Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

Introduction
Bridgemembersmustbeabletocarrythe
loadsappliedtothem.
Thispresentationconsiders:
BasicStructural howloadsareappliedtomembers
howbridgemembersarestressedby
Considerations loads
howbridgematerialsresiststress

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Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

Beams SimpleBeams
Differentmembertypescarryloadindifferent
ways. ShownbelowisaFreeBodyDiagramofasimplebeam.

Beamsarememberswhichareloaded LOAD

perpendiculartotheirlength.
Theyarealsoreferredtoasstringersandgirders.
CL BRG CL PIER 2 CL PIER 1 CL BRG
ABUT 2 ABUT 1
12.000 12.200 12.000
REACTION REACTION
STA 61+307.300
STA 61+314.300

STA 61+295.100

STA 61+283.100
EL 587.065

EL 586.844

EL 586.646

EL 586.478

Inthisdiagramarrowsareusedtoshowtheforces(loads
andreactions)actingonthebeam.
Thesearrowsaredrawnatthepointstheforcesare
PIER CAP
(CONTINUOUS
SC-510 GIRDERS
(SIMPLE BEAMS) appliedandinthedirectionstheyact.
BEAM)

PIPE PILES
Reactionsaretheforcesthatsupportamember.
(COLUMNS)

Theyareexertedbyothermembersorbytheground.
ELEVATION

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 Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

ContinuousBeams ContinuousBeams
Acontinuousbeamisabeamthatissupported ShownbelowisaFreeBodyDiagramofa
atintermediatepointsalongitslength. continuousbeam.
LOAD LOAD
13.442

0.755 11.932 0.755

CL RDWY
5.966

SC-510 GIRDERS
(SIMPLE BEAMS) 1.00 1.00
0.02 0.02

REACTION REACTION REACTION

PIER CAP
(CONTINUOUS
BEAM) STRUTS
(COLUMNS)

PIPE PILES
(COLUMNS) Theadditionofintermediatesupportsallowsa
beamtocarrymoreload.

TYPICAL CROSS-SECTION

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Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

ColumnsandHangers ColumnsandHangers
Columnsandhangersarememberswhichare
ShownbelowareFreeBodyDiagramsfora
loadedparalleltotheirlength.
columnandahanger.
Columnsareloadedincompression;hangersin LOAD LOAD

tension.
13.442

0.755 11.932 0.755

CL RDWY
5.966

SC-510 GIRDERS
(SIMPLE BEAMS) 1.00 1.00
0.02 0.02

PIER CAP
(CONTINUOUS
BEAM) STRUTS
(COLUMNS) REACTION REACTION
PIPE PILES
(COLUMNS)

Column Hanger

TYPICAL CROSS-SECTION

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 Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

Stresses Hangers TensionStress

BelowisaFreeBodyDiagramofahangeraswell
Loadscausestressesinamember.
asofapiececutoutfromthehanger.
Stressesaretheinternalforcesthatthemember
Whatstressesmustbepresentatthecutsto
experiencesatitsdifferentlocations.
keepthepiecesofthehangerfromseparating?
StresshasunitsofForce/Areae.g.kipsper
Thestressesarethesameateachlocationand
squareinch(ksi),Newtons persquaremillimetre
trytolengthenthehanger.
(MPa).
Thefollowingtypesofstressoccurinbridge
members:
tensionstress TENSION
STRESSES

compressionstress
bendingstress
shearstress

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Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

Columns CompressionStress Columns Buckling

BelowisaFreeBodyDiagramofacolumnaswellasofa Compressionstressescanalsocausebucklingof
piececutoutfromthecolumn. acolumn.
Whatstressesmustbepresentatthecutstokeepthe
piecesofthecolumnapart? Slendercolumnsbuckleeasierthanstockyones.
Thestressesarethesameateachlocationandtryto Misalignedcolumnsbuckleeasierthanstraight
shortenthecolumn. ones.

COMPRESSION
STRESSES

SLENDER COLUMN STOCKY COLUMN

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SimpleBeams Curvature ContinuousBeams Curvature

Bendingstressescausedcurvatureofthebeam. Continuousbeamsgointobothpositiveandnegative
curvature.
Thelargerthecurvature;thelargerthebendingstresses.
Thecurvaturecausessectionsofthebeamtorotate.
Simplebeamsgointopositivecurvature.

POSITIVE NEGATIVE POSITIVE

CURVATURE CURVATURE CURVATURE

CONTINUOUS BEAM CURVATURE

POSITIVE CURVATURE

Curvatureisgenerallypositiveawayfromintermediate
supportswithmaximumpositivecurvaturesoccurring
SIMPLE BEAM CURVATURE beneaththeloads.
Curvatureisgenerallynegativenearintermediatesupports
withmaximumnegativecurvaturesoccurringat
intermediatesupports.

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Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

SimpleBeams BendingStress ContinuousBeams BendingStress

BelowisaFreeBodyDiagramshowingasectionofbeam BelowisaFreeBodyDiagramshowingasectionofbeam
inpositivecurvature. innegativecurvature.

BENDING STRESSES
BENDING STRESSES

Thetopofthebeamisbeingpushedtogether Thetopofthebeamisbeingpulledapart(tension)while
(compression)whilethebottomofthebeamisbeing thebottomofthebeamisbeingpushedtogether
pulledapart(tension). (compression).
Themidheightofthebeamdoesnotchangelengthandis Themidheightofthebeamdoesnotchangelengthandis
notstressed. notstressed.

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Beams HorizontalShearStress Beams HorizontalShearStress

Horizontalshearstressiscausedbybeamcurvature. BelowaretwoFreeBodyDiagramsshowingthe
Belowaretwobeamsinbending,oneontopoftheother. horizontalshearstressesrequiredtoprevent
slidingalongalongitudinalcutofabeamin
Thebottomofthetopbeamlengthenswhilethetopof positivecurvature.
thebottombeamshortenscausingthebeamstoslidepast
eachother.

HORIZONTAL SHEAR STRESSES

Ifthetwobeamsbecomeonebeamslidingcannolonger
occur.

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Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

Beams VerticalShearStress Beams VerticalShearStress

BelowisaFreeBodyDiagramofapieceofbeam. BelowisaFreeBodyDiagramofadifferentpiece
ofthesamebeam.
Shearstressmustbepresentattheverticalcuts
tokeepthepiecesofthebeamfromslidingpast Tensionstressesmustbepresentattheinclined
eachother. cutstokeepthepiecesofthebeamfrom
separating.

SHEAR STRESSES TENSION STRESSES

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StressInSteel StressInSteel
Differentbridgematerialsrespondtostressindifferentways. Animportantpropertytorememberwhen
inspectingbridgesisthatasteelbending
Shownbelowisastressstraindiagramforsteel.
memberthathasreacheditsyieldstresswill
Strainisameasureofthestretchingorshorteningofamember developakinkorsag.
understress.
Abeamthathasdevelopedakinkandsaggedis
shownbelow.
COMPRESSION

STRESS
YIELD STRESS

LENGTHEN SHORTEN

STRAIN

KINK
YIELD STRESS

TENSION

Steelisstronginbothtensionandcompression.
Steelthathasreacheditsyieldstresslengthensorshortens
underconstantstress.

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Basic Structural Considerations Basic Structural Considerations

StressInSteel StressInConcrete
Steelmembersarenormallymadeupofslender Shownbelowisastressstraindiagramforconcrete.
components(flangesandwebs). COMPRESSION

Thereforesteelcompressionmembers(including STRESS

partsofbeamsincompression)aresusceptible
tobuckling.
Misalignmentofamemberincompression
LENGTHEN SHORTEN
lowerstheloadatwhichitbuckles.
STRAIN

TENSION

Concreteisstrongincompressionandweakintension.

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StressInConcrete StressInConcrete
Anunreinforcedconcretebeamwillfailin Reinforcingsteelplacedonthetensionsideofabeam
tensionunderasmallload. increasesitsstrength.

TENSION CRACK (typ)

REINFORCING STEEL

TENSION CRACK

Crackingoftheconcretemaystilloccurbutthereinforcing
steelactingintensionpreventsfailure.
Crackscausedbybendingstressesoccurinthemiddleof
thespannearthebottomofthebeamoratintermediate
supportsnearthetopofthebeam.
Theseverticalcracksarenormalunlesstheyhaveopened
upindicatingthatthereinforcingsteelhasyielded.

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StressInConcrete StressInConcrete
Highstrengthsteelissometimesusedtocontrol Shownbelowisaconcretebeamafterthehigh
concretecrackingcausedbybendingstresses. strengthsteelhasbeencut.
Thehighstrengthsteelisstretchedandthe
concretebeamcastaroundit.

HIGH STRENGTH STEEL

Thecuttingofthehighstrengthsteelresultsin
thesteelandalsothebottomofthebeam
shorteningandgoingintocompression
counteractingthetensioncausedbytheloads
CONCRETE BEAM
anddelayingcracking.

Whentheconcretehasgainedadequate
strengththehighstrengthsteeliscut.

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StressInConcrete StressInTimber
Shearinanunreinforcedconcretebeamcancausean Timberisanaturalmaterialandhasdifferent
inclinedcracktoformresultinginsuddenfailure.
strengthpropertiesindifferentdirections.
Itsinternalstructurecanbethoughtofasa
bundleofstrawsrunninginthedirectionofthe
grain.
INCLINED CRACK

Stirrupsplacedacrosstheinclinedtensioncrackincrease
theshearstrengthabovetheconcretecrackingstrength
thusgivingwarningoffailure.

STIRRUPS

Itisimportanttoreportinclinedcrackinginabeamasthe
openingupofaninclinedcrackcanresultinsuddenfailure
ofthebeam.

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StressInTimber StressInTimber
Timberisstrongintensionandcompressionin Timberisweakinshearalongthegrainjustas
thedirectionofthegrain. strawsinabundleeasilyslidepasteachother.
Failureduetobendingstressesoftenoccursata Horizontalcrackscausedbyhorizontalshear
defectsuchasaknot. stressescanoccurattheendsofatimberbeam.

TENSION CRACK,
HORIZONTAL
INITIATED AT KNOT SHEAR CRACK

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StressInTimber
Timberisweakincompressionacrossthegrain
justasstrawsareweakagainstcrushing.
CRUSHING
AT SUPPORTS

TIMBER CAPS

TIMBER PILES

Crushingcanoccurwheretimbercapssupport
beamsandalsowheretimbercapsare
supportedbypiles.

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