Dynamic Vehicular Loading of the North Floodway Bridges, 1975

Details

• Creators:
  Lee, Clyde E.
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Texas at Austin. Center for Highway Research
• Corporate Contributors:
  Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Data analysis
  • Public transit
  • Dynamic loads
  • Bridge construction
  • Roughness
  • Highways
  • Vehicle weight
  • Bridge substructures
  • Computers
  • Simulation
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Texas ; United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  University of Texas at Austin. Center for Highway Research
• Abstract:
  The half-mile-long twin reinforced concrete bridges on U.S. 77 which cross the North Floodway above Harlingen, Texas, were opened to traffic in 1974. The 12-in. deck has developed an undulating longitudinal profile with sags of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in most of the 25-ft spans; thus, the riding quality is impaired, vehicles using the highway are subject to extra wear, and dynamic loads in excess of the static weight of traffic are induced. In this study, a computer simulation technique was used to investigate the complex interaction between the existing road surface profile and two representative trucks in order to assess the magnitude and placement of the potentially large dynamic wheel loads on the bridge structure. Maximum wheel forces from 50 to 100 percent greater than static wheel weight were predicted for the heavy vehicles operating at speeds between 40 and 55 mph. Since these large dynamic loads occur in the normal speed range for traffic, smoothing the surface profile with an overlay is recommended. Speed-zoning can be used for temporary alleviation, but effective enforcement will be very difficult on this particular highway.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/85522/dot_85522_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.88 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dce7feaa29429888d10a80528c002bb95bd69e0991445ea4f4cf131617402c56bd42292ec1c22714b8a5733ef59d3a6690365b75710a7a562c42d599d0f98124