Consistent Design of Segmental Concrete Bridges

The segmental method is an accepted and economic construction technique; however, the related design task is extremely demanding and technically ambitious. Generally, it requires sophisticated structural analyses, where all properties influencing the deformation behavior are properly taken into account. These requirements include inter alia the consideration of structural non-linearity, creep and shrinkage behavior, pre-camber and deformation control during erection. Using the segmental technique for cable-supported structures such as cable-stayed or post-tensioned bridges aggravates the complexity of the design task and yields additional challenges. The paper shows a comprehensive computational approach where difficult problems such as pre-camber and deformation control, optimization of stay cable stressing and taking into account creep and shrinkage effects are handled in a consistent manner.