RES2025-02: Use of Confinement Reinforcement in Prestressed Concrete Beams to Improve Resistance to Impacts from Over Height Loads
To avoid a potential misunderstanding with reading this proposal, the principal investigator (PI) first introduces two different “shear failure cases”: (1) the traditional “gravity-load” (perpendicular to the bottom flange of the prestressed concrete (PC) beam) shear failure caused by factored gravity loads; and (2) the newly introduced “impact-load” (parallel to the bottom flange of the PC beam) shear failure caused by the horizontal impact force from the overheight vehicle to the bottom flange of the PC beam. Every year, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has PC beams that are struck by overheight loads and are either damaged or destroyed. Collisions between over-height vehicles and bridges are becoming more commonplace. According to a recent NCHRP study [1], impact damage is usually readily apparent and varies from scrapes to structural collapse. The impact causes a torsion-induced shear cracking pattern in the exterior (or fascia) PC beam. In cases where the impact is more direct, this pattern becomes more of a shear push-out (impact-load shear failure) as shown in Figure 1 [1]. Considering the observed shear cracking pattern, it is hypothesized that shear reinforcement in the direction parallel to the bottom flange of the PC beam should provide significant benefit to the beams when struck by overheight loads.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $250000
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Contract Numbers:
RES2025-02
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Sponsor Organizations:
Tennessee Department of Transportation
James K. Polk Building
Fifth and Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN United States 37243-0349 - Managing Organizations: Knoxville, TN United States
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Project Managers:
Price, Adam
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Performing Organizations:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Center for Transportation Research
Conference Center Building
Knoxville, TN United States 37996-4133 -
Principal Investigators:
Ma, John
- Start Date: 20240901
- Expected Completion Date: 20250831
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: Accountability
- USDOT Program: Construction and Project Management
- Subprogram: Data and Analysis
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Beams; Bridges; Confined concrete; Load and resistance factor design; Oversize loads; Prestressed concrete; Shear reinforcement
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Materials;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01932349
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Tennessee Department of Transportation
- Contract Numbers: RES2025-02
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Sep 30 2024 3:39PM