The state of the art in analysis of cellular and voided slab bridges

BAIDARBAKHT
Research and Development Branch, Mitlistry of Transportation and Comtnutzications, Dorvtlsview, Ont.,
Canada M3M l J 8
LESLIEG . JAEGER
Technical UniversiQ of Nova Scoria, Hal*, N.S., Canada B3J 2x4
M . S . CHEUNG
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Departtnet~tof Public Works, Ottawa, Otzt., Canada K I A OM2

AND

AFTABA. MUFTI
Technical Universio of Nova Scoria, Halifnr, N.S., Catlada B3J 2x4
Received October 23, 1980
Revised manuscript accepted April 1 , 1981

Load distribution characteristics of cellular structures are greatly influenced by transverse cell distortion and because of this
these structures require a somewhat different analysis than those used for other common types of bridges.
This paper summarizes the results of an extensive literature search and initial review of the current methods of analyzing
cellular and voided slab bridges. The various methods of calculating the equivalent plate parameters, which are necessary for
two-dimensional analysis, are also reviewed.

Le mode de rCpartition des charges par une structure cellulaire est grandement affect6 par la distorsion relative des cellules.
For personal use only.

C'est pourquoi 1'Ctude de telles constructions exige une approche quelque peu diffkrente de celles qui s'appliquent a d'autres
classes de ponts ordinaires.
Cet article est le r6sumC d'une recherche bibliographique poussCe et d'une premibre revue des mCthodes d'ttude courantes
des structures cellulaires et des ponts-dalles CvidCs. I1 examine Cgalement les diverses mCthodes de calcul des paramktres de
la plaque Cquivalente, qu'il faut connaitre pour mener une Ctude bi-dimensionnelle.
[Traduit par la revue]
Cen. J . Civ. Eng.. 8, 376-391 (1981)

Introduction
In this paper the term cellular bridges is used for the
type of structure shown in Fig. 1 , and the term voided
slab bridges is used for concrete slab bridges with longi-
tudinal circular voids as shown in Fig. 2. The two types
of structures, although different in appearance, have FIG. 1. Cross-section of a cellular bridge.
similar structural characteristics, and usually can be
analyzed by the same methods.
The deformable nature of the cross-section of cellular
and voided slab bridges requires special attention since
this can have a significant influence on the load distri- FIG.2. Cross-section of a typical voided slab.
bution characteristics of the bridge. The influence of the
deformable cross-section of a cellular bridge can be tures without frequent transverse diaphragms the
explained with reference to Fig. 3 which shows the flanges and webs do flex about their individual cen-
transverse slice of a cellular bridge subjected to a verti- troidal axes and this causes the cross-section to distort
cal force at one end and a moment at the other. If the as shown in Fig. 3c. Plane sections d o not remain plane
two flanges and webs are prevented by some means and the flexibility of the transverse slice increases,
from flexing about their own centroidal axes, as shown thereby affecting the manner in which the load effects
in Fig. 36, the plane sections remain substantially plane are distributed transversely in the bridge.
and the transverse slice can be assumed to have negli- A large number of methods of analyzing cellular and
gible shear deformations. By contrast, in cellular struc- voided slab bridges has been developed in the past. An

03 15-14681811030376-16$01 .OOlO
01981 National Research Council of CanadaJConseil national de recherches du Canada
 BAKHT ET AL. 377

FIG. 4. Partial cross-section of a cellular structure.

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Crisfield and Twemlow (1971) have developed an

FIG.3. Transverse deformation of a cellular structure: ( a )
transverse slice of a cellular bridge; (17) deflected shape if
flanges and webs are prevented from flexing about their axes;
( c ) deflected shape if flanges and webs are free to flex about
their own axes.
For personal use only.
equivalent plate method for the analysis of cellular
structures having frequent diaphragms in mutually per-
pendicular directions. Comparisons with experimental
results show that the equivalent plate analogy under-
estimates deflections under concentrated loads, pos-
sibly due to the neglect of cell distortions.
Massonnet and Gandolfi (1967) were among the first
to idealize the effects of transverse cell distortion by
equivalent shear area. They hypothesized that a trans-
verse slice of a cellular structure (Fig. 3) can be likened
beam with finite shear flexibility, S , which is given
by:

extensive literature search for these methods was con-

ducted recently, resulting in a critical review of some 40
research papers spanning the last 15 or so years. This
paper summarizes the results of the literature search where E is the modulus of elasticity of the material and
and the review process, giving details of the various the other notation is shown in Fig. 4. It is recalled that
methods of analysis and calculating the properties of the relationship between the shear area per unit length,
simplified mathematical models. a,, and the shear flexibility per unit length, S , is given
by:
Methods of analysis
The various methods that were expressly developed
for the analysis of cellular or voided slab bridges, to-
gether with those existing general methods that can where G, the shear modulus of the material is given by
also be used for the analysis of these structures, are
discussed here. The various techniques are classified
according to the fundamental methods upon which they
are based.
v being the Poisson's ratio.
Orthotropic plate theory A true solution of an orthotropic plate incorporating
In the customary orthotropic plate theory (Massonnet shear deformations, although possible, is too complex.
1950; Morice and Little 1956; Cusens and Pama 1969) Appreciating this, Massonnet and Gandolfi (1967) pro-
the structure is idealized by a continuous medium posed a simplified solution for shear-weak rectangular
having different structural properties in two orthogonal orthotropic plates supported on opposite edges. The
directions. Deformations due to shear are neglected. solution is based on the assumption that the ratio w,lw,
This method is applicable only to those cellular struc- remains constant in the plate,where w ,is the deflection
tures which have transverse diaphragms in sufficient of the plate without any shear deformations and w 2is the
numbers to prevent the local bending of the flanges and plate deflection due to shear deformations, so that the
webs. In the case of voided slab bridges the orthotropic total shear-weak plate deflections, w, would be given
plate method can be expected to give results of accept- by:
able accuracy only when the loading covers more than
213 of the bridge width (Bakht et nl. 1981).
 378 CAN. J . CIV. ENG. VOL. 8, 1981
SINGLE CONCENTRATED LOAD
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-0.40
TRANSVERSE STAT13N POSITIONS
FIG. 5. Deflection ratios at mid-span.
For personal use only.
The fallacy in assuming a constant w,lw2 ratio be-
comes obvious if the total deflection across a transverse
section is examined. The total area under a curve repre-
senting the transverse distribution of deflections must
remain constant irrespective of the values of transverse
shear areas and transverse flexural rigidities. When the
reduction of transverse area causes an increase in the
plate deflections in the load vicinity, deflections away
from the load must decrease: a fact not borne out by the
assumption of wIIw2 being constant. Figure 5 shows the
distribution of wllw, across the width of a shear-weak
plate which was analyzed by the grillage analogy
method described later in the paper. It can be seen that
the ratio wllwZ is positive near the load and negative
away from it.
Aster (1968) proposed that linear elastic analysis of
uncracked voided slabs could be done by treating them
as orthotropic plates with modified transverse flexural
rigidities which account for transverse cell distortion.
Since the transverse cell distortion depends upon the
value of transverse shear rather than moments itis open
to question whether an account can be made of the cell
distortion by decreasing the values of the transverse
rigidities. As discussed later in the paper, Aster's pro-
posed equation for calculating the equivalent transverse
rigidity does not realistically represent the cell dis-
tortion effects.
Like Massonnet and Gandolfi (1967), Robertson er
al. (1970) proposed a relatively simple solution for the
analysis of rectangular shear-weak plates supported on
tz
FIG.6. An orthotropic plate.
two opposite edges. Both assume that the shear-weak
plate deflections can be divided into w , and w,, where
iv, and w, are as defined earlier. In addition their
solution is based on the following assumptions: (a)'
longitudinal curvature is derived from w; (b) transverse
curvature is derived from w , ;and (c) transverse shear,
V,., is given by
where the notation is as defined in Fig. 6.
It is recalled that in the usual orthotropic plate theory,
in which shear deformations are neglected, V, is given
by:
Comparison of results obtained by the Robertson et
al. theory and those by the grillage analogy method
(which as discussed later has been validated by experi-
mental results) is given in Fig. 7 for a cellular structure.
It can be seen that the results by the two methods
compare well when transverse shear deformations are
neglected. However, when the shear deformations are
considered, the Robertson er al. solution highly over-
estimates the effects of cell distortion. It is evident that
the assumptions on which their solution is based are not
quite valid.
Sandwich plate methods
In the sandwich plate theory a plate is idealized as
being composed of two flange plates which sustain all
the bending and twisting effects, and a core medium
which takes all the shear forces. For the usual assump-
tions of deflections being small, the behaviour of a
sandwich plate can be represented by a 6th order differ-
ential equation.
Basu and Dawson (1970) and Arendts and Sanders
(1970) show that a cellular bridge can be idealized as a
 BAKHT ET AL. 379

12.1 m 150mm

SPAN = 15 m
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Grillage analogy. with shear deformation

18 x 8 mesh1
analogy, without shear
deformation (8 x 8 mesh1

FIG.7. Effects of cell distortion

For personal use only.

sandwich plate. Basu and Dawson propose a solution of

the plate equation by the finite difference method using
the dynamic relaxation technique (Day 1965). Arendts
and sanders present a series solution^. By comparison
TRANSVERSE
with experimental results it has been shown that both BEAMS W I T H
methods are capable of realistically representing the F I N I T E SHEAR
AREAS
behaviour of cellular structures. The methods, how- (OTHER BEAMS
ever, require special purpose computer programs and H A V E INFINITE

hence are unlikely to be generally used. SHEAR AREA1

Frame atzrl grillage methocls

For the purpose of analysis, the idealization of bridge FIG. 8. Plan of idealization of cellular structure of a bridge
superstructures by assemblies of beams has been in use by (a) a shear-weak grillage; and ( b ) a shear-weak lattice.
for some time (Lightfoot 1964; Sawko 1965; Yettram
and Husain 1965). Sawko and Willcock (1967) used analysis and model analysis (Sn~yth and Srinavasan
grillage idealization, incorporating orthogonally con- 1973; Cope and Sawko 1971) and is regarded by
nected beams, to analyze cellular structures having many (e.g., Hambly and Pennels 1975) to be the most
variable section properties and several transverse efficient and versatile method for analyzing cellular
diaphragms. By comparing the grillage analogy results structures.
with model test results they demonstrated that cellular Hook and Richmond (1970) present a lattice analogy
structures with several transverse diaphragms could be incorporating shear-weak transverse beams for the
analyzed by the grillage analogy method without having analysis of cellular structures. In this analogy the struc-
to account for transverse cell distortion. ture is idealized by a two-dimensional assembly of
Sawko (1968a,b) appears to have been the first beams including diagonal lattice beams, as shown in
to propose that the effects of transverse cell distortion Fig. 8b. As discussed by Cope and Sawko ( 197 I), this
in a cellular structure could be accounted for in the method requires considerably higher effort than that
grillage analogy by assigning equivalent shear areas to required for the shear-weak grillage analogy without
transverse beams. Grillage analogy with shear-weak diagonal members (Fig. 8a), and yet produces results of
transverse beams has been verified by more rigorous similar accuracy.
 380 CAN. J. CIV. ENG. VOL. 8, 1981
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FIG.9. A cellular structure: (a) actual structure; (b) ideal-
ization by plane shell finite elements.
Smyth and Srinavasan (1973) analyze a cellular
bridge by the shear-weak grillage analogy and also by
For personal use only.
the more rigorous space frame analogy. The analysis
results are compared with those of a test on a perspex
model of the structure. The grillage analogy results
compared favourably with those of the space frame
analogy and the model analysis. This confirmed the
efficiency and validity of the shear-weak grillage
analogy. Hambly and Pennels (1975) recommended the
use of the shear-weak grillage analogy for cellular
structures.
Finite element methods
Because of its versatility the finite element method
can be, and has been, applied to the analysis of cellular
and voided slab bridges with varying degrees of refine-
ment. When transverse cell distributions-are negligible,
either due to the presence of several transverse dia-
phragms or due to a particular geometry of the bridge
planform, the structure can be analyzed by the finite
klement method incorporating two-dimensional bend-
ing elements (Cheung et al. 1968). Such an application
of the finite element method has been reported by
McNeice (1974).
As pointed out by Davies et al. (1971), realistic anal-
ysis of structures having significant cell distortion can
only be carried out either by sandwich plate elements
(e.;., Hinton et al. 1975) or by three-dimensional plane
shell elements (e.g., Hinton and Hewitt 1976). The
latter method, for which a structure is idealized by a
series of flat plates as shown in Fig. 9, is not suitable
for voided slab bridges because of the large number of
elements required to represent the structure.
r """; "6.35 rnrn
4
+k 6.35 mm 348 rnrn
50.8 mrn
SPAN = 934 mrn
FIG. 10. Transverse distribution of mid-span deflections:
- - - experimental (Sawko and Cope 1969); - shear-
weak grillage analogy; A folded plate method; 0 simplified
finite element method (Sawko and Cope 1969).
Sawko and Cope (1969) propose a simplification of
the finite element idealization of cellular structures dis-
playing transverse cell distortional characteristics. They
idealize the top and bottom flanges by plane stress ele-
ments and the transverse medium by "equivalent dia-
phragms" which possess the same shear flexibility as
the transverse Vierendeel girder type medium. By com-
parison with experimental results the validity of the
method is demonstrated. It is noted that the finite ele-
ment analysis utilizing the simplified analysis produces
results similar to those obtained by the shear-weak
grillage analogy, as shown in Fig. 10. Thus it can be
concluded that the finite element analysis with sim-
plified idealization does not possess any advantage over
the shear-weak grillage analogy method.
Cope et al. (1971) propose a shear-weak plate anal-
ogy for analysis of cellular and voided slab bridges.
 100 kip

4
b = 21'
E, = 3640 kri, v, = 0.15

SPAN = 120' e
I
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e
_I
-0.8
- 3.0 F.S. METHOD

-0.7
--- ORTHOTROPIC PLATE THEORY
2

_I
TRANSVERSE STATIONS

FIG. 11. Analysis of a voided slab bridge by solid finite strips ( 1 kip x 4.4 kN; 1 ksi = 6.9 MPa; 1' = 0.3 m.

According to this analogy the structure is analyzed by Folded plate methods

a two-dimensional plate element having flexural and The idealization of a structure for folded plate analy-
shear stiffnesses. As shown by Sawko and Cope (1972) sis is similar to that required for the finite strip
For personal use only.

analysis by shear-weak plate bending elements pro- method. The method appears to have been pioneered by
duces results of comparable accuracy to folded plate Goldberg and Leve (1957). Its application to box girder
analysis. bridges, including cellular structures, has been pri-
Crisfield (1971) proposes the solution of cellular marily done by Scordelis (e.g., DeFries-Skene and
structures by plane strain finite elements. The approach Scordelis 1964; Scordelis 1966). Like the finite strip
is similar to that proposed by Sawko and Cope except method, the folded plate method is limited to structures
that in this approach advantage is taken of the symmetry having prismatic members and regular planforms.
of the top and bottom flanges about the middle plane.
A simplified method
Thus only that half of the structure above the middle
Parkhouse (1971) presents a simplified approach
plane is analyzed. Dean (197 1 ) has presented a method
for solving the load distribution problem in cellular
for the analysis of grids in which shear effects are
structures. His approach is based upon idealizing the
dominant.
structure into a number of longitudinal beams that are
Finite strip methods connected by springs and discrete torsion transferring
In the finite strip method the structure is idealized by devices. Load is represented by a Fourier series. The
a number of prismatic elements spanning from support method is apparently readily applicable to design office
to support. So far, the method has been successfully use. Results of the proposed method are in remarkably
applied to rectangular and circular planforms (Cheung close agreement with experimental results.
1971; Cheung and Cheung 1971; Cusens and Loo
1974). The method is similar to the finite element CaIculation of parameters
method but is considerably more efficient so far as Unless the analysis is done by a three-dimensional
computer time is concerned. The results are comparable method, such as the folded plate method, or the finite
to those given by finite element analysis with three- strip method, it becomes necessary to calculate the
dimensional plane shell finite elements. equivalent parameters for a two-dimensional analysis.
Solid finite strips have also been utilized to analyze The various parameters which may be required for all
bridge structures. Recently Mason et al. (1980) have two-dimensional analyses of cellular and voided slab
successfully utilized solid finite strips for the analysis of bridges are: i = longitudinal moment of inertia per unit
circular voided slabs. The results of their analysis are width; j = transverse moment of inertia per unit length;
shown in Fig. 1 I along with the corresponding ortho- i, = longitudinal torsional inertia per unit width; j, =
tropic plate analysis. transverse torsional inertia per unit length; and a, =
 382 CAN. I. CIV. ENG. VOL. 8, 1081

transverse shear area per unit length.

The orthotropic plate rigidities which are required
for the orthotropic plate, sandwich plate, and two-
dimensional finite element analyses are given by:
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The relevant beam properties of a grillage idealiza-

tion could simply be obtained by multiplying the appro-
priate plate rigidity by the beam spacing. For example,
the flexural rigidity of one of the longitudinal grillage
beams, EI, spaced Py apart would be equal to P,D,.
Longituclinal rigidity, D,, of cellular structures
Basu and Dawson (1970) propose the following
equation for calculating the values of D, for a cellular
structure having flanges of equal thickness and with
webs and the span running along the x-direction.
For personal use only.
FIG. 12. Cross-section of a voided slab.
where n is the modular ratio for the steel reinforcement
to the concrete, A, is the area of the bottom reinforce-
ment, h, is the distance of the reinforcement centroid
from the top of the slab, and other notation is as shown
in Fig. 12.
The third term in [I21 refers to the contribution of the
reinforcement to D,?. Since this is small it is usually
neglected, in which case D, is obtained by:

where the notation is as shown in Fig. 4 and

t7 nt

+ 61 -
t3H
191 ( = 1
v,,;,.
vy, = v
-
t,Py
This equation is also specified in the Ontario Highway
Bridge Design Code (1979).
Crisfield and Twemlow (1971) propose a similar equa- T~~~~~~~~~rigidity, D,, of structures
tion for calculating Dr. For D, in cellular structures without transverse
diaphragms, and having flanges of the same thickness,
E t,H2 Et H3 Basu and Dawson (1970) propose the following
[lo] D , = -- + A
1 - v 2 2 12P, equation:

As discussed by Cusens and Pama (1975) the con-

tributions of the webs to D,, identified by the second
terms of [8]and [ l o ] ,can be significant only if the webs
are thick and frequently spaced. Usually the web con-
tribution is small, and can be neglected. The Poisson's where v,, and v,:, are obtained from [ 9 ] .
ratio effect, identified by ( 1 - v') in [8] and [ l o ] , in- Crisfield and Twemlow (197 1 ) propose the following
creases D, by only about 2% in concrete cellular struc- equation:
tures and can therefore also be neglected, in which case
D, can be conveniently obtained by the following equa-
tion which is specified in the Ontario Highway Bridge
Design Code (1979),
where P,, is the spacing of transverse diaphragms.
[11] D,=E(t3-t:)/12 Crisfield (1971) states that when there are no transverse
diaphragms the second term of [15] vanishes, in which
Longitudinal rigidity, D,, of voided sl~zbs case the equation becomes similar to [ 1 4 ] .The Ontario
For uncracked concrete voided slabs Aster proposed Highway Bridge Design Code (1979) specifies the
the following equation for calculation of D,: following equation which ignores the stiffening effect
 BAKHT ET AL. 383

FIG. 13. Boundary conditions for determining D) as em-

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ployed by: (a) Cassell eta/. (1970); (b) Jaeger et a/. (1979).

of Poisson's ratio:

Trarzsverse rigidity, D,, of voided slabs FIG. 14. Typical mesh used in the plane strain finite ele-
ment analysis.
Based on test results on a plexiglass model of a trans-
verse slice of a voided slab, Aster suggests the follow- manner. They analyzed plane strain models of various
ing equation for D,. for uncracked voided slabs. voided slabs by the dynamic relaxation technique for
the boundary conditions shown in Fig. 13a, and pro-
vided the values of D,. for various values of t,lt and t,lP,,.
The boundary conditions employed are likely to predict
For personal use only.

a higher value of D,, than the actual one. Perhaps more

He suggests that this value of D,, accounts for the effect realistic boundary conditions would have been as
of cell distortion which need not be separately taken shown in Fig. 136. These boundary conditions were
into account. employed in the finite element analysis of transverse
Elliott (1975) presents the results of numerical and slices of voided slabs by Jaeger et al. (1979) who also
experimental studies of plane strain transverse slices of obtained a close form solution of the problem.
voided slabs. He concludes that the spacing of voids has
little effect on D , and D,,.. The former can be obtained
by the following~equationwithout incurring any signifi-
cant error.

It is noted that for t,lt equal to t,lP? Aster's [17] reduces
to one similar to [18] above, with the difference that
the multiplier of the second term (in the parentheses) is
0.59 for Aster's equation as with 0'95 for
Elliott's.
Since Dy values obtained by ["I are s u ~ ~ o ' e dto
account for cell distortion, they should be smaller than
the values obtained
[I8] (which
apparently is not based on adjustments for cell dis-
tortion). The fact that [I71 gives higher values of D,
than does [I81 casts serious doubts on the validity of the
former.
The values of D, given by [18] compare well with
those given by Cassell et al. (1970), who appear to be
the first to attempt to calculate the equivalent plate
rigidities for voided slabs in a rational and systematic
where X and p. are respectively the ratios t,lt and t,lP,..
This equation is based on the assumption that the set-
tion midway between two consecutive voids remains
plane, an assumption which would lead to higher than
actual D , values. The mesh used by Jaeger et al. (1979)
was quiie coarse as shown in ~ i 14,~ and , cannot be
relied upon to yield realistic results. Ratios of D, for
voided slabs, D, (voided), and Dv for solid slabQ, D,
(solid) as obtained by various methods are listed in
Table I . As can be seen there is scatter between values
predicted by
methods, but the trend is similar.
Torsiorzal rigidities, D,, a n d D,,
There is a lack of consistency in the application of D,.
and D , , values in various analyses, arising from the
variation in notation. Sometimes (e.g., Timoshenko
 C A N . J . CIV. ENG. VOL. 8 , 1981

TABLEI . Coefficient F , for D,. of voided slabs

Finite Dynamic
Close form'" elements* relaxationt From [l9]$
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For personal use only.

"From Jaeger er a1 (1979)

IFrom Cassell er a1 (1970).
$From Elliott (1975).

and Woinowsky-Krieger 1959) the following equation when [20] is used in the calculation of M,,; otherwise,
is used for calculating M,: when [21] is employed, it is equal to Gt316.
To avoid confusion the following discussion on tor-
azw sional rigidities is expressed in terms of the ratio, F z , of
[201 M,ry = 2D.v
the torsional rigidities of the cellular or voided slab
bridge and its solid slab counterpart. Thus D, or D, for
at other times (e.g., Cusens and Pama 1975) the follow- a bridge could be obtained using the apro-
ing variation of [20] is used: priate value of Fz and the torsional rigidity of a solid
slab, D, (solid,, having the same thickness as that of the
azw bridge.
[21] M, = D., drdy

For a solid slab of thickness t , D , is equal to Gt3/12 [221 0.v ( C C I I U0,I voidcd)
~~ = FzDv (solid)
 BAKHT ET AL 385

Torsional rigidities of cellular structures 2. Coefficient F? for D , of cellular structures

TABLE
Basu and Dawson (1970) suggest that contributions
of intermediate webs to the torsional rigidity of the total F2
cross-section may be ignored, in which case for struc-
t" -
t" Finite
tures having flanges of the same thickness, F , can be 7 PY elements* From [23]f
obtained by:
0.85 0.9 0.39 1
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Because (HIL)(t,It,) is usually negligible, F , can be

obtained by:

Crisfield and Twemlow (197 1) also suggest that F, can

be obtained by [24].
To determine D, Ward and Cassell (1974) analyzed,
by the finite element method, a series of plane strain
models of transverse slices of cellular structures with
square voids. A number of coefficients were developed
for various void sizes and spacings. From the study it
was concluded that edge cells possess smaller D , than
For personal use only.

interior cells. Values of F? proposed by Ward and

Cassell (1974) for inner cells are tabulated in Table 2
together with those obtained by [24]. It can be seen that
when the web thickness is small the values obtained by
[24] compare very well with those of Ward and Cassell.
The proposed reduction of D, for outer cells is practical
only when there is a large number of cells, say eight.
Usual cellular structures have fewer cells and therefore
do not warrant any reduction of D,. - --

The Ontario Highway Bridge Design Code (1979) *From Ward and Cassell (1974).
specifies the following equation for F2: ?From Basu and Dawson (1970).

Elliott (1975) proposed the following simplified

equation for calculating FZ:

Values of F, proposed by Ward and Cassell (1974),

where the notation is as shown in Fig. 15. It is noted
that [25] reduces to [24] when effects of the end webs
are ignored.
Torsiorznl rigidities of voided slabs
Ward and Cassell (1974) have also obtained the
values of F, for voided slabs with an analytical pro-
cedure similar to the one used for the cellular structure
discussed above. Cassell(1975) did a spot check of the
calculated values with a model test and found the cor-
relation to be excellent.
together with those obtained from [26], are given in
Table 3. It can be seen that the values obtained by [26]
compare very well with the Ward and Cassell values for
large ratios of t,lP,.
As for cellular structures, Ward and Cassell (1974)
suggest that the values of F2 obtained by analysis.of
single cells relate only to the torsional rigidities of inter-
nal cells in an infinitely wide slab. From results of
analysis of multiple cells they conclude that cells near
the edges possess much smaller torsional rigidities than
 CAN. J. CIV. El\lG. VOL. 8. 1981

TABLE
3. Coefficient F2 for D.ry of cellular voided slabs

Finite
elements" From [26]t

INTERMEDIATE WEBS
NEGLECTED IN CALCULATIONOF
TORSIDNAL PRDPERTIES A, =AREA ENCLDSED
BY THE
MEDIAN LlNE
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I .LMEDIAN LlNE I
I - I/"; =AREA ENCLOSED
BY THE
MEDIAN LlNE
MEDIAN LlNE /

r - 8

FIG. 15. A cellular structure.

do internal ones. From their proposed reductions,

which are shown in Fig. 16, it appears that only the two
external cells require any modification to their torsional
For personal use only.

rigidities. In most practical cases these reductions might

not be warranted because voided slabs usually are either
tapered near the edges or have edge beams.
Transverse shear rigidity, S,, of cellular structur-es
Massonnet and Gandolfi (1967) treat the transverse
slice of a cellular bridge as a Vierendeel girder and
derive [ l ] for the equivalent transverse shear flexibility,
from which S, can be obtained by:

Using a similar approach Sawko and Cope (1969)

derive the following equation for S, for a cellular struc-
ture having equal flange thicknesses:

Basu and Dawson (1970) propose the following equa- *From Ward and Cassell (1974).
tion for structures having equal flange thicknesses: ?From Elliott (1975).

Transverse shear rigidities of voided slabs

Non-dimensional values S,IAt as obtained by [27], [28],
and [29] are compared in Table 4 for some values of t,lt
and t,lP,.. It can be seen that the values calculated by [ l ]
and [29] compare well with each other.
Cassel et al. (1970) obtained analytically the values
for equivalent shear rigidities for voided slabs. Similar
values were also calculated by Jaeger et al. (1979) by
the finite element analysis (Fig. 14) and according to
the following close form solution, which was obtained
by assuming that the sections midway between the
voids remained plane:
 BAKHT ET AL. 387

3rd C E L L
7 t,/t TABLE5. Coefficient F3 for Suof voided slabs

--

I"
- -
t, Dynamic Finite
t P, relaxation* elementst From [30]$
Can. J. Civ. Eng. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by McMaster University on 12/05/14

Y Y
0 0
>>
tt 0.4 - -
EE
cl cl
c u
1 1
eZa
-
Z CELL CELL CELL
P0
P2 0.2
PP
For personal use only.

FIG. 16. Torsional rigidities of external cells.

TABLE4. Coefficient F3 for S, of cellular structures 0.5 0.140 0.387

F, = S,IGt 0.65 0.8 0.145 0.338

t"
- -
t" 0.7 0.151 0.386
t P~ From [l]* From [28]t From [29]$ 0.6 0.161 0.450
0.5 0.180 0.541
0.75 0.80 0.0066 0.0053 0.0067
0.75 0.0074 0.0048 0.0075 0.60 0.8 0.191 0.339 0.475
0.50 0.0040 0.0025 0.0041 0.7 0.195 0.365 0.543
0.6 0.205 0.435 0.634
0.70 0.80 0.0091 0.0103 0.0093 0.5 0.220 0.518 0.760
0.75 0.0120 0.0093 0.0123
0.50 0.0078 0.0049 0.004 1 *From Cassell er al. (1970).
tFrom Jaeger el al. (1979).
0.65 0.80 0.0106 0.0185 0.0108
0.75 0.0164 0.0168 As can be seen, the values obtained by the three
0.0168
0.50 0.0142 0.0089methods do not compare well with each other, indi-
0.0146
cating the sensitiveness of these values to the boundary
*From Massonnet and Gandolfi (1967). conditions employed in the analyses. It is noted that
tFrom Sawko and Cope (1969).
$From Basu and Dawson (1970). different boundary conditions were employed in the
three analyses. Clearly further work is required to
establish a reliable set of values of F 3 , but until such
values are available, it is proposed that the values pro-
posed by Cassell et al. be used.
As pointed out by Bakht et al. (1981) the load distri-
The values of F3 (defined by the following equation) for bution characteristics of voided slabs are not very sensi-
various voids are compared in Table 5. tive to cell distortion. Hence, even fairly large errors in
the determination of F3 are likely to have little effect on
[3 11 F3 = Vy (voided slab)IVy (solid slab) the load distribution characteristics of the structure..
 CAN. J . CIV. ENG. VOL. 8, 1981

0 @ 0 @

EQUIVALENT
Can. J. Civ. Eng. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by McMaster University on 12/05/14

MOMENT OF
INERTIA 7.5 x lo6 5.0 x 10' 5.0 x lo6 4.4 x lo6

EQUIVALENT
SHEAR
175.0
mml/mm

FIG. 17. Equivalent moments of inertia and shear areas.

There are some schools of thought (e.g., Beckett TABLE6. Recommended methods for calculating the plate
1973; Elliott et al. 1979) according to which D , and S,. parameters
of a voided slab can be obtained by replacing the circul
lar void with a square one of equivalent area. Finite Method for
element analysis of a transverse slice of a slab with Plate cellular Method for
parameter structures voided slabs
circular and equivalent square and rectangular voids
For personal use only.

showed that the circular voided structure possessed far [I 11 [I31

greater resistance to transverse flexure and cell dis- [I61 [I81
tortion than any of its counterparts with square or rect- [241 Ward and Cassell
angular voids. Some results of the above mentioned (1 974), method
analysis are shown in Fig. 17. of Table 3
[241 Assume D,:, =
Equivalent areas of cross-section of voided slabs D,
For voided slabs, the Ontario Highway Bridge s,. [I] or [291 Cassell et 01.
Design Code (1979) specifies the following expres- ( 1 970), method
sions for calculating A, and A, which are respectively of Table 5
the equivalent areas of cross-section in the x and y Ax * [3 11
A? * [321
directions:
'"Not applicable.

(c) frame and grillage methods;

The values of equivalent areas are required for the in-
plane analysis of voided slabs. Equation [33] is based
on analytical studies by Holowka (1973).
Conclusions
The various methods that have been used during the
past 15 or so years for the analysis of cellular and
voided slabs can be classified into the following types:
(a) orthotropic plate methods;
(b) sandwich plate methods;
(d) finite element methods;
(e) finite strip methods;
(f) folded plate methods.
It appears that of the above methods the grillage
method is the most versatile and efficient one that can
realistically model the transverse cell distortion of
cellular and voided structures.
If a structure is to be analyzed through a two-
dimensional idealization, the equivalent plate para-
meters (i.e., D.,, D,, D . , , D,, and s,,)could have
significant effects on the accuracy o f the analysis.
These parameters should, therefore, model the actual
structures as closely as possible without their requiring
complex calculations. Of the many methods used, the
methods listed in Table 6 appear to be the most appro-
priate for calculating the various equivalent plate
 BAKHT ET AL.
parameters. It is noted that the grillage properties can b e
obtained by multiplying the appropriate plate rigidity by
the relevant b e a m spacing.
ARENDTS,J.G., and SANDERS,W. W. 1970. Concretc box
girder bridges as sandwich plates. ASCE Journal of the
Structural Division, 96(ST1 I), pp. 2353 -237 1.
ASTER,H, 1968. The analysis of rectangular hollow RC slabs
supported on four sides. Approved doctoral thesis, Tech-
nological University of Stuttgart, Germany.
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BAKHT,B., JAEGER,L. G . , and CHEUNG,M. S. 1981. Sim-
plified analysis of cellular and voided slab bridges. ASCE
Journal of the Structural Division, to be published in Sept.
issue.
BASU,A. K., and DAWSON,J. M. 1970. Orthotropic sand-
wich plates. Supplement to Proceedings, Institution of
Civil Engineers, pp. 87- 1 15.
BECKET, D. 1973. An introduction to concrete bridge
design. Surrey University Press, Henley-on-Thames,
Oxfordshire, England, pp. 83-86.
CASSELL,A. C . 1975. Torsional properties of voided slabs, a
confirmatory study. Unpublished report. Department of
Civil Engineering, Imperial College, University of
London, London, England.
CASSELL,A. C . , HOBBS, R. E., and BASU, A. K . 1970.
Properties of voided slabs. Unpublished report, Depart-
For personal use only.
ment of Civil Engineering, Imperial College. University of
London, London, England.
CHEUNG,M. S. 1971. Finite strip analysis of structures.
Ph.D. thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University
of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
CHEUNG,M. S., and CHEUNG,Y. K. 1971. Analysis of
curved box girder bridges by finite strip method. Inter-
national Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.
Vol. 31-1, pp. 1-20.
CNEUNG, Y. K., KING,I. P., and ZIENKIEWICZ, 0 . C. 1968.
Slab bridges with arbitrary shapes and support conditions:
a general method of analysis based on finite elements.
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COPE,R. J . , and SAWKO,F. 197 1. Western Avenue extension
- precast concrete box beams in cellular bridge decks:
Discussion (see Hook and Richmond 1970). The Structural
Engineer, 49(3).
COPE, R. J., HARRIS,G . , and SAWKO,F. 1971. A quasi-slab
approach to the analysis of cellular bridge structures. Pro-
ceedings, Symposium on Computer Aided Engineering,
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont., pp. 63-80.
CRISRELD, M. A. 1971. Finite element methods for the anal-
ysis of multi-cellular structures. Proceedings, Institution of
Civil Engineers, 48(3).
CRISFIELD, M. A , , and TWEMLOW,R. P. 1971. Thc equiv-
d e n t plate approach for the analysis of cellular structurcs.
Civil Engineering and Public Works Review, March.
pp. 259-263.
CUSENS,A. R., and LOO. Y. C. 1974. Application of the
finite strip method in the analysis of concrete box girders.
Proceedings, Institution of Civil Engineers, Part 2,
pp. 251-273.
CUSENS,A. R., and PAMA, R. P. 1969. Distribution of
concentrated loads on orthotropic decks. The Structural
389
Engineer. 47(9), pp. 377-385.
1975. Bridge deck analysis. John Wiley and Sons,
London.
DAVIES, J. D., SOMERVILLE, I. J., and ZIENKIEWICZ, 0 . C.
197 1. Analysis of various types of bridges by the finite
element method. Proceedings, Conference on Develop-
ment of Bridge Design and Construction, Cardiff. Crossby
Lockwood and Sons, London.
DAY,A. S . 1965. An introduction to dynamic reIaxation. The
Engineer, June.
DEAN, D. L. 1971. Field solutions for shear grids.
ASCE Journal of the Structural Division, 97(ST12),
pp. 2845-2860.
DE FRIES-SKENE, A , , and SCORDELIS, A . C. 1964. Direct
stiffness solution for folded plates. ASCE Journal of the
Structural Division, 90(ST4), pp. 15-47.
ELLIOTT,G. 1975. Stiffness parameters: Discussion on paper
by Kinsey. Highway Enginecring Computer Branch,
Department of the Environment Conference on Com-
puterized Bridge Design, Bristol, pp. 4/48-4153,
ELLIOT, G . , CLARK,L. A , , and SYMMONS, R. M. 1979. Test
of a quarter-scale reinforced concrete voided slab bridge.
Cement and Concrete Association Technical Rcport 527,
Wexham Springs, England.
GOLDBERG, J. E.. and LEVE,H. L. 1957. Theory of prismatic
folded platc structures. International Association for Bridgc
and Structural Engincering No. 87, Zurich, Switzerland,
pp. 59-86.
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applied to cellular bridge decks. The Structural En,.w e e r ,
53(7), pp. 267-275.
HINTON,E., and HEWIT, A. H. 1976. Program for thc
analysis of box girder bridges using quadrilateral finite
elements. Highway Engineering Computer Branch,
HECB/B/ 14(QUEST), Department of Transport, London,
England.
HINTON,E.. RAZZAQUE.A , . ZIENKIEWICZ, 0. C., and
DAVIES,J. B. 1975. A simple finite element solution for
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slab bridge. M.A.Sc. thesis, University of Waterloo,
Waterloo. Ont.
HOOK,I. M. A,. and RICHMOND, B. 1970. Western Avenue
Extension -precast concrete box beams in cellular bridge
decks. The Structural Engineer, 48(3).
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 390 CAN. J. CIV. EI\lG.
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VOL. 8. 1981
List of symbols
= the area of reinforcement per unit width
= the equivalent area per unit width of the trans-
verse section in a voided slab.
= the equivalent area per unit length of the longi-
tudinal section in voided slab
= the area subtended by the median line in the
cross-section as shown in Fig. 15.
= the area subtended by the median line in the
longitudinal section as shown in Fig. 15.
= the equivalent transverse shear area per unit
length
= the longitudinal flexural rigidity per unit width
= the longitudinal torsional rigidity per unit width
= the transverse flexural rigidity per unit length
= the transverse torsional rigidity per unit length
= modulus of elasticity
= ratio of D, for a voided o r a cellular structure to
D, for the corresponding solid slab
= ratio of D, for a voided o r a cellular structure to
D, for the corresponding solid slab.
= ratio of S, for a voided o r a cellular structure to
S, for the corresponding solid slab.
= shear modulus
= the distance between the flange centroids
(Fig. 4)
= the distance of the bottom reinforcement from
the slab top
= the moment of inertia of the t o p flange per unit
length (Fig. 4 )
= the moment of inertia of the bottom flange per
unit length (Fig. 4 )
= the moment of inertia of the w e b per unit length
(Fig. 4)
= the longitudinal moment of inertia per unit
width
= the longitudinal torsional inertia per unit width
= the transverse moment of inertia per unit length
= the transverse torsional inertia per unit length
the modular ratio
=. the spacing of transverse diaphragms
= the spacing of longitudinal w e b s o r voids
transverse shear flexibility per unit length
= transverse shear rigidity per unit length
= the overall thickness of a slab
= the diameter of a circular void o r the height of
a rectangular void
= the thickness of the top flange of a cellular
structure (Fig. 4 )
= the thickness of the bottom flange of a cellular
structure (Fig. 4 )
= the web thickness of a cellular structure (Fig. 4)
 BAKHT ET AL. 391

V,. = transverse shear per unit length = distance transverse to the span
w = plate deflection v = Poisson's ratio
w, = plate deflection when all distortion effects are v,,, = Poisson's ratio defined by [9]
ignored = tY/Pl,
w2 = w - W I A = tlt,
x = distance along the span
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For personal use only.