Title:
Shear Testing and Modeling of AASHTO Type II Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders
Author(s):
Alaa I. Chehab, Christopher D. Eamon, Gustavo J. Parra-Montesinos, and Thai X. Dam
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
115
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
801-811
Keywords:
AASHTO bridge girder; finite element analysis; prestressed concrete; shear strength
DOI:
10.14359/51701917
Date:
5/1/2018
Abstract:
This study involved laboratory testing of two full-scale AASHTO Type II prestressed concrete (PC) girders. Each girder was tested in three different regions of the span by adjusting support and loading locations to generate data for different critical shear span-depth (a/d) ratios and stirrup spacings. Test regions had stirrup spacings from 0.28 to 0.72 d and a/d from 2.0 to 3.4. The purpose of the testing was to validate a simplified numerical (finite element analysis [FEA]) model that can be used to reasonably predict the shear behavior of PC girders. Experimentally obtained shear strengths were compared to AASHTO LRFD, Interim 1979, and ACI code-calculated strengths. The developed FEA model appears to be a relatively simple and reliable tool that can be used to predict the shear behavior of PC girders, while the design codes evaluated led to very conservative estimations of shear strength.