Title:
Twelve Years Monitoring of a Long
Span Prestressed Concrete Bridge
Author(s):
Walter Pfeil
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
3
Issue:
8
Appears on pages(s):
79-84
Keywords:
bridges (structures); cantilever bridges
concrete construction; creep properties; creep tests
prestressing; time dependent deflections.
DOI:
Date:
8/1/1981
Abstract:
The bridge over the Pelotas River, in the southern part of Brazil, S.A., has a center span of 189 m (620 ft) and two side spans of 30 m (98 ft) each. The center span was built in 1966, using the progressive cantilever method. Observations of this bridge have consisted mainly of: (a) topographic measurements of vertical and horizontal deflections; (b) short-time load tests to determine the behavior and the stiffness of the structure; (c) direct measurement of the flexibility of the rock anchor cables in the outer supports; (d) measurements of differential temperature in the concrete and its effect on the deformations; and (e) evolution of creep deflections with time. This article describes equipment used in the observations and presents the main results with a discussion of the same as compared with theoretical computations.