Evaluation Of Dotd Semi Integral Bridge And Abutment System PDF Download

Semi-integral abutment bridges are integral abutment bridges with a flexible interface at the abutment to reduce the force transferred to the foundation. Wingwalls in abutment and semi-integral abutment bridges are designed as retaining walls to avoid the sliding of the backfill soil behind the bridge abutments and roadways. Using turn-back wingwalls that are parallel to the bridge diaphragm can provide support for the parapets and minimize the total longitudinal pressure on the abutments. These walls are subjected to axial forces and bending moments due to the thermal movements. These forces can affect the orientation and the connection details of the wingwalls, which could cause cracks in the wingwalls. Despite several studies on integral abutment bridges, there are no studies that combined the behavior of the drilled shafts, footings, abutment walls, and the turnback wingwalls of semi-integral abutment bridges. The long-term performance of a semi-integral abutment bridge with turn-back wingwalls supported on drilled shafts in Ohio was investigated in this doctorate study by instrumenting five drilled shafts, footing, the forward abutment wall, and one of the wingwalls during construction. Strain and temperature were collected in 2017, 2018, and 2019. It was found that the seasonal and daily temperature changes have a significant effect on the changes in the strain in the substructure. The behavior of the abutment wall significantly affects the behavior of the wingwall, footing, and drilled shafts. It was also noticed that the behavior of the abutment was irreversible, and the top of the abutment wall and the top of the drilled shaft induced higher strain than the bottom. Cracks were noticed at the front face of the abutment wall and wingwall, and these cracks tended to close as the air temperature decreased and open as the air temperature increased. The extremely cold weather conditions induced tensile strain higher than the allowable strain at the top corner of the front face of the abutment wall and the rear face of the wingwall. Finite element results were compared with the field data, and the behavior of the substructure was achieved by the model. Parametric studies were conducted on the bridge substructure with different wingwall types and soil backfill. The results showed lower stiffness of soil backfill induces higher stresses in the bridge substructure. Moreover, inline wingwalls induce the highest thermal stresses in the substructure, while flared wingwalls induce the lowest thermal stress compared to the other types of wingwalls.