Spliced Girders

A Producers Perspective
by

Chad Saunders
Chief Engineer
Bayshore Concrete Products

presented at the

Virginia Concrete Conference

Richmond, Virginia

March 11, 2005

 Bayshore Concrete Products
Cape Charles, VA

90 acre casting facility on Cape Charles Harbor and Chesapeake Bay

 The shape. How did we get here?

PCEF
Prestressed Concrete Committee
for Economic Fabrication

A committee established by FHWA for economic fabrication of

prestressed/precast concrete
Consists of Mid Atlantic states
PCEF Cross Section Variability

6 7 8
Different web thicknesses = diff. soffit
PCEF Cross Section Variability

58 59 60
12 wider top flange = same side form
with blockout removed
Form modification
VDOT PCBT
32 bottom flange width
7 thick bottom flange
7 web
47 top flange width

CENTROID MOMENT WEIGHT

DESIGNATION DEPTH AREA
TO BOTTOM OF INERTIA (150 PCF)
(IN) (IN2) (IN) X 103 (IN4) LBS/LF
PCBT-29 29 634.7 14.66 66.8 661
PCBT-37 37 690.7 18.43 126.0 720
PCBT-45 45 746.7 22.23 207.3 778
PCBT-53 53 802.7 26.06 312.4 836
PCBT-61 61 858.7 29.92 443.1 899
PCBT-69 69 914.7 33.79 601.3 953
PCBT-77 77 970.7 37.67 788.7 1011
PCBT-85 85 1026.7 41.57 1007.2 1070
PCBT-93 93 1082.7 45.48 1258.5 1128
Rte 123 over the Occoquan River
Fairfax and Prince William Counties

VDOTs first PCBT

spliced girder bridge
 Location

Close proximity to I-95 and Route 1 = detour = high traffic

 Town of Occoquan

Affluent neighborhood = pressure for aesthetic design

 Whos Who

Owner VDOT
Designer Moffatt & Nichol
General Contractor Archer Western
Erection Engineer McNary Bergeron
Precast Bayshore Concrete Products
PT Hardware - VSL
 Erection plan
Approach Girders (4 spans)

End Span Haunch Drop In Haunch End Span

Bridge Cross Section

At Haunch Piers

Other piers
 Concrete

Concrete 28 day: 8000 psi

Concrete - release: 5800 psi
Low permeability
Release strength cylinders matched cured
Approach

Girders
4 span unit
Pieces: 58 total beams
Type: PCBT-77
Length: 144 ft
Weight: 73 tons
Strand: 0.6 LRS
Cast two per pour

Cross section
 Approach Girder Casting setup

Gravity abutment to
withstand prestress force

Conventionally prestressed
with draped strands
Maturity meter testing

Research for more

accurate prediction
and control of
camber by VA Tech
 Forms and casting

Side forms with fall

protection rail

Placing concrete with Tuckerbuilt

 Storage

300 ton twin gantry crane in background

 Spliced Girders
End span
Pieces: 28 total beams
Length: 127 ft
Weight: 88 tons

Haunch
Pieces: 28 total beams
Length: 98.5 ft
Weight: 77 tons

Drop-In
Pieces: 14 total beams
Length: 137 ft
Weight: 87 tons
 Special form needs
End span and Drop-In
34 soffit
(4) sections of end block form (end span only)
Extra 2 angle full length of side forms to create 6 thick top flange

Haunch
Complete form system including soffit and side forms

Approach
Standard PCBT-77
Erection Sequence
Temporary
support

Erect haunch
segment then end
span segment
Back span = 185 ft

Erect drop-in
segment
Main span = 225 ft
Erection Sequence
Make closures
and begin PT

Remove strong backs

Cast deck and

complete PT
 End Span and Drop In
Type: Modified cross sections
PCBT-77
Depth: 79
Strand: 0.6 LRS

Variations:
6 thick top flange
9 wide web for PT
tendons = 34
wide bottom flange
& 49 wide top
flange

Cast two per pour

End Span and Drop-In End Block at End Span
 End Span
end condition
PT ducts: (3) 4 OD for 0.6 LRS

Extremely congested area due to bursting reinforcement

 End Span and Drop-In connection
at splice with haunch

Very congested area due to splice plates with welded rebar and projecting rebar
 Casting setup

Ducts in place

Setting ducts
 End block

Up close near anchorage

Horizontal reinforcement
 End block

Termination of end block

Pre-assembly of end cages

Splice End

Top splice plates

Bottom plates and projecting bars

 Haunch
Type: Modified
PCBT-77

Depth: varies from

79 to 12-6

Strand: 0.6 LRS

Variations:
6 thick top flange
9 wide web for PT
tendons = 34
wide bottom flange
& 49 wide top
flange

Cast one per pour

 Haunch

NTS
nts
Challenges:
12-6 depth at midpoint = extreme height full length
Most strands located in top flange
Location of the PT tendons makes concrete placement and
consolidation difficult = addition of pour windows
Extra setup required for storing and handling of variable depth side
forms and beams
Bed setup
Pulling strand
Stressing
 Rebar and
PT tendons
How did he tie the bars in
the top flange?
Forms
 Grout vents

Top Splice Plate

Look at the view from
up here.

Pouring with buckets

 First casting is a
success

Girder bracing
 Shipping

All beams to be shipped by barge starting

early April 2005
Erection

Phase I setting
beams from the
existing bridge
Erection

Phase II setting
beams from the
phase I bridge
 Lessons learned
Producer - Seek possible use of SCC concrete for heavily
congested area
Contractor - Get construction engineer involved early
to ensure means and methods are established (i.e.
temporary bracing embedments, special lifting
requirements, strong back design, etc.)
Engineer - Require complete shop drawings from PT
supplier
DOT consider having a notch in back span girder(s)
designed and included in plans to ensure maximum
flexibility in construction sequence
Rte 33 over the Pamunkey River
West Point and New Kent County

Whats Next?
Location
Town of West Point
 Whos Who

Owner VDOT
Designer Parsons Brinckerhoff
General Contractor Tidewater Skanska
Precast Bayshore Concrete Products
 Concrete

Concrete 28 day: 8000 psi

Concrete - release: 6000 psi
Low permeability
Lightweight: 115 pcf (concrete)
125 pcf (total)
 Approach
Girders
3 span unit
Pieces: 21 total beams
Type: Modified PCBT-93

Variations:
9 thick bottom flange
8 wide web = 33 wide bottom
flange & 60 wide top flange

Depth = 95.5
Length: 137 ft
Strand: 0.5 LRS
Cast two per pour
Cross section
 Spliced Girders
End span
Pieces: 42 total beams
Length: 159 ft

Haunch
Pieces: 28 total beams
Length: 80 ft

Drop-In
Pieces: 28 total beams
Length: 159 ft
 Haunch
Type: Modified
PCBT-93

Depth: varies from

95.5 to 10-5 1/2

Strand: 0.6 LRS

Variations:
8 wide web for PT
tendons = 33
wide bottom flange
& 60 wide top
flange

Cast one per pour

Challenges:
10-5 depth at midpoint = setup remains at 12-6 to avoid
costly rework = extreme height full length
Others same as previous project.

Pros:
Not having to set up a new stressing frame
Booster Form utilize existing forms Haunch
 Special form needs
End span and Drop-In
33 soffit
(2) sections of end block form (end span only) different from
Occoquan because same quantity of end span and drop-in
16 riser for PCBT-77 form

Haunch
Booster form (bolts on to bottom of standard form)

Approach
16 riser for PCBT-77 form (same as above)
Questions?
 Thank You
Please feel free to come visit
our plant OR call if we can be
of assistance in any way

Contact: Joe Rose

757-331-2300 jrose@bcpcorp.com
 Bayshore Concrete Products
Cape Charles, VA

90 acre casting facility on Cape Charles Harbor and Chesapeake Bay