Thermal stresses in steel girder bridges with integral abutments

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the use of field measurements to evaluate the performance of integral abutment bridges and to check the validity of the design assumptions. A newly constructed integral abutment bridge was heavily instrumented to monitor its long-term performance under the effects of environmental conditions and traffic loading. The collected data indicate that integral abutments resist the expansion of the bridge superstructure during summer time, leading to excessive axial compressive forces in the steel girders. Under such a condition, the 2002 AASHTO criteria for stability and yield of steel girders are barely satisfied under the effect of dead loads and temperature variations and are not satisfied when considering the effect of HS20-44 live load.