Portal Frame Bridges in Japan: State of the Art Report

摘要

In Japan, the portal frame bridge (PFB) has been exclusively used in lieu of the integral abutment bridge (IAB) from about 1995. In the design of the PFB, the structural detailing of the girder-abutment connection becomes very important. Up to now, some structural details for girder-abutment connections have been proposed for bridges constructed in Japan. A brief history and a few completed PFBs are reported in this paper. The focus lies on PFB with steel composite girders in roadways. Some typical structural details of the girder-abutment connection and few constructed examples are introduced and discussed. A new type of approach slab, which has shear projections on its upper surface, has been developed in Japan and there are already some applied examples. A finite element analysis of the interaction among soil, asphalt pavement and approach slab was conducted and the results are reported and discussed in comparison with the conventional design.