Load Distribution on Highway Bridges Based on Field Test Data: Phase Ⅱ

摘要

The primary aim of the study was to investigate the wheel load distribution of different bridge types -solid slab bridges and slab-on-girder bridges with varying skew angles and multiple continuous spans. The study reviewed the existing analytical and field load distribution methods for different bridge types. Finite element method was used to carry out the detailed analyses to study the various parameters affecting wheel load distribution. The data from field tests were collected and analyzed to evaluate the LRFD specifications and the results from the finite element method.nThe influence of the parameters such as skew angle, girder spacing, span length, slab thickness, and number of traffic lanes were studied in the load distribution of the skew solid slab and skew slab-ongirder bridges. In addition to the parametric study, data from field tests performed by the Structures Research Center, FDOT, are compared with those based on FEM analysis, AASHTO and LRFD codes. Simplified formulae for the effective width of skew solid slab bridges are proposed in this study.