Local and Integral Mechanical Properties of Composite Bridge Deck with Bulb Flat Ribs

Abstract:

In order to study the mechanical properties of the proposed composite bridge deck with bulb flat ribs in bridge service, two composite bridge decks with bulb flat ribs and one orthotropic steel bridge deck are designed and fabricated. With the measurement of the deformation and the strain in different locations through a static experiment, local mechanical properties under wheel load and integral mechanical properties under negative and positive moment load are both tested. The results show that the local stress level of composite bridge deck with bulb flat ribs under wheel load is very low, which reduces the possibility of fatigue failure of steel bridge deck. Crosssection strain distribution along the height conforms to plane section assumption, and with no observation of obvious slippage or delamination on bending ultimate failure state. It could be concluded that the composite effect between steel and concrete is perfect. This type of composite deck has a good ductility and a high bearing capacity.