Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance

Transportation Engineers Association of Missouri

March 16, 2012
Dr. Michael Barker, University of Wyoming

Purpose of Presentation Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance

To provide bridge owners and designers with steel
solutions for crossings under 140 feet increase
steel market

Purpose of Presentation - Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance

To provide bridge owners and designers with steel
solutions for crossings under 140 feet increase steel
market
Purpose of Presentation - Barker
Provide bridge engineers & owners with resources to
better consider steel bridges in design comparisons
Present training & continuing education opportunities
to engineers & owners
Discuss national effort for standardized modular steel
bridge construction

Todays Presentation
Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA)
Interactive Short Span Steel Bridge Website
Bridge Technology Center
Standard Short Simple Span Steel Bridge Designs
eSPAN140 Bridge Design Interactive Software

Training & Continuing Education

Modular Bridge Research

Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance

Program officially started September 1, 2007
Objective make steel the material of choice for short
span steel bridges.
Short span steel bridges have spans of 20 to 140
First industry-wide effort to provide education and design
support for short span steel bridges.

Coaters
Producers

Service Centers

Fabricators

Universities
Trade Organizations

Bridge Owners

Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (Active Partners)

Fabricators
Big R Manufacturing
High Steel
Roscoe Steel
Stinger Welding
Structal (Canam)
US Bridge
Wheeler Bridge
Coaters
AZZ Galvanizing
Valmont Coatings
Industry Associations
American Iron and Steel Institute
National Steel Bridge Alliance
National Corrugated Steel Pipe Association
Steel Fabricators of New England

Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (Active Partners)

Owners
National Association of County Engineers
Steel Producers
ArcelorMittal
Nucor-Yamato Steel
Nucor Steel Plate Group
SSAB
Steel Service Centers
Infra-Metals
Metals USA
Universities
West Virginia University
University of Wyoming

COMING SOON!: www.ShortSpanSteelBridges.org

Target Audience
County Engineers
State DOT and Federal Highway Officials
Bridge Designers and Consultants

Website Highlights

Steel Solution
Catalog of steel solutions available, including superstructure, substructure, decks,
modular systems, secondary elements, and transporters.
Case Studies
Technical articles/videos detailing how other counties and DOTs have used steel to
save time and money utilizing a variety of steel solutions.
Video and Photo Gallery
Video expert testimonies regarding cost considerations, design tips, modular
construction, coatings, etc.
Photo collection of short span photos (truss, plate, rolled beam, CSP, etc.)
Ask the Expert
A collection of short span experts who can handle just about any question
Blog
Up-to-date information on short span topics of interest to bridge owners and
designers

Website Highlights

Social Media
Follow us on Twitter and connect on LinkedIn
Design Aids / Research
Design aids and research reports on short span bridges
Email Newsletter
Sign up today to get the latest update on short span steel bridge activities and
events

White Paper / Case Studies

Videos more & searchable

Expert Support Resource

Standard Short Span Steel Bridge Designs

Goal:
Economically competitive
Expedite and Economize the Design Process
Simple Repetitive Details and Member Sizes.

Bridge Parameters
Span Lengths: 40 ft to 140 ft
Girder Spacing: 6 ft, 7.5 ft, 9 ft and 10.5 ft
Homogeneous and hybrid plate girders with limited plate sizes
Limited depth and lightest weight rolled sections
Selective Cross-Frame Placement & Design

Standards

Homogeneous PL Girders (S = 7.5)

Rolled Beam Designs

Typical Girder Details

Economical Diaphragm Details

Bearing Details

Compare to Older AISI Standard Designs

25.00

Weight (tons)

20.00

15.00

WVU (S = 9 ft - 0 in)
AISI (S = 9 ft - 0 in)

10.00

5.00

0.00
0

20

40

60

Span Length (ft)

80

100

120

The Bridge Technology Center

Free resource available to bridge owners and designers with questions related to:
Standard design and details of short span bridges (plate & rolled beam)
Standard design and details of corrugated steel pipe and structural plate.

One stop for customized steel bridge and culvert solutions

* Standard designs & details for short span steel crossing

- Rolled Beam & Plate Girders
- Corrugated Pipe (CSP & structural plate)
* Manufacturer's steel solutions (SSSBA Members)

How it works

Step 1 Create an Account

- Develop an account complete with username/password

Step 2 Input Information About Your Specific Project/Crossing

Span Length
Number of Striped Traffic Lanes
Roadway Width
Pedestrian Access / sidewalks
Skew Angle
Average Daily Traffic (ADT)
Design Speed
Waterway Area (CSP)
Height of Cover (CSP)

Step 3 Customized Solutions Book is Provided Based on Your Input

Standard Design and Details of Short Span Steel Bridges Solutions

Rolled Beam Recommendations

Plate Girder Recommendations

Standard Design and Details of Corrugated Steel Pipe and Structural Plate Solutions
Manufacturers Steel Solutions (SSSBA Members)

Customized Solutions from Members of the SSSBA

Durability Solutions (SSSBA Members)

Galvanized & Paint

Weathering Steel
Additional Contact Information

Producers

Service Centers

Fabricators

Coaters

Industry Organizations

Sign-Up on www.ShortSpanSteelBridges.org to Receive Notification When

Available
(June 2012)
www.ShortSpanSteelBridges.org

Training & Continuing Education

Day Short Span Steel Bridge Workshops

15-20 over the next 3 years: LTAP, DOT & Consultants
SSSBA Overview & Interactive Website
Standards, Design Aids, Design Examples
Economical & Practical Design Issues
Case Studies
Coatings

Forums
Steel Bridge Forums
Partnership with NSBA
3-4 in 2012
Full Day
DOT Focused
Agenda customized to DOTs Needs

National Research in Modular Steel Bridge Construction

Survey Bridge Owners to Determine Needs
AASHTO T-14 (DOT)
NACE Structures Committee (County)
Selected other DOTs
Identify the bridge systems which have the most promise for
mainstream use -- in order to provide a cost-effective short span steel
bridge, with modular components, which meets the needs of todays
bridge owners.

National Research in Modular Steel Bridge Construction

2011 Chicago Mtg, SSSBA member steel producers, fabricators,
state DOT engineers, researchers and bridge producers:

Press-Brake Tub Module

Two-Girder Module

Proposed Steel Industry & DOT Pooled Fund Study

Develop Standard Modular Designs:

Experimental Test Select Designs:

Simple Span
2-girder I-shape modules
CIP deck w/ in-place forms & rebar cages
Thin pretopped deck & topping/closure CIP deck
Full pretopped deck & closure CIP deck
Thin PC deck & topping/closure CIP deck
Full PC deck & closure CIP
Grid steel deck
Press-brake tub girder modules
Thin pretopped deck & topping/closure CIP deck
Full pretopped deck & closure CIP deck
Skewed designs for I-shape module & press-brake module
Multi-Span (3 span)
2-girder I-shape modules (drop in center)
CIP deck w/ in-place forms & rebar cages
Thin pretopped deck & toppiing/closure CIP deck
Full pretopped deck & closure CIP deck
Thin PC deck & topping/closure CIP deck
Full PC deck & closure CIP
Grid steel deck
Skewed designs for I-shape module

Simple-Span Single-Unit modular designs

2-girder I-shape module
Grid steel deck
Press-brake tub girder modules
Full pretopped deck
Simple Span Two-Unit modular system designs (Side-by-Side)
2-girder I-shape modules
CIP deck w/ in-place forms & rebar cages
Thin PC deck & topping/closure CIP deck
Full PC deck & closure CIP
Grid steel deck
Press-brake tub girder modules
Thin pretopped deck & topping/closure CIP deck
Full pretopped deck & closure CIP deck
Multi-Span (3 span) Two-Unit modular system designs (Side-by-Side)
2-girder I-shape modules (drop in center)
CIP deck w/ in-place forms & rebar cages
Thin pretopped deck & topping/closure CIP deck
Grid steel deck

Summary
SSSBA has produced Resources so that Steel Bridges
can Efficiently be Considered
We Hope Missouri Accepts an Invitation to Host a
Short Span Workshop or a Steel Bridge Forum
We Desire the Chance to Discuss Pooled Fund
Research on the Modular Steel Bridge Research