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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Passive Force Behavior for Skewed Bridge Abutments During Combined Lateral and Rotational Loading</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2427634</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As part of pooled fund study TPF-5(264), led by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and supported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and a few other state departments of transportation (DOTs), large-scale passive force-deflection tests were performed on a simulated bridge abutment to investigate the effect of skew angle on passive force behavior. Tests were conducted at abutment skew angles of 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45° with a backwall that was 11 ft wide and 5.5 ft tall. Backfills included sand and sandy gravel compacted to 95% of the modified Proctor maximum dry unit weight. Test results indicate that the passive force decreases significantly as the abutment skew angle increases to 45° relative to non-skewed walls. The results also indicate that the reduced passive force for a skewed abutment, Pp(skew), can be predicted using a simple reduction factor, Rskew, multiplied by the passive force for a non-skewed abutment with the same roadway width. The skew reduction factor was relatively consistent for all soil types, wingwall styles, and backfill width-to-height ratios investigated. The Phase II part of the previous study included testing of additional backfill materials and an inclined loading (push-and-rotate) condition for a 30° skew angle. No significant effect on the passive force skew reduction factor was observed in the inclined loading testing that involved relatively small rotation. Based on the previous study results, the skew reduction factor has already been implemented in the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Seismic Design Criteria, along with geotechnical guidelines for Oregon DOT and UDOT. However, as designers have started applying this approach, several questions have arisen. For example, in most of the field abutment tests, the simulated bridge abutment was forced to move longitudinally into the backfill soil.  In contrast, during earthquake loadings, the abutment has been observed to rotate. Although this rotation angle is quite small, it can lead to a significant difference in longitudinal displacement from the edges of the abutment from rotation. This would be expected to lead to a triangular distribution of pressure on the backwall of the abutment. Designers want to know (1) if the skew reduction factors remain the same when rotation is involved, and (2) if it is necessary to distribute the passive force non-uniformly along the backwall of the abutment.

The objective of this new study is to assist with the calibration of numerical  models by conducting a series of large-scale skewed abutment, passive force-displacement tests with enough abutment offset from rotation to evaluate the skew reduction factor and backwall pressure distribution. The maximum rotation and displacement would be larger than in the previous testing. As availability allows, the tests would be conducted at the same Salt Lake Airport test site used in the previous study.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 17:01:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2427634</guid>
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      <title>Passive Force-Displacement Relationships for Skewed Abutments</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1366541</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Objectives for Phase I of this study include: (1) Determine passive force-displacement curves for skewed abutments with and without wingwalls from large scale tests. (2) Provide comparisons of behavior of skewed abutments with that of normal abutments. (3) Evaluate the effect of wingwalls on response. (4) Develop design procedures for calculating passive force-displacement curves for skewed abutments. Objectives for Phase II of this study include: (1) Define bridge abutment passive force-deflection relationships for controlled low-strength materials (CLSM) backfill from large-scale testing. (2) Determine the influence of skew angle on the resistance of CLSM backfills. 
(3) Determine the effect of rotation during passive force development and the reduction in passive force for skewed abutments. 
(4) Develop design procedures to account for the observed passive force-deflection relationships for CLSM backfills. 
(5) Investigate the effect of rotation on passive force reduction factors defined previously for longitudinal loading only.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2015 01:01:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1366541</guid>
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      <title>Improving Cross&amp;#8208;Frame Design to Reduce the Effects of Skew in Steel I&amp;#8208;Girder Bridges</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1359039</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Skew of the supports in steel I-girder bridges cause undesirable torsional effects, increased cross-frame forces, and generally increase the difficulty of designing and constructing a bridge. The girders experience differential deflections due to the skew supports, and the undesirable effects arise when the girders are linked transversely. Before the placement of the deck, the main method of linking the girders transversely is through the use of cross-frames. The cross-frames are designed to provide stability during construction and distribute transverse loads through the bridge girders; this is their primary role. Cross-frames also help control differential displacement during deck placement and distribute vertical loads in the bridge's elastic and inelastic ranges. The cross-frames are not specifically designed for these tasks; these are the secondary role of the cross-frames. Alternative cross-frame designs, such as lean-on bracing, have been proposed to reduce the effects of skew due to the cross-frames. While having been shown to improve skew effects, the alternative cross-frame designs have not been evaluated on the effect they have on the cross-frames secondary roles.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2015 01:00:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1359039</guid>
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