Analysis Evaluation of Torsional Behavior of Hybrid Truss Bridge according to Connection Systems

Hybrid Truss Bridge (HTB) uses steel truss webs instead of concrete webs in prestressed box girder bridges, which is becoming popular due to its structural benefits such as relatively light self-weight and good aesthetics appearance. Since the core technology of this bridge is the connection system between concrete slabs and steel truss members, several connection systems were proposed and experimentally evaluated. Also, the selected joint system was applied to the real bride design and construction. The research was performed on the connection system, since it can affect the global behavior of this bridge such as flexural and fatigue behaviors as well as the local behavior around the connection region. The evaluation study showed that HTB applied to a curved bridge or an eccentrically loaded bridge had a weak torsional capacity compared to an ordinary PSC box girder bridge due to the open cross-sectional characteristic of HTB. Therefore, three types of girders with different joint system between truss web member and concrete slab were tested for their torsional capacity. In this study, the three different types of HTB girders under torsional loading were simulated using FEM analysis to investigate the torsional behavior of HTB girders more in detail. The results are discussed in detail in the paper.