International Concrete Abstracts Portal

A nonlinear finite element analysis was conducted to examine the full range of behavior of segmentally precast box girder construction with external post-tensioning tendons. A primary objective of the study was to examine the effect of dry joints (without epoxy) on the strength and ductility of box girder construction. A secondary consideration was the influence of supplemental bonded internal tendons on the behavior of the structure.

The state of Texas is involved in two projects that use precast concrete segmental erection methods with external post-tensioning tendons. Design and construction features of these projects, along with construction problems related to external tendons, are described. The future of segmental construction and use of external tendons in Texas are discussed.

The bridge that links Re Island and the mainland was completed in April, 1988. It crosses a 3000 m wide sea channel that separates the island from the town of La Rochelle, on the west coast of France. The deck of the bridge is a concrete box girder built by the balanced cantilever method with precast segments. The prestressing tendons are partly inside the concrete and partly external.

Over 600 bridges composed of adjacent prestressed concrete box beams were built in the early 1950s in Pennsylvania. The box beams were placed side by side and had an asphalt wearing course on top. Span lengths ranged form 30 to 60 ft. Their design was very conservative by today's standards. The concretes used in these bridges have high chloride contents; water leaks down through the joint between box units and the strands often have inadequate cover. Thus, it is not surprising that many of the box beams are deteriorating due to corrosion of their prestressing strands. This project was directed toward developing economical repair schemes for these bridges. The literature survey did not reveal any schemes specifically applicable to adjacent box beams. Two external reinforcement repair schemes were developed and trial installations were made on a bridge near York, Pa. Both schemes included the removal of deteriorated concrete, placement of external reinforcement beneath the beam, and application of shotcrete to the soffit of the beam. In Scheme 1, the external reinforcement consisted of epoxy-coated reinforcing bars. This repair method restored ultimate flexural capacity but did not restore lost prestress. It was the least costly of the two methods. In Scheme 2, post-tensioned, epoxy-coated strand was used. This restored the full ultimate flexural capacity and most of the lost prestress. Difficulties were encountered in installing anchors for the post-tensioned system, but its performance was good. The bridge was tested after repair. The external reinforcements were found to be fully composite with the original beams. The tests also revealed the lateral distribution of wheel loads. In spite of the poor condition of the bridge, the wheel loads were well distributed laterally, leading to a structure that was stronger and stiffer than expected.

Design considerations of externally prestressed large-span reinforced concrete girders with tendons completely outside the cross section are dealt with. The analyzed systems are two-chord structural systems. The lower, downward convex tensioned chord usually consists only of prestressing tendons, while the upper, compressed chord is a reinforced concrete straight-line or upward convex polygonal girder. The desired configuration of tendons is achieved by compressed elements interconnecting the two chords at suitable distances. In such a way, the rise of tendons can be several times larger than the height of the reinforced concrete section, thus greatly increasing their efficiency compared to the classical internally or externally prestressed girders. An important characteristic of such structural systems is that adding a very small prestressing force reduces the deformation. Therefore, the dead load deflection can be easily controlled by the suitable choice of prestressing force. The time-dependent deflection is not considerably greater than the elastic one, even for a very high creep and shrinkage, as it is also primarily governed by the shape and deformation of tendons. Because of such properties, these structural systems are exceptionally favorable for roof structures of medium and very large spans but can also be successfully used for highway bridges. Due to the significant reduction of the chords' cross-sectional areas and the bending stiffness of such structural systems, the design has to be done using the second-order theory. The criteria for cases when it is notnecessary are discussed. Besides the theoretical analysis, some experiences in design and construction of the new hangar at the Belgrade International Airport in Yugoslavia, whose 135.80 m (445 ft) span main roof reinforced concrete girders are externally prestressed with tendons free in space outside the concrete cross section, are also presented.