Short-term and time-dependent stresses in precast network arches

dc.contributor.advisorHelwig, Todd Aaron, 1965-en
dc.contributor.advisorBayrak, Oguzhan, 1969-en
dc.contributor.committeeMemberJirsa, James Oen
dc.contributor.committeeMemberWilliamson, Eric Ben
dc.contributor.committeeMemberMear, Mark Een
dc.creatorYousefpoursadatmahalleh, Hosseinen
dc.creator.orcid0000-0001-5454-6584en
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-17T14:33:41Zen
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-22T22:28:08Z
dc.date.available2018-01-22T22:28:08Z
dc.date.issued2015-08en
dc.date.submittedAugust 2015en
dc.date.updated2015-09-17T14:33:41Zen
dc.descriptiontexten
dc.description.abstractDue to their structural efficiency and architectural elegance, concrete arches have long been used in bridge applications. However, the construction of concrete arches requires significant temporary supporting structures, which prevent their widespread use in modern bridges. A relatively new form of arch bridges is the network arch, in which a dense arrangement of inclined hangers is used. Network arches are subjected to considerably smaller bending moments and deflections than traditional arches and are therefore suitable for modern, accelerated construction methods in which the arches are fabricated off-site and then transported to the bridge location. However, service-level stresses, which play a critical role in the performance of the structure, are relatively unknown for concrete network arches and have not been sufficiently investigated in the previous research on concrete arches. The primary objective of this dissertation is to improve the understanding of short-term and time-dependent stresses in concrete arches, and more specifically, concrete network arches. The research presented herein includes extensive field monitoring of the West 7th Street Bridge in Fort Worth, Texas, which is the first precast network arch bridge and probably the first concrete network arch bridge in the world. The bridge consists of twelve identically designed concrete network arches that were precast and post-tensioned before they were transported to the bridge site and erected. A series of vibrating wire gages were embedded in the arches and were monitored throughout the construction and for a few months after the bridge was opened to traffic. The obtained data were processed, and structural response parameters were evaluated to support the safe construction of the innovative arches, identify their short-term and time-dependent structural behavior, and verify the modeling assumptions. The variability of stresses among the arches was also used to assess the reliability of stress calculations. The results of this study provide valuable insight into the elastic, thermal, and time-dependent behavior of concrete arches in general and concrete network arches in particular. The knowledge gained in this investigation also has broader applications towards understanding the behavior of indeterminate prestressed concrete structures that are subjected to variable boundary conditions and thermal and time-dependent effects.en
dc.description.departmentCivil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineeringen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/31351en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.subjectStructural health monitoringen
dc.subjectAccelerated bridge constructionen
dc.subjectPrecasten
dc.subjectPrestressed concreteen
dc.subjectTime-dependent behavior of concreteen
dc.subjectCreepen
dc.subjectArch bridgeen
dc.titleShort-term and time-dependent stresses in precast network archesen
dc.typeThesisen

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