Fundamentals of Bridge Design

CEng5121

1 - Introduction and History of Bridge Development

Abdulwahid K.
MSc. – Structural Eng.
 Objectives of the course
to get a general overview of bridges
to introduce Elements of a Bridge Project
able to choose appropriate types of bridge for a given project
to understand structural behavior of bridge deck systems
to analyze and design simple bridge structures
 1.1 INTRODUCTION
What is a ‘bridge’?

 A bridge is a structure providing passage over an obstacle.The obstacle may

be a river, valley, road or railway.
 The passage may be for highway or railway traffic, pedestrian, canal or
pipeline.
What is a ‘bridge’? (Codes)
Any structure having an opening not less than 6100mm that forms
part of a highway or that is located over or under a highway. (AACRA
& AASHTO)
A structure with a of total clear opening above 6m. (ERA)
A structure less than that is a culvert
•What is the function of
a ‘bridge’?
Rivers and
mountains form
physical barriers
between people
to interact, trade
with one another,
live and work
together.
This holds especially
true for Ethiopia
• (As the saying “Build bridges and you will have a friend”);
Bridges have a unique attribute of connecting different people.

Bridges aid the social, cultural and economic

improvements of the locations around them.
•Bridge is the KEY ELEMENT in a Transportation
System

It Controls the Capacity of the System.

If Bridge Fails, the System Fails
Bridges are expensive. The cost of bridges is a
significant proportion of a highway project.
The bridge controls both
the volume and weight of
the traffic carried by the
system.

The typical cost per

Kilometer of a bridge is
many times
that of the approach
roads to the bridge.
Basically Bridge in Road Transport system is
mandatory for two reasons.

1. To pass obstacles
2. To facilitate the transportation system.

This is to say in large cities there is traffic jam when two or

more roads meet at a point. For such cases bridges, called
interchanges are provided. E.g. Gotera interchange – Addis
Ababa
1. To pass obstacles
 2. To facilitate the transportation system.

The picture with the title Gotera Interchange was taken by the photographer mrbeker on 15 June 2010 and
published over Panoramio.
 History of Bridges Development
Nature fashioned the first bridges. Mankind takes lessons from
nature to construct bridges

Tree fallen accidentally across a stream

Natural rock arch

Creeper hanging from tree to tree

“The primitive man who felled a tree deliberately so that it fell across a stream was
the first bridge builder”.
Natural rock arch
Natural Suspension Bridge
Tilt bridge – the bridge deck, which is curved and
pivoted at each end, is lifted at an angle
1.2 COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE
 Bridge has Four components
1. Superstructure: Structural parts of the
bridge that support Traffic and located above the
bearings. Consists
 The wearing surface,
 Lateral Bracing / Diaphragm,
 Deck slab, the floor system, and
 Main truss or girders
3. Bearings
 Bearing transfers loads from the girders to the
pier caps and permits angular or linear movement
between superstructure and substructure.
2. Substructure: Structural parts of the bridge
which supports the superstructure and transfers the
structural load to the foundations. Consists
 Pier with Pier cap, Pile cap with piles
 Abutments, (i.e bridge seat, and back wall)
 Wing wall
 The Bridge elements varies and depend on type of
the bridge.
4. Foundation (Shallow and deep
foundation)
 It is the structural part bridge that transfer loads
from the substructure to the soil strata.
Bridge has Four components

Deck

Bearing
Abutment Abutment

Pier
Foundation Foundation

Foundation
Bridge has Four components

Bearing
Bridge has Four components
Bridge has Four components
Bridge has Four components
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COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE
Bridge has Four components
Bridge has Four components
 12

COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE
 12

COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE
 12

COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE
 1.3 Elements of a Bridge Project
The design of bridges requires the collection of extensive data and from this
the selection of possible options.
The checklist will vary from project to project but a typical example might
be drawn along the following lines.
1. Feasibility Phase
2. Assembly of design criteria
3. Design phase
4. Construction phase
5. Performance phase
 i. Feasibility Phase

a) data collection;
b) topographical and hydrographical surveys;
c) hydrological information;
d) geological and geotechnical information;
e) site investigation requirements for soil and rock evaluation
f) Meteorological and aerodynamic data;
g) Assembly of basic criteria;
h) Likely budget
 ii. Assembly of design criteria

a) data and properties on the material to be used including steel, concrete, timber,
b) foundation considerations;
c) hydraulic considerations, flood, scour; (d) loading and design criteria;
d) clearance height and width (such as for navigation or traffic);
e) criteria for gradients, alignment, etc,;
f) hazards such as impact, accident;
g) proximity to other engineering works
h) functional requirements;
i) transportation and traffic planning;
j) highway and/or railway engineering aspects;
k) drainage requirements;
l) provision for services (water, sewage, power, electricity, telephone, communications links)
m) design life and durability considerations.
 iii. Design phase

a) choice of bridge:
b) detailed design of bridge including foundations, substructure
and superstructure;
c) production of drawings and documentation,
d) (d) preparation of quality assurance plan;
e) estimation of cost and program.
 iv. Construction phase

a) contractual matters;
b) construction methods;
c) budget and financial control;
d) quality control;
e) supervision of construction;
f) commissioning;
g) operating, inspection and maintenance schedules for each
part of the work.
 v. Performance phase

a) obligations of owner;
b) management of facility;
c) inspection, maintenance and repair;
d) rehabilitation and refurbishment requirements (change of
loading, widening, change of use and durability aspects);
e) decommissioning and demolition
 1.4 Design Objectives
The objectives in a bridge design are safety, serviceability, economy, constructability and
aesthetics.
Safety – the primary responsibility of the engineer is to ensure public safety in the design
by ensuring adequate structural safety.
Serviceability – consists of satisfying requirements of deformation, durability, inspect
ability, maintainability and ride ability.
Economy – structural types, span lengths and materials should be selected based on cost.
The cost of future expenditures during the projected service life of the bridge should be
considered
Constructability – bridges should be designed in a manner such that fabrication and
erection can be performed without undue difficulty or distress and that construction force
effects are within tolerable limits
Aesthetics – Aesthetics aspect and space requirement of buildings are designed by
architects. Aesthetic, space requirement, hydraulic and structural aspects of bridges are
designed by civil engineers.
 1.5 Design Philosophy
Bridges shall be designed for specified limit states to achieve the objectives
of safety, serviceability, economy, constructability and aesthetics.
Each component and connection should be designed to satisfy equation 1-1
for each of the limit states: service, fatigue and fracture, strength and
extreme event limit states.
This equation is the basis of the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD)
method, which will be used in this course.
η𝒊𝒊 𝜸𝜸𝒊𝒊 𝑸𝑸𝒊𝒊 ≤ 𝑹𝑹𝒇𝒇 1.1
 η𝒊𝒊 𝜸𝜸𝒊𝒊 𝑸𝑸𝒊𝒊 ≤ 𝑹𝑹𝒇𝒇 1.1
Where
𝛾𝛾𝑖𝑖 = load factor, a statistically based multiplier applied to force effects
η𝑖𝑖 =Load modifier, a factor relating to ductility, redundancy and
operational importance
𝑄𝑄𝑖𝑖 = is force effect,
𝑅𝑅𝑓𝑓 = factored resistance = ϕi 𝑅𝑅𝑛𝑛
𝑅𝑅𝑛𝑛 = nominal resistance
ϕi = Resistance factor, a statistically based multiplier applied to
nominal resistance
 The different limit states may be defined now
1. Strength limit state – is meant to ensure that strength and stability, both
local and global, are provided to resist the specified statistically significant
load combinations that a bridge is expected to be subjected to in its design
life
2. Service limit state – is restrictions on stress, deformation and crack width
under regular service conditions
3. Fatigue and fracture limit state – the fatigue limit state is restrictions on
stress range as a result of a single design truck occurring at the number of
expected stress range cycles. The fracture limit state is taken as a set of
material toughness requirements.
4. Extreme event limit states - this is taken to ensure the structural survival of
a bridge during a major earthquake or flood, or when collided by a vehicle,
vessel, possibly under scoured conditions.
5. Ductility – the structural system of a bridge shall be proportioned and
detailed to ensure the development of significant and visible inelastic
deformations at the strength and extreme event limit states prior to failure.
6. Redundancy – multiple load path and continuous structures should be used
unless there are compelling reasons not to use them. Indeterminate
structures survive overloads and extreme events due to multiple load paths
and redistribution of internal forces.
 1.6 Selection of Bridge Site
For the bridge engineer, rivers are the most common obstructions needing to
be bridged.
There are three initial considerations to bear in mind in selection of the site:
1. A bridge site must offer appropriate vertical and horizontal alignments (skew
angle above 20° should be avoided due to increased bridge costs).
2. Its soils must be of sufficient strength to ensure the stability of the structure
(the site selection should if possible be made together with a soils engineer to
minimize costs and select the best site).
3. The bridge and its associated works should not have an adverse impact on
adjoining land or buildings, or be susceptible to damage from/to the local
environment
CONN…
An ideal site for bridge crossing is one that:
is on a straight reach of the river
is beyond the disturbing influence of larger tributaries
has well defined banks above flood level
has uniform flow i.e. larger average depth compared to localized
maximum depth
has reasonably straight approach roads
permits as perpendicular a crossing as possible
has a good foundation condition.
does not require expensive river training work (alluvial river)
does not require excessive underwater construction
 1.7 Site Investigation
Once the engineer has identified a likely site for the bridge, he needs
to obtain field information on the local terrain and river conditions in
addition to the soil information and hydraulic data.
Factors that most often need to be confirmed by field inspection are:
High-water marks or profiles and related frequencies.
Selection of roughness coefficients,
Evaluation of apparent flow direction and diversions,
Flow concentration (main stream),
Observation of land use and related flood hazards, and
Geomorphic relationships and soil conditions
 1.8 Span Determination
1. Economical Span
 The most economical span length is that for which the cost of
superstructure equals the cost of substructure, the point at which the
total cost is a minimum.
2. Hydraulic Requirements
 When a bridge structure and its associated embankments encroach upon
the flow of the river in flood, there is a risk to the structure, the
embankments and the surrounding land.
 When a river has a wide flood plain, the economical solution may be
using short span bridge with proper scour and erosion protection for the
embankments, abutments and piers.
3. Location of Piers
They should be located to cause a minimum of obstruction to
the flow.
Should have enough clearance for navigation.
Piers should not be located in the river if there is boulder
transport during flood.
Piers and abutments should also be located to make the best
use of the foundation conditions available.
If navigational or aesthetic requirements dictate, the spans may
be suitably modified.
4. Free Board
Floating debris carried, several years of sedimentation and
uncertainty in determining FL.
5. Grade Requirements
Often in mountainous areas the roadway grade is governed by
capacity of heaviest vehicle to climb, vertical curve and sight
distance. These grade requirements may increase the bridge
span more that required by hydraulic design.
Thank you!!