8

Part 19

Rating of Existing Concrete Bridges1

— 2000 —

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section/Article Description Page

19.1 G eneral.................................................................. 8-19-2

19.1.1 U nits (2000).............................................................. 8-19-2
19.1.2 Scope (2000).............................................................. 8-19-2

19.2 R ating ................................................................... 8-19-2 1

19.2.1 G eneral(2000)............................................................ 8-19-2
19.2.2 N orm alR ating (2000)...................................................... 8-19-2
19.2.3 M axim um R ating (2000).................................................... 8-19-2
19.2.4 Load Carrying Capacity (2000)............................................... 8-19-2
19.2.5 Inspection (2000).......................................................... 8-19-3
19.2.6 Com putation ofStresses or Strengths (2000) ................................... 8-19-3 3
19.3 L oads and Forces.......................................................... 8-19-4
19.3.1 G eneral(2000)............................................................ 8-19-4
19.3.2 Dead Load (2000)..................................................... ..... 8-19-4
19.3.3 Live Load (2000) .......................................................... 8-19-4
19.3.4 Im pact (2000)............................................................. 8-19-4
19.3.5 O ther Loads (2000) ........................................................ 8-19-4

19.4 M aterials................................................................. 8-19-5

19.4.1 Concrete (2000) ........................................................... 8-19-5
19.4.2 R einforcing Steel(2000) .................................................... 8-19-6

19.5 L oad C om binations and R ating Form ulas..................................... 8-19-9

19.5.1 Loads and Forces (2000) .................................................... 8-19-9
19.5.2 N otations (2000) .......................................................... 8-19-9
19.5.3 Form ulas (2000)........................................................... 8-19-10

19.6 Excessive L oading ..................................................... .... 8-19-11

19.6.1 A ction to be Taken (2000)................................................... 8-19-11

C om m entary .................................................................. 8-19-11

1 R eferences Vol.67,1966,pp.355,656;Vol.71,1970,p.232;Vol.90,1989,pp.53,80.

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Concrete Structures and Foundations

SECTION 19.1 GENERAL

19.1.1 UNITS (2000)

a. T he values stated in m etric (SI)units are to be used. T he im perialvalues are approxim ate and are
provided for inform ation only.

b. M etric A ST M Standards are cited,w here available. Corresponding im perialA ST M designations are
cited only in the absence ofa m etric reference.

19.1.2 SCOPE (2000)

a. T he provisions ofParts 2 and 17,this Chapter,should be follow ed except as m odified by this Part.

SECTION 19.2 RATING

19.2.1 GENERAL (2000)

a. Concrete railw ay bridges shallbe rated according totheir load carrying capacity as determ ined by the
rules specified herein.

b. T he rating ofthe bridge shallbe m ade either w ith reference to service loads and allow able service load
stresses as provided in SE RV ICE LO A D R AT IN G or,alternately,w ith reference to load factors and
strength as provided in LO A D FA CT O R R AT IN G .T he m ethod to be used,SE RV ICE LO A D R AT IN G or
LOA D FA CT O R RATING , shall be as directed by the E ngineer.

c. E ach bridge shallbe assigned tw o ratings;N O R M A L and M A X IM U M . T he stated norm aland m axim um
ratings ofeach bridge as a unit shallbe the low estofthe ratings determ ined for the various com ponents.

19.2.2 NORMAL RATING (2000)

a. N orm alrating is the m axim um load levelw hich can be carried by an existing structure for an indefinite
period oftim e.

19.2.3 MAXIMUM RATING (2000)

a. M axim um rating is the m axim um load levelw hich the structure can support at infrequent intervals.

19.2.4 LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY (2000)1

a. T he load-carrying capacity ofa bridge should be determ ined by the com putation ofstresses or strengths
based on actualrecords ofthe design,details,m aterials,w orkm anship,and physicalcondition,including
data obtained by inspection and load tests,iffeasible.

1 SeeCom m entary

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 Rating of Existing Concrete Bridges

19.2.5 INSPECTION (2000)

a. Inspection ofthe bridge shallbe m ade in accordance w ith Part 21,this Chapter,w ith specialattention to
the follow ing item s:

(1) W hether the actualsections and details conform to the plans.D im ensions ofthe concrete sections
should be m easured to nearest 5 m m (¹⁄ inch).Location and size ofreinforcem ent should be
checked at criticalsections by use ofa pachom eter or other suitable device.

(2) A ny additions to the dead load not show n on the plans,such as heavier rail,deeper ballast section,
concrete ties, walkways, pipelines, conduits,signal devices,and wire supports.

(3) T he position ofthe track w ith respect to the center line ofthe bridge.

(4) A ny loss ofconcrete.A llloose concrete shallbe rem oved before m aking this determ ination.

(5) A ny reduction in reinforcing steelarea due to corrosion.T his determ ination should be m ade by
m easurem ents after rem ovalofcorrosion.

(6) T he physicalcondition,noting such conditions as excessive cracking at points ofm axim um m om ent
and at points ofm axim um shear.Ifcracks are deem ed critical,they should be observed during the
passage ofa train to determ ine w hether live load stresses cause m ovem ent or grow th in the cracks.

(7) U neven settlem ent ofsupports. 1

(8) Verticalor horizontalm isalignm ent ofspans or supports.

(9) Superelevation oftrack.

19.2.6 COMPUTATION OF STRESSES OR STRENGTHS (2000)

3
19.2.6.1 General

a. T he com putation ofstresses or strengths should be m ade for allload-carrying m em bers and com ponents,
giving particular attention to the increased load carried by any m em ber due to eccentricity.

19.2.6.2 Critical Sections

4
a. T he criticalsections at w hich com putations are m ade should be approved by the E ngineer.In addition to
the m ain reinforcem ent,consideration shallbe given to:

(1) Sizes,spacing and developm entlength ofshear reinforcem ent.

(2) Developm ent length ofand splices in longitudinalreinforcem ent.

(3) Colum n m om ents due to continuous construction or eccentricity ofloading.

(4) T he bond (developm ent length) requirem ents in effect at the tim e the bridge w as designed.

19.2.6.3 Redistribution of Moments

a. For continuous bridges,m om ents determ ined by elastic analysis m ay be redistributed by increasing or
decreasing the negative m om ents by not m ore than 20 percent.

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Concrete Structures and Foundations

b. T his redistribution ofm om ents should follow that given in “Building Code R equirem ents for R einforced
Concrete–A CI 318-95M (A CI 318-95),” A RT.8.4 for nonprestressed m em bers or A RT 18.10.4 for
prestressed m em bers.

19.2.6.4 Maximum Reinforcement

a. For LO A D FA CT O R R AT IN G S the area oftension steelto be used in com puting the design m om ent
strength should not exceed that available at the section. Ifthe area ofthe tension steelexceeds the
reinforcem ent required for balanced conditions,then a generalanalysis is required.

SECTION 19.3 LOADS AND FORCES

19.3.1 GENERAL (2000)

a. T he loads and forces should be co

m puted and are defined as follow s:

19.3.2 DEAD LOAD (2000)

a. T he dead load should be the m ass ofthe bridge,including the track,ballast,and f ill,together w ith thatof
any other loads,m ultiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (equivalent to a w eight in im perialunits).

19.3.3 LIVE LOAD (2000)

a. T he live load should be one ofthe Cooper E M (E ) series. O ther standard loading criteria,or a load
consisting ofa specific locom otive or other equipm ent m ay be used,depending on the purpose for w hich
the rating is being done.

b. T he lateraland longitudinaldistribution ofthe axle loads to the structure should be determ ined as
outlined in Part2,this Chapter.

19.3.4 IMPACT (2000)

a. T he im pact should be determ ined as outlined in Part2,or Part17,this Chapter,as applicable.

b. R eduction ofim pact m ay be allow ed as follow s:for speeds less than 65 km /h (40 m ph)the im pact shallbe
reduced in a straight-line variation from fulleffectat65 km /h (40 m ph)to 0.5 ofthe fulleffect at 15 km /h
(10 m ph).

19.3.5 OTHER LOADS (2000)

a. O ther loads shallbe determ ined as given inPart2,this Chapter.

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 Rating of Existing Concrete Bridges

SECTION 19.4 MATERIALS

19.4.1 CONCRETE (2000)

19.4.1.1 General

a. T he com pressive strength ofthe concrete shallbe taken as the 28-day strength ofthe concrete,ifrecords
ofsam e are available.Ifthere is no record ofthe com pressive strength ofthe concrete,it shallbe
assum ed as 20 M Pa (3,000 psi).For deteriorated concrete,the com pressive strength should be assum ed
as not m ore than 17 M Pa (2,500 psi),or a low er value should be used as required by the E ngineer.

19.4.1.1.1 Coring for Strength Tests

a. In the event that the concrete stress proves to be critical,the com pressive strength ofthe concrete m ay
be determ ined by “Standard M ethods ofO btaining Testing D rilled Cores and Saw ed B eam s ofConcrete,”
A ST M Standard C 42,or other m ethods as determ ined by the E ngineer.

19.4.1.1.2 Treatment of Core Holes

a. A llcore holes shallbe filled w ith cem entitious m aterialhaving a 28-day specified com pressive strength
equalto or higher than that ofthe structure,or w ith a com m ercialgrout approved by the E ngineer.
E poxy bonding com pound,m eeting the approvalofthe E ngineer,shallbe used to bond the new concrete
to the existing concrete.
1
19.4.1.2 Service Load Rating

a. T he perm issible stress for the concrete shallbe taken as 1.2 cf,w here fc is the allow able stress as
specified in Part2,this Chapter.

b. M odular ratio n shallbe determ ined as the ratio ofelasticity ofsteelto that ofconcrete,E s/E c,as
specified in Part2,this Chapter. 3
19.4.1.3 Load Factor Rating

a. T he applicable concrete design assum ptions shallfollow those inPart2,this Chapter.

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Concrete Structures and Foundations

19.4.2 REINFORCING STEEL (2000)

19.4.2.1 Maximum Allowable Stresses

a. T he follow ing m axim um allow able stresses should be used w here fy is determ ined asindicated in A rticle
19.4.2.2.

METRIC UNITS IMPERIAL UNITS

1.Tension reinforcem ent in flexuralm em bers: (w ith or w ithout axialloads)

Structural-grade steelbars... 0.8 fy 0.8 fy

Interm ediate-grade steelbars and G rade 280 (40) bars... 0.7 fy 0.7 fy
H ard-grade steelbars and G rade 340 (50) or G rade 410 (60) bars... 0.6 fy 0.6 fy
W rought Iron... 140 M Pa 20,000 psi
W ire m esh or cold-draw n steelw ire not exceeding 12 m m (1/2 inch) in
diam eter w hen used in one-w ay solid slabs only... 0.7 fy 0.7 fy
but not to exceed... 230 M Pa 34,000 psi

2.Tension in shear reinforcem ent:

A llgrades ofsteel... 165 M Pa 24,000 psi
W rought Iron... 140 M Pa 20,000 psi

3.Com pression in colum n verticalreinforcem ent:

Structural-grade steelbars... 0.6 fy 0.6 fy

Interm ediate-grade steelbars and G rade 280 (40) bars... 0.6 fy 0.6 fy
H ard-grade steelbars and G rade 340 (50) or G rade 410 (60) bars... 0.5 fy 0.5 fy
W rought Iron... 140 M Pa 20,000 psi

4.Com pression reinforcem ent in flexuralm em bers:

A llgrades ofsteel... 165 M Pa 24,000 psi
W rought Iron... 140 M Pa 20,000 psi

5.Com pression in com posite colum n:

A llgrades ofsteel... 165 M Pa 24,000 psi
W rought Iron... 140 M Pa 20,000 psi

6.Com pression in com bination colum ns:

2/r2)]
O pen-hearth or Bessem er steel(m etric & im perial)... [0.8fy/18,000][15,000-0.25(L
2 2
W rought Iron (m etric & im perial)... [0.8fy/15,000][12,500-0.21(L
/r )]

7.Com pression in pipe colum ns:

O pen-hearth or B essem er steel(m etric)... [124-0.48(L/r)](0.8fy2/38,500)
2
(im perial)... [18,000-70(L/r)](0.8fy /810,000,000)

W here: L is the unsupported length of the colum n.

r is the radius ofgyration of the steel section.

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 Rating of Existing Concrete Bridges

19.4.2.2 Yield Strength

19.4.2.2.1 Known Yield Strengths

a. T he yield strengths ofthe reinforcem ent shallbe asshow n on the plans unless m illtest reports ofthe
reinforcem ent used in the structure are available.Ifthe reports are available,the yield strength ofthe
reinforcem ent used in determ ining the rating shallbe the low est value show n for the size ofbar used at
the section being analyzed.

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Concrete Structures and Foundations

19.4.2.2.2 Unknown Yield Strengths

a. Ifthe yield strength is unknow n the follow ing should be used:

MINIMUM YIELD STRENGTH fy

REINFORCING BARS
METRIC IMPERIAL
StructuralG radeorunknow n before1968 230 M Pa 33,000 psi
Interm ediate G rade,G rade 300 (40)or unknow n after 1967 300 M Pa 40,000 psi
H ard G rade or G rade 350 (50) 350 M Pa 50,000 psi
G rade 400 (60) 400 M Pa 60,000 psi
G rade 500 (75) 500 M Pa 75,000 psi

MINIMUM YIELD STRENGTH fpy

PRESTRESSING STEEL
METRIC IMPERIAL
1. Strands A ST M A 416M (A ST M A 416)
a.G rade 1860 (270)
1) Low -R elaxation 1675 M Pa 243,000 psi
2) Stress-R elieved1585 M Pa 230,000 psi
b.G rade 1725 (250)
1) Low -R elaxation 1550 M Pa 225,000 psi
2) Stress-R elieved1470 M Pa 213,000 psi

2. W ire A ST M A 421M (A ST M A 421)

a.Low -R elaxation 1460 M Pa 212,000 psi
b.Stress-R elieved 1380 M Pa 200,000 psi

3. H igh-Strength B ar A ST M A 722M (A ST M A 722)

a.Low -R elaxation 880 M Pa 128,000 psi
b.Stress-R elieved 825 M Pa 120,000 psi

WELDED WIRE FABRIC OR COLD-DRAWN STEEL WIRE METRIC IMPERIAL

1.Plain W ire A ST M A 82M (A ST M A 82)
a.1961 & B efore 440 M Pa 64,000 psi
b.1962 & After 480 M Pa 70,000 psi

2.Plain W elded W ire Fabric A ST M A 185M (A ST M A 185)

a.Sm aller than W 1.2 385 M Pa 56,000 psi
b.W 1.2 and larger 410 M Pa 60,000 psi

3.D eform ed W ire A ST M A 496M (A ST M A 496) 515 M Pa 75,000 psi

4.D eform ed W elded W ire Fabric A ST M A 497M (A ST M A 497) 480 M Pa 70,000 psi

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 Rating of Existing Concrete Bridges

SECTION 19.5 LOAD COMBINATIONS AND RATING FORMULAS

19.5.1 LOADS AND FORCES (2000)

a. T he follow ing notations represent the effect,due to the load or force specified,to be considered in the
rating ofa railroad bridge.T he effects should be determ ined as stresses for service load rating and as
forces for load factor rating.

D = D ead Load
L = Live Load
I = Im pact Load
CF = CentrifugalForce
E = E arth Pressure
B = B uoyancy
SF = Stream Flow Pressure

19.5.2 NOTATIONS (2000)

SLN = Service Load N orm alR ating Factor

SLM = Service Load M axim um R ating Factor
LFN = Load Factor N orm alR ating Factor 1
LFM = Load Factor M axim um R ating Factor
Sf = Perm issible Stress
SN = N om inalStrength
f = Strength R eduction Factor as specified in Part 2 or Part 17,this Chapter,w hichever applies
3

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Concrete Structures and Foundations

19.5.3 FORMULAS (2000)

19.5.3.1 Service Load Rating

19.5.3.1.1 Normal Rating

a. T he rating factor (SLN )shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the follow ing form ula:

[S f ¤1.2]– [D + E + B + SF ]
SL N = ---
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------- EQ 19-1
[L + I + C F ]

b. T he rating expressed in term s ofCooper E M (E ) Series shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the
follow ing equation.For exam ple,ifthe live load in E Q 19-1 w ere for a Cooper E M 3600 (E 80)series,then
the rating value w ould be:

N orm alR ating = SL N ´ 360(SL N x80) EQ 19-2

19.5.3.1.2 Maximum Rating

a. T his rating factor (SLM )shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the follow ing form ula:

S f – [D + E + B + SF ]
SL M = -------------------------------------------------------- EQ 19-3
[L + I + C F ]

b. T he rating expressed in term s ofCooper E Series for fullspeed shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the
follow ing expression.For exam ple,ifthe live load used in E Q 19-3 w ere for a Cooper E 80 series,then the
rating value w ould be:

M axim um R ating = SL M ´ 360(SL M x80) EQ 19-4

T his rating m ay be increased by reducing the speed over the structure.A reduction ofim pact as defined
in 19.3.4 can then be used to recalculate the rating.

19.5.3.2 Load Factor Rating

19.5.3.2.1 Normal Rating

a. T he rating factor (LFN ) shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the follow ing form ula:

fS N – 1.1(D + E + B + SF )
L F N = ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EQ 19-5
1.3[5 ¤3 (L + I)+ C F ]

b. T he rating expressed in term s ofCooper E Series shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the follow ing
expression.For exam ple,ifthe live load used in E Q 19-5 w ere for a Cooper E 80 series,then the rating
value w ould be:

N orm al R ating= L F M´ 360

( L F M x80
) EQ 19-6

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 Rating of Existing Concrete Bridges

19.5.3.2.2 Maximum Rating

a. T he rating factor (LFM ) shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the follow ing form ula:

fS N – 1.1( D + E+ B+ SF)
L F M = ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EQ 19-7
1.3( L+ I+ C F)

b. T he rating expressed in term s ofCooper E Series for fullspeed shallbe com puted in accordance w ith the
follow ing equation.For exam ple,ifthe live load used in E Q 19-7 w ere for a Cooper E M 360 (E 80)series,
then the rating value w ould be:

M axim um R ating = L F M x360(L F M x80) EQ 19-8

T his rating m ay be increased by reducing the speed over the structure.A reduction ofim pact as defined
in 19.3.4 can then be used to recalculate the rating.

SECTION 19.6 EXCESSIVE LOADING

19.6.1 ACTION TO BE TAKEN (2000)

1
a. Ifthe norm aloperating loads exceed those perm issible under these rules,the speed and/or the loading
should be restricted so that the perm issible loads w ill not be exceeded;otherw ise, appropriate action
should be taken untilthe bridge is strengthened orreplaced.W hen the operating loads are determ ined to
be close to perm issable loads,or w hen the physicalconditions ofthe m ain m em bers or com ponents are
m arginal,the bridge should be frequently inspected as long as it is in service.

C - COMMENTARY

T he purpose ofthis part is to furnish the technicalexplanation ofvarious paragraphs in Part 19 R ating of
E xisting Concrete Bridges. In the num bering ofparagraphs ofthis section,the num bers after the “C -” 4
correspond to the section/paragraph being explained.

C - SECTION 19.2 RATING

C - 19.2.4 LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY (2000)

a. Field tests should be m ade and the results given due consideration in the assessm ent ofthe load carrying
capacity ifrequired by the E ngineer. For a specific service,the location,history,and behavior ofthe
bridge under investigation should be taken into account.

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