EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF HORIZONTALLY CURVED GIRDER HIGHWAY BRIDGES

AN INVESTIGATION WAS MADE TO DETERMINE THE STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF HORIZONTALLY CURVED GIRDER HIGHWAY BRIDGES UNDER EITHER DEAD OR LIVE LOADS. EXPERIMENTAL DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM THREE SUCH BRIDGES LOCATED IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, AND CORRELATED WITH RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THEORETICAL ANALYSES. TWO THEORETICAL METHODS WERE EMPLOYED FOR THE ANALYSIS. ONE OF THE METHODS WAS DEVELOPED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND AND EMPLOYS THE MATRIX DISPLACEMENT PROCEDURE APPLIED TO A CURVED PLANAR GRID SYSTEM. THE STIFFNESS INFLUENCE COEFFICIENTS USED IN THIS METHOD ARE THOSE FOR CURVED PRISMATIC MEMBERS NEGLECTING WARPING STIFFNESS. THE OTHER METHOD, DEVELOPED DURING THE COURSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION, IS A RIGOROUS MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS INCLUDING THE EFFECT OF WARPING STIFFNESS. PRESENTED IN THIS REPORT ARE: (1) STRESSES, DEFLECTIONS, AND ROTATIONS CALCULATED BY EACH OF THE TWO THEORETICAL ANALYSES; (2) PROCEDURES FOR FIELD TESTING THE THREE BRIDGES TO OBTAIN EXPERIMENTAL VALUES FOR STRESSES, DEFLECTIONS, AND ROTATIONS; (3) COMPARISON OF THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL VALUES FOR STRESSES, DEFLECTIONS, AND ROTATIONS; AND (4) DETAILED COMPARISONS OF THEORETICAL RESULTS OBTAINED BY THE TWO THEORETICAL METHODS OF ANALYSIS. /AUTHOR/