Date of Award
2019
Degree Name
Engineering
College
College of Information Technology and Engineering
Type of Degree
M.S.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Dr. Gregory K. Michaelson, P.E., Committee Chairperson
Second Advisor
Dr. James M. Bryce
Third Advisor
Dr. Isaac W. Wait, P.E.
Abstract
The scope of this thesis project was to refine the development of live load distribution factors for tub girders. This was done in three stages. First, experimental data was gathered to assess live load distribution on the Amish Sawmill Bridge located in Fairbank, Iowa. Then, finite element analysis models were developed to benchmark against experimental data. Finally, a series of parametric studies were performed to explore the distribution factors of steel tub girders under various design conditions and to generate more accurate live load distribution factors. Results drawn from this research project demonstrate that press-brake-formed steel tub girders exhibit consistent performance and are a practical option in short span bridge construction. In addition, it was found that the current AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications can overestimate distribution factors for interior girders and fails to estimate distribution factors for exterior girders depending on girder spacing and length of bridge.
Note(s)
Author's name on thesis listed as Guilherme de Oliveira Petty Santana.
Subject(s)
Finite element method.
Load factor design.
Recommended Citation
Petty, Guilherme, "Assessment of live load distribution characteristics of press-brake-formed tub girder superstructures" (2019). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1231.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1231
