BRIDGE

DESIGN OF SUPERSTRUCTURE ELEMENTS

A. DESIGN LOADS The design of the bridge superstructure ( or any other structural elements, for that matter ) is based on a set of loading conditions which the component or element must withstand. The bridge engineer must take into account a wide variety of loads which vary based on : Duration (permanent or temporary) Direction (vertical, longitudinal, etc.) Deformation (concrete creep, thermal expansion, etc.) Effect (shear, bending, torsion, etc.)

In order to form a consistent basis for design, organizations like AASHTO have developed a set of standard loading conditions which applied to engineer's design model of the structure.

1. PERMANENT LOADS In AASHTO Standard Specifications, all dead loads are treated as one group. In AASHTO LRFD Specs. however, dead load for wearing surfaces and utilities are treated as a separate dead load group, which have higher load factors due to the fact that this of dead loads have larger uncertainty than the other dead loads, ( See AASHTO LRFD Section 3.5.1 ).

AASHTO STANDARD 3.3.6 UNIT WEIGHTS FOR COMPUTING DEAD LOAD lb/ft ITEM Steel or Cast Steel 490 Cast Iron 450 Aluminum Alloys 175 Timber ( treated or untreated ) 50 Concrete, ( plain or reinforced ) 150 Compacted Sand, Earth, Gravel 120 or Ballast Loose Sand, Earth, and Gravel 100 Macadam or Gravel, rolled 140 Cinder Filling 60 Pavement, other than wood block 150 Railway Rails, Guard Rails, and 200 fastening per linear ft of track Stone Masonry 170 Asphalt Plank, 1 in thick 9 lb / sq.ft

AASHTO LRFD Table 3.5.1-1t ITEM Aluminum Alloys Bituminous Wearing Surfaces Cast Iron Cinder Filling Compacted Sand, Silt and Clay LightweightConcrete concrete Sand Lightweight Concrete Normal Weight Concrete Loose Sand, Silt and Gravel Rolled Gravel, Macadam, or Ballast Steel Stone Masonry Hardwood Softwood Freshwater Saltwater

UNIT WEIGHTS kcf 0.175 0.140 0.450 0.060 0.120 0.110 0.120 0.145 0.100 0.140 0.490 0.170 0.060 0.050 0.0624 0.0640

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2. SUPERIMPOSED DEAD LOAD structure after the deck has cured and begun to work with theloads are those loadsresisting on the From the In composite construction , superimposed dead primary members in placed loads. super-