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2.0m
1
.
4
m
4.5m
5.7m
Span
Since there is usually no need to align the approaches
to a footbridge, the span should normally be arranged
square to the obstacle it has to cross.
The minimum span required is that simply needed to
clear the width of obstacle, carriageway or railway.
However, the span may be increased in order that the
supports are positioned far enough from a carriageway
or rail track to avoid the risk of impact from an errant
vehicle or derailed train. The supports of light structures
such as footbridges are particularly prone to the effects
of impact.
For footbridges over highways, the span is determined
by the dimensions of the carriageways, as given in the
Departmental Standard TD 27/96.
To avoid the imposition of impact loads the supports
need to be set back 4.5m from the edge of the
carriageway (see Figure 2). Where this can be arranged,
perhaps additionally spanning a footway beside the
road, the consequent savings in the cost of the
substructure should be considered. Supports between
carriageways should also be avoided if possible.
The space needed for approach ramps and stairs will be
significant in arranging the layout of a footbridge. This
may influence the positioning of the bridge and its
supports, and thus its span.
Footbridges over railways are mostly required to cross
two or four tracks, with resulting span of between 10
and 25m. Where intermediate supports are placed
closer than 4.5m to the nearest rail, Network Rail require
the superstructure to be capable of supporting itself if
one support were to be demolished in an accident.
Clearance
Over a highway, the clearance under new footbridges is
required to be at least 5.7m (TD 27/96). With this
clearance the superstructure need not be designed for
impact loads (see Figure 2). If any relaxation on
clearance were permitted in special cases it is likely that
impact loads would have to be considered. This would
be very onerous on the structural design. Clearance over
railways is specified by Network Rail with a minimum of
4.640m from rail level. The minimum clearance over
electrified lines and over lines that might be electrified in
the future is 4.780m. Greater clearances are required
near level crossings and where there is free running
(where the wires are not attached to the bridge).
Clearly, where access to the bridge has to come from
carriageway or track level, the rise needed for the stairs
or ramps is the sum of the clearance plus the
superstructure construction depth (walkway surface to
structure soffit). This means that ramps will be long
(about 120m at each end of the bridge over a road, for a
1 in 20 grade). It also means that the depth of
Above:
Large-span truss footbridge
Left:
Vierendeel footbridge
Right:
Lower chord connection detail
Far right:
Large-span vierendeel footbridge, A27 Broadmarsh
Proportions and appearance
The familiar image of a truss is probably of a heavylooking structure, relatively deep in proportion to span.
Such trusses were often used for railway bridges.
However, a truss footbridge can generally be of light
appearance and of shallow depth/span proportion.
With half-through construction, the minimum overall
depth is determined by the parapet height; for a
crossing over a highway the minimum is about 1.25m.
For spans over about 30 metres the depth will need to
be slightly greater, though span/depth ratios in excess
of 30 can give a pleasing appearance.
For spans over 50m full through construction will
probably be necessary. Then the depth is determined by
internal clearance, which is usually specified as 2.3m
minimum. To reduce the tunnel effect and to keep the
top bracing away from casual abuse a depth of about
3m is needed. Such spans will have a deeper
span/depth ratio, though the slender members will still
give an impression of lightness.
The arrangement of the bracing and the line of the
parapets are the dominant features which are seen
by road users. They therefore require careful attention
and treatment.
Where the depth of the vierendeel girder is determined
by parapet height, the top chord can often be used as
the parapet rail, with suitable infill bars fixed between
the vertical members. For longer span vierendeel
girders, where the depth is more than the parapet
height, parapet panels complete with top rail can be
fixed inside the rectangular panels of the girder. Where a
truss is used, the parapet is usually fixed to the inner
face of the diagonal members. The parapets are less
conspicuous to road users than the truss members,
though they are still evident in silhouette.
Construction depth, from footway surface to underside
of the truss or girder, is normally quite shallow, not more
than the depth of the chord members. This contributes
greatly to the light appearance.
The top and bottom chords of a truss are usually made
parallel, but for larger spans a less dominating
appearance can be achieved by a hog-back
configuration, with a gentle curve to the top chord
reducing the depth at the ends of the span.
The design of steel footbridges 15
Conceptual design and detailing
Members and connections trusses
Both circular and rectangular structural hollow sections
are commonly used in trusses. The bottom chord is
generally rectangular, to facilitate connection with deck
and cross-members. Rolled sections or flats are
sometimes used as cross-members or as stiffeners to
Below:
Expansion joint leaf plate
Right:
End bearing box girder
28 The design of steel footbridges
Design codes, standards and guidance
4. Design codes, standards and guidance
4.1 British Standards
In most circumstances, the British Standard BS 5400
(1)
will apply to the design and construction of footbridges.
In some cases, possibly where the bridge is connected
to a building, BS 5950
(2)
might be called for.
For design of steel and composite structures, the
following Parts of BS 5400 are applicable
Part 2 Specification for loads
Part 3 Code of practice for design of steel bridges
Part 4 Code of practice for design of concrete bridges
Part 5 Code of practice for design of composite bridges
Part 6 Specification for materials and workmanship, steel
These codes cover all aspects of design for footbridges
of beam and truss construction. Design of tubular joints
is not covered in detail within Part 3 see section 4.4
for further guidance. Similarly, the design of cable stays,
the strands and their anchorages, are not covered by
these codes refer to section 4.5 for guidance.
Dimensional and safety requirements for stairs are given
in BS 5395
(3)
. These requirements are amended slightly by
the departmental standard for footbridges.
4.2 Departmental standards
The requirements of the four UK highways authority (the
Highways Agency, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh
Assembly Government and the Department for Regional
Development Northern Ireland) are set out in the Design
Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB). This manual is a
collection of individual standards (BD documents) and
advice notes (BA documents).
Each of the design code parts of BS 5400 is
implemented by a BD standard
(4)
, and some of
these standards vary certain aspects of the part that
they implement (notably BD 37 for Part 2 and BD 16 for
Part 5). For footbridges, a particular point to note is that
the requirements in relation to loads resulting from
collision of vehicles with the structure have been
significantly modified. The impact loads and the
circumstances in which they should be applied are
specified in BD 60 & BD 37 (the DMRB version of BS
5400 Part 2) and an amendment to it. The provisions
relate to the impact loads on supports located within
4.5m of the edge of the carriageway and to
superstructures which have less than 5.7m clearance
above the surface of the carriageway.
Other standards and advice notes also relate to the
design of footbridges. Design criteria for footbridges are
given in BD 29
(5)
. Highway cross sections and headroom
are given in TD 27
(6)
. Selected information from these
two documents is included in section 3. Standard TD 27
specifies a minimum clearance for footbridges of 5.7m.
This avoids the necessity of applying the impact
requirements of BD 37 on the superstructure, which
would be particularly onerous on a light structure such
as a footbridge.
Where supports need to be close to the edge of the
carriageway, they are required to be provided with
protective plinths and designed for impact loads. Where
they can be kept back from the carriageway, perhaps to
span a footway beside the road, the consequent savings
in the cost of the substructure should be considered.
Supports between carriageways should also be avoided
(unless they can be located more than 4.5m from the
road, which is not usually feasible).
The design of parapets on footbridges is referred by
BD 29 to the Interim Rules for Road Restraint Systems
IRRRS). The IRRRS
(7)
is a Highways Agency document,
not currently part of the DMRB, although it does state
that it supersedes a number of DMRB documents, such
as the earlier BD 52/93. The IRRRS refers to BS 7818
(8)
,
which gives dimensional requirements, design
requirements and a specification for construction of
metal parapets, and it specifies the design loading
classes for rails, posts and infill.
4.3 Railway standards
Network Rail are particularly concerned with prevention
of unauthorised access and are legally obliged to fence
its boundaries. Network Rail and the Railway Safety and
Standards Board also have more stringent requirements
in relation to collision loads. Reference should be made
to GC/RC5510: Recommendations for the Design of
Bridges
(27)
. The following comments are based on advice
given in recent projects.
The design of steel footbridges 29
Design codes, standards and guidance
In considering the prevention of unauthorised access,
not only must the pedestrian face of the bridge be
designed to be non-climbable, it must also be
impossible to climb along the outer face from the ends
of the bridge this usually means that trusses are clad
either side of the diagonals at the ends. The top flanges,
chords or parapets must be arranged so that they are
impossible to walk along.
The zone within 4.5m of the outermost running rail is
considered a danger zone; if any support is located
within that zone, collision effects must be considered.
Any substructure column must be able to withstand an
I=a*
12.5.1
Yes 10.6.2
10.6.3
9.9
Yes
Yes
12.2
11.5.1
12.1 12.6
12.5
Yes
Yes No
12.3
Check adequacy
at ULS
Fiure 5.2: Flow chart for trusses and vierendeel irders
Check combined
bendin and axial
effects
The desin of steel footbrides 33
Flow charts
Check ULS moment
and shear capacities
Satisfactory
Yes No
Yes
9.14
9.9.8
9.9
9.6
9.7
9.8
9.4
9.10
9.11
9.16
9.17
Yes
No Yes
Fiure 5.3: Flow chart for steel beams
Check adequacy
at SLS
Check bearin
stiffeners
Unsymmetric
compact
section?
Check diaphrams
and crossframes
All strenths
adequate?
All strenths
adequate?
Determine limitin
stresses for LTB
Determine effective
section
Determine limitin
stresses and check
capacities
Box
irder?
Global analysis
34 The desin of steel footbrides
Flow charts
Satisfactory Satisfactory
9.9.8
9.9.5.2
Yes
9.14
5/5.2.4.2
5/5.2.6
4/4.1.1.1
No
Yes
5/6.1.2
4/4.8.3
9.9
Fiure 5.4: Flow chart for composite beams
All strenths
adequate?
Check slab
adequacy at ULS
Check
bearin stiffeners
Unsymmetric
compact
I-beam?
Check slab
adequacy at ULS
Check beam
adequacy at ULS
Global analysis
Check beam
adequacy at SLS
Yes
Fiure 5.5: Flow chart for cable stayed brides
Determine dead load
prestress in stays
Check adequacy
of cable stays
Check local
effects at cable
anchoraes
Check adequacy
of pylon
Check adequacy
of members as
trusses or beams
Global analysis
Non-linear analysis if
deflections or DL sa
of stays are sinificant
All strenths
adequate?
Include effects
durin replacement
of each stay
The desin of steel footbrides 35
References
6 References
1. British Standards Institution
BS 5400: Steel, concrete and composite brides Parts 1 to 10,
BSI, London (various dates)
2. British Standards Institution
BS 5950, Structural use of steelwork in buildin, BSI, London
3. British Standards Institution
BS 5395, Stairs, ladders and walkways, BSI, London
4. Hihways Aency
Desin manual for roads and brides, Volume 1 Section 3:
BD 13, Desin of steel brides: use of BS 5400 Part 3;
BD 16, Desin of composite brides:use of BS 5400: Part 5;
BD 37; Loads for hihway brides,
BD 60; The desin of hihway brides for vehicle collision loads,
The Stationery Office
5. Hihways Aency
Desin manual for roads and brides, Volume 2, Section 2, BD 29
Desin criteria for footbrides, The Stationery Office
6. Hihways Aency
Desin manual for roads and brides, Volume 6 Section 1, TD 27
Cross-sections and headroom, The Stationery Office
7. Hihways Aency
Interim Requirements for Road Restraint Systems (IRRRS), The
Hihways Aency, 2002 (contact the Hihways Aency for copies)
8. British Standards Institution
BS 7818:1995 Specification for pedestrian restraint systems in
metal
9. CIDECT
Desin uide for circular hollow sections (RHS) under
predominantly static loadin, Verla TV, Colone, 1991
10. CIDECT
Desin uide for rectanular hollow sections (RHS) joints under
predominantly static loadin, TV, Colone, 1992
11. CIDECT
Structural stability of hollow sections, Verla TV, Colone, 1992
12. Corus Tubes
Desin of SHS welded joints, CT16, Corus Tubes, Corby 2001
13. British Standards Institution
prEN 1993-1-8, Desin of Steel Structures, Desin of Joints,
December 2003
14. Walther, R. et al,
Cable stayed brides, Thomas Telford, London, 1988
15. Troitsky, M. S.,
Cable-stayed brides, BSP, Oxford, 1988
16. British Standards Institution
BS 302, Stranded steel wire ropes, BSI, London
17. British Standards Institution
BS 463: Part 2:1970 Specification for sockets for wire ropes
(metric units), BSI, London
18. Pusley, A.
The theory of suspension brides, Edward Arnold, London, 1957
19. Iles, D. C.
Desin uide for composite hihway brides (P289)
Desin uide for composite hihway brides: Worked examples
(P290)
The Steel Construction Institute, 2001
20. Hihways Aency
Desin manual for roads and brides, Volume 1, Section 3, BD 49,
Desin rules for aerodynamic effects on brides, The Stationery
Office
21. Hihways Aency
Manual of contract documents for hihway works, The Stationery
Office; Volume 1: Specifications for hihway works series 1900,
Protection of steel aainst corrosion
Volume 2: Notes for uidance on the specification for hihway
works,
Series NG1900, Protection of steelwork aainst corrosion
22. Corus
Corrosion Protection of Steel Brides, 2002
23. Hihways Aency
Desin manual for roads and brides, Volume 2, Section 3, BD 7,
Weatherin steel for hihway structures, The Stationery Office
24. Corus
Weatherin Steel Brides, 2002
25. British Standards Institution
BS EN 10025: 2004, Hot rolled products of structural steels.
BS EN 10210, Hot finished structural hollow sections of non-alloy
and fine rain structural steels, Part 1: 1994 Technical delivery
requirements.
26. Corus
Product & Technical brochures
Structural sections
Structural plates
Structural hollow sections
27. Railway Safety and Standards Board
Group Standard
GC/RC5510: Recommendations for the Desin of Brides
28. Network Rail
Line Standard
RT/CE/S/039; Specification RT98 - Protective Treatment for
Railtrack Infrastructure
29. Network Rail
Line Standard
RT/CE/C/002: Application and Reapplication of protective
treatment to Railtrack Infrastructure
30. Corus Tubes
Connection flexibility in tubular U frame footbrides RT 451,
December 1994
31. Evans, J. E. and Iles, D. C.
Steel Bride Group: Guidance notes on best practice in steel bride
construction (P185), The Steel Construction Institute, 2002
Care has been taken to ensure that this
information is accurate, but Corus Group plc,
includin its subsidiaries, does not accept
responsibility or liability for errors or
information which is found to be misleadin.
Copyriht 2005
Corus
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