TITLE:
Behaviour and Analysis of Horizontally Curved Steel Box-Girder Bridges
AUTHORS:
Mattia Mairone, Rebecca Asso, Davide Masera, Pietro Palumbo
KEYWORDS:
Analytical Calculation, Bridges, Horizontally Curved Beam, Structural Response, Torsion
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol.12 No.3,
September
20,
2022
ABSTRACT: Various theories and analytical formulations were
implemented and exploited in the 1980s and 1990s for the design of bridge beams
or decks curved in the horizontal plane and subjected to out-of-plane loads.
Nowadays, the Finite Element Method (FEM) is a valid tool for the analysis of structures
with complex geometries and, therefore, the development of sophisticated
analytical formulations is not needed anymore. However, they are still useful
for the validation of FE models. This paper presents the case study of an
existing viaduct built in North Italy, aiming to compare analytical approaches
and numerical modelling. The bridge is characterized by an axis curved in two
directions and a rectilinear segment. The global analysis of the viaduct is
carried out with special attention to the attributes that cause torque action
and bending moment. The theoretical developments focus on a deeper
understanding of the torsional response under different constraint and loading
conditions and aspire to raise awareness of the mutual interaction of flexural
and torsional behaviour, that are always present in these complex curved
systems. The examination of the case study is also obtained by comparing the
response of isostatic and hyperstatic curvilinear steel box-girders.