The Effective Cross Frame Geometry and Spacing for Economy in Curved Steel-I-Girder Bridge

Volume 7 Issue 4 December - February 2019

Research Paper

The Effective Cross Frame Geometry and Spacing for Economy in Curved Steel-I-Girder Bridge

Kirankumar Topalakatti*, Santosh M. Muranal**

* Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Basaveshwar Engineering College (Autonomous), Bagalkot, Karnataka, India.

** Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Global Academy of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Topalakatti, K., & Muranal, S. M. (2019). The Effective Cross Frame Geometry and Spacing for Economy in Curved Steel-I-Girder Bridge, i-manager's Journal on Structural Engineering, 7(4), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.26634/jste.7.4.14944

Abstract

The construction of curved composite bridges is common these days in congested city areas, and the additional shear, bending and torsional stress developed due to horizontal curvature are of concern during their design. The cross frames in steel bridge are the secondary load carrying members, which provides the stiffness to the girder and resist the effect of bending and torsion. The selection of cross frame geometry and their spacing is important during bridge design. Presently V shaped cross frames are generally used to connect steel I girders in bridges, but with modification of geometry/shape can result in economic design. Hence, the effects of modified cross frame geometry and their spacing on the performance of curved steel-I-girders bridge is presented here. The modified V types of cross frames are designed and modelled using three-dimensional finite-element method. The structural response is evaluated for combination of vehicular loads of IRC Class A and Class 70R vehicles. The selection of geometry considering proper distribution of stress results in the reduction of cross sections and increase in spacing of cross frames and thus the economical design.