A Semi-Empirical Deflection-Based Method for Crack Width Prediction in Accelerated Construction of Steel Fibrous High-Performance Composite Small Box Girder

Abstract

Accelerated construction in the form of steel–concrete composite beams is among the most efficient methods to construct highway bridges. One of the main problems with this type of composite structures, which has not yet been fully clarified in the case of continuous beam, is the crack zone initiation that gradually expands through the beam width. In the current study, a semi-empirical model was proposed to predict the size of cracks in terms of small box girder deflection and intensity of load applied on the structure. To this end, a set of steel–concrete composite small box girders were constructed by the use of steel fibrous concrete and experimentally tested under different caseloads. The results were then used to create a dataset of the box girder response in terms of beam deflection and crack width. The obtained dataset was then utilized to develop a simplified formula providing the maximum width of cracks. The results showed that the cracks initiated in the hogging moment region when the load exceeded 80 kN. Additionally, it was observed that the maximum cracked zone occurred in the center of the beam due to the maximum negative moment. Moreover, the crack width of the box girder at different loading cases was compared with the test results obtained from the literature. A good agreement has been found between the proposed model and experiment results.

Experimental Investigation of a Slip in High-Performance Steel-Concrete Small Box Girder with Different Combinations of Group Studs

“…On the other hand, due to the constraints of the construction site and climatic conditions, the components of onsite construction are prone to quality problems, which may potentially affect the durability of the structure. Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) is a promising approach to reduce the impact of construction on traffic, improve the quality of materials and durability of products, and minimize the construction time [1,2,3].…”

Multiscale Simulation of Composite Structures: Damage Assessment, Mechanical Analysis and Prediction

“…One of the main problems with this type of composite structure, which has not yet been fully clarified in the case of continuous beam, is the crack zone initiation that gradually expands through the beam width. Gautam et al [2] proposed a semi-empirical model to predict the size of cracks in terms of small box girder deflection and intensity of the load applied on a structure.…”