Increase Capacity of

Existing Steel
Bridges with External
Post-Tensioning
Clyde Ellis
Springfield, VA Office
October 22, 2013

Americas Aging Infrastructure

Approximately 600,000 U.S.
highway bridges
69,223 deficient bridges
Nearly one-third of the
nations highway bridges +50
years old
The average age of bridges
in the U.S. is 42 years old

Database released in Feb 2011 by FHWA, Transportation for

America (T4) analysis published Mar 2011

Structurally Deficient Bridges

Federal law requires bridges 20+
span to be inspected bi-annually
Evaluate: Superstructure,
Substructure, Deck
Rating 0 to 9; 9 is best
If 1 of 3 components scores 4 or lower
Structurally Deficient requires
Significant maintenance, rehab,
replacement, restricted use
Inspected annually
Consider load rating

Reasons for Low Rating

Increased loads

Permanent loads (Restripping, addition of

safety median barrier, addition of deck
overlay, increase in roadway width)
Temporary loads (Overloaded trucks,
heavier truck loads)

Surface Transportation Assistance Act

increased truck sizes and weights as result of
economic development
Permit Design Live Load allows substantial
increase in live loads for special or key routes

Reasons for Low Rating

Deterioration/Corrosion of
primary load carrying
members

Deficient fatigue performance of

details
Lack of maintenance (exposure to
de-icing salts or salt water)
Wear/tear due to increasing truck
traffic

Human Factors

Design, Fabrication, Construction

errors

Strengthening vs. Replacement

1. Determine desired load rating
2. Perform structural analysis to determine
deficient members

If overload in flexure: resulting from service load

stresses, fatigue stresses or ultimate capacity ?

3. Identify most cost eff. technique to strengthen

4. Develop cost estimate to strengthen vs. replace

Rule of thumb: replace if strengthening is more than

45% - 54% of replacement cost

Bridge Strengthening

Considerations
construction cost
annual maintenance
safety aspects / service life

Most frequent techniques

Replace deficient members
Increase the member
cross-section by adding
steel cover plates

Bridge Strengthening
Other techniques
Lightweight deck replacement
Composite action between deck
and supporting members
Supplemental supports to reduce
span length
Adding new girders
Converting single spans into
continuous span
External PT

Development of
Ext. P-T Technology
1937
1964
1975

First Prestressed
Concrete Bridge
(Germany); PT Bars

First Strengthening Steel

Truss Bridge (France)
First Strengthening Steel
Highway Bridge (MN)

Ext PT Strengthening Applications Limited:

Lack of information on how to apply technique
No specific guidelines on this method of
strengthening

PT Basic Concept
Introduction of externally
applied load to a structural
member with tendons that
relieves longitudinal tension
overstresses resulting from
service load and fatigue
stresses
Compressive force applied to
tension flange to resist bending
moment from applied loads

Effect of Eccentric Tendons at Midspan

Q

fr
Q

2fc

fc

fc
ft = fc

2Q

fc

ft

2fc

fc= ft

2ft = 2fc

2fc

Advantages of External PT
Structurally very effective
Negligible increase to dead load
Reduces LL stresses and deflections
Improved fatigue category details
Low initial construction cost

Ease of installation and overall speed of

construction
No disruption to traffic flow
Ability to adjust the level of strengthening in future

Simple Span Girder Design Process

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Determine moments for applied loads at mid span

Calculate girder stresses in tension flange
Calculate allowable stresses based on as-built material
Assume PT eccentricity and calculate PT force
required to makeup deficiency
Check member buckling, member yielding and tendon
yielding
Repeat for other critical areas
Determine PT anchor location and design anchor
bracket
Q

Addl Design Considerations

Immediate Losses
Friction Losses
Seating Losses
Elastic Shortening

Long Term Loss

Steel Relaxation

Be cognizant of minimize clearances for

mounting, tendon path and stressing
Stage stressing if PT is not concentric with
member longitudinal axis

Prestressing Steel

High Strength 7 wire strand

ASTM A416
Ultimate Strength 270 ksi
Low Relaxation
Reeless coil
Common sizes
0.6x 7, 12, 19

Thread high strength bar

ASTM A722
Ultimate Strength 150 ksi
Common Sizes
1 to 1-3/4 dia.

Straight lengths up to 60

External Tendon Cross-section

P-T Anchorages
Built up section of steel plates
Mechanical locking device
Wedges and wedge plate
Nut and washer

Trumpet (strands only)

PT Deviators

Primarily used with strand tendons

Applicable if want to increase PT bending moment
Most common type of steel plate and bent pipe

External PT Features
Replaceable
Bolted connections
Tendons can be cut and replaced

Inspectable
Magnetic flux leakage
Bore scope inspection

Durable
Force verification
Load cell, lift-off for ungrouted PT
Vibration analysis

Ability to Increase Prestress Force

Future PT
Stress tendons to a higher force than
originally installed at

Strengthening Case Studies

Androscoggin
River Bridge
Brunswick, ME

Part of Turnpike Ext. built in

1955; widened in 1995
Max LL configuration
accommodate 3 lanes; rates low
Issue made worse with ongoing
bottom flange corrosion
2 lane configuration could rate
below 1 if not strengthened

Proposed Tendon Layout

157 ft

G #1

G #2

FRAMING PLAN

Androscoggin River Bridge

Brunswick, ME
External PT Duct

End Anchorage Assembly

Hialeah Expressway
Miami, FL
New loads from a wider
bridge
Retrofit fracture critical
steel girder bent bent to
upgrade capacity
Steel plate girders
strengthening with
external P-T

Added 3 PT tendons

Repair Details

Strengthening
Completed

Driscoll Bridge
Keasbey, NJ over Riritan River

2 bridges constructed
in 1952
Widest bridge in world
(15 lanes)
Part of Garden State
Parkway
Fracture critical bridge
with concrete deck
Strengthen floor
beams for increased
traffic loads

Driscoll Bridge
Keasbey, NJ over Riritan River

External multi-strand PT
tendons used to strengthen
floor beams
Center deviator added to
increase the bending
moment capacity
PT installed over water
while bridge remained
open to traffic

Low Point Deviator

PT Anchorage Device

Photo credit by Dwyidag Systems International

Summary
External PT strengthening has a successful
history 60+ years
Longitudinal tendons can be used to strengthen
steel girders, truss chords/diagonals and floor
beams
External PT has been used to relieve stresses,
reduces deflections, improve fatigue details and
add substantial live load capacity an existing
bridge

Summary
Anchorages and tendons can be prefabricated to
reduce time onsite
Anchorage/deviator details have been developed
overtime with no reported issues
Sufficient knowledge exists to develop a manual
to assist engineers in applying PT principles

Thank You!