摘要: |
With many of the nation's bridges approaching (or having already exceeded) their original design life, bridge replacement options/techniques/technologies continue to need to be advanced to meet the challenges faced by the bridge engineering community. Recent statistics reveal that there are approximately 600,000 bridges on the highway system and approximately 25%, by deck area, are considered either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Although the situation has improved some in recent years, a significant problem still exists given the number of bridges needing regular replacement. It is vitally important that, when constructed (or when only decks are replaced), the utmost highest construction practices are followed such that the final product has a high likelihood of achieving the target design life. It has been observed that current construction practices associated with constructing bridge decks sometimes results in excessive out-of-plane and torsional loads on exterior girders. Structurally, this can result in decks that are too thin or girders with excessive (and unintended) internal stresses. Functionally, this can result in bridges that are difficult to maintain or have rideability issues. |