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Abstract
ABSTRACT
PERFORMANCE OF MULTISIMPLE-SPANBRIDGESWITH LINK SLABS
M.Sc. of Structural Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering
October2020
Multi simple-span bridges areused in the majority of crossings in theEgyptian highway system. A typical span has a reinforced concrete deck over precast I-girders. Span lengths range from 15 to 35 meters. Expansion joints are designed between each two adjacent spans to allow deck movements caused by temperature changes, creep and shrinkage. However, placing expansion joints between adjacent spans can cause costly maintenance problems. The main issues that leads to the need for maintenance are:
Water leakage through expansion joints; this can cause damageto bearings, decks, girder ends, and cap beams.
Debris Accumulationin the joints; this can limit deck expansion and can cause undesirable damages to the structure.
Damage and loss of function caused by impact of heavy trucks; this can delaminate the expansion joint concrete.
Another disadvantage of expansion joint placed across the direction of traffic is noise emissions. Expansion joints will continue to be subjected to constant intolerable impact between the wheels of the vehicle and the steel parts of the joints, resulting in noise. Residents near roads and bridges will be disturbed by traffic flow.
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Therefore, removing the expansion joints between adjacent spans will prevent the emission of noise, and can also significantly reduce the cost of bridge construction and maintenance.
A survey of most highway bridges found that in Egyptian practice, multi simple-span bridges with expansion joints are very common. The reinforced concrete link slab eliminates the expansion joints and provides continuity at the deck level. This thesis focuses on evaluating the performance of multi simple-span bridges in Egypt and discusses the use of reinforced concrete link slabs as an option. The effect of adding link slabs and changing the span length on the performance of the bridge is studied. The use of link slabs can provide better displacement control, can reduce component forces, and can prevent or reduce the damage to the top of the pier and the end of the girder due to water and chemical leakage by abandoning or reducing the number of expansion joints.
Keywords: Bridge,Expansion joint, Link slab, Multisimple-span