Capacity Prediction of Repaired and Unrepaired Bridge Beams with Deteriorated Ends

Details

• Creators:
  Attanayake, Upul ; Bhowmik, Sanjoy ; Saleh, Kevin ; Hu, Yufeng ; Berke, Neal
• Corporate Creators:
  Western Michigan University. College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration ; Michigan. Dept. of Transportation. Research Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Beam Ends Beams Bridge Management Systems Concrete Decision Making Deterioration Guidelines Load Factor Mathematical Prediction Mechanical Fatigue Prestressed Concrete Repairing Steel

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  SPR-1745
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Michigan
• Edition:
  Final Report: 10/01/2022 – 09/30/2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  Michigan Department of Transportation. Research Administration
• Abstract:
  The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) identified significant deterioration at the ends of steel and prestressed concrete (PSC) beams, requiring systematic evaluation and improved decision-making protocols for Requests for Action (RFAs). This comprehensive study examined 431 steel beam ends and 267 PSC bridges to develop capacity-based assessment methods and repair guidelines. For steel beam ends, the analysis revealed a strong preference for bolted repairs over welded repairs due to field welding challenges and concerns about fatigue. Section loss limits of 20% for webs and 10% for flanges were established as RFA thresholds. Finite element analysis of W30×108 beams with corrosion-induced holes resulted in capacity reduction factors ranging from 0.39 to 0.74, depending on hole geometry and the presence of stiffeners. Fatigue analysis revealed a significant reduction in fatigue life due to bolt holes with high surface roughness and pre-existing cracks. For PSC beam ends, a Strut-and-Tie Method was implemented to model complex load transfer mechanisms, establishing 15% capacity reduction as the critical RFA threshold. Specific deterioration limits showed that spalls with ≥15% strand exposure or ≥40% section loss without strand exposure warrant immediate action. Accelerated corrosion testing of repair methods identified that combining latex-modified concrete patches with zinc-rich epoxy primer and elastomeric surface coatings provided optimal performance. Field evaluations demonstrated superior long-term durability of reinforced overcasts with FRP U-wraps and protective coatings when compared to unreinforced patches. Updated inspection guidelines, calculation tools, and comprehensive repair selection criteria were developed to enhance bridge safety while optimizing maintenance resource allocation through rational correlations between visual inspection data and structural performance.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  2022-0434 Z1
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:465bf620bff5b06451a6c1ac0103b5988044de0457aafc146e9f363e3fdd8b264785efbc2433f1bf919758440c80ac566b9db99ea2136d7552eed9da29fbfb3b
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88721/dot_88721_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 24.39 MB ]