanical performance of three-tower four-span suspension bridges with steel truss girders, including the static and dynamic characteristics of the bridge system, and more importantly, the influence of structural parameters including the side-main span ratio, sag-to-span ratio and the girder stiffness on key mechanical indices. For this purpose, the Oujiang River North Estuary Bridge which is a three-tower four-span suspension bridge with two main spans of 800m under construction in China is taken as an example in this study. This will be the first three-tower suspension bridge with steel truss girders in the world. The mechanical performance study and parametric analysis are conducted based on a validated three-dimensional spatial truss finite element model established for the Oujiang River North Estuary Bridge using MIDAS Civil. It is found that a relatively small side-main span ratio seems to be quite appropriate from the perspective of mechanical performance. And decreasing the sag-to-span ratio is an effective way to reduce the horizontal force subjected to the midtower and improve the antiskid safety of the main cable, while the vertical stiffness of the bridge will be reduced. However, the girder stiffness is shown to be of minimal significance on the mechanical performance. The findings from this paper can be used for design of three-tower suspension bridges with steel truss girders.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.3A
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• pp.305-313
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• 2008

A reliability based calibration of dynamic load allowance (DLA) of highway bridge is performed by numerical dynamic analysis of various types of bridges taking into account of the road surface roughness and bridge-vehicle interaction. A total of 10 simply supported bridges with three girder types in the form of prestressed concrete girder, steel plate girder, and steel box girder is analyzed. The cross sections recommended in "The Standardized Design of Highway Bridge Superstructure" by the Korean Ministry of Construction are used for the prestressed concrete girder bridges and steel plate girder bridges while the box girder bridges are designed by the LRFD method. Ten sets of road surface roughness for each bridge are generated from power spectral density (PSD) function by assuming the roadway as "Average Road". A three dimensionally modeled 5-axle tractor-trailer with its gross weight the same as that of DB-24 design truck is used in the dynamic analysis. For the finite element modeling of superstructure, beam elements for the main girder, shell elements for concrete deck, and rigid links between main girder and concrete deck are used. The statistical mean and coefficient of variation of DLA are obtained from a total of 100 DLA results for 10 different bridges with each having 10 sets of road surface roughness. Applying the DLA statistics obtained, the DLA is finally calibrated in a reliability based LRFD format by using the formula developed in the calibration of OHBDC code.