Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange
Abstract
This study of the integral abutment type bridge was based exclusively on the design used by the South Dakota Department of Highways. The design utilizes an HP10 x 42 steel bearing pile field welded to each bridge girder. To secure proper interaction between the concrete abutment and the steel girder, shear studs or a small stiffener are shop-welded to the girder web on a line coinciding with the eventual center line of the integral abutment which is two feet wide. Reinforced holes are also located in the girder web near the interior face of the integral abutment to accommodate shear bars orientated at 45 degrees with the plane of the web. Their function is similar to that of the previously mentioned shear studs or small stiffener. The main objective of this experimental project was to investigate and evaluate the effects of thermal movements on an integral abutment type bridge during the final stages of construction. This study is a continuation of the research carried out by Mumtaz B. Sarsam. Particular attention was given to the evaluation of the resultant state of stress in the end portion of the girder near and contained within the integral abutment, the upper portion of the steel bearing piles, and in selected locations on the concrete abutment. The vertical forces created within the span because of the rotation of the integral abutment were noted. Emphasis was also placed upon the action of the backfill and the resistance that it offered to the simulated thermal movements of the integral abutment type bridge