Determination of load distribution factors of steel–concrete composite box and I-girder bridges using 3D finite element analysis

Abstract

This paper has utilised a comprehensive numerical investigation to assess the load distribution factors of steel–concrete composite box and I-girder bridges when subjected to different international bridge design loading configurations such as Australian Bridge Design Code and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). In this study, the effect of different parameters such as span length, number of loading lanes and number of cells/girders are investigated. Different types of elements such as solid element, shell element and beam element are examined to find a suitable finite element model to accurately simulate the components of these bridge structures. The accuracy of the finite element models is confirmed with available experimental results. A large number of results are produced by varying the values of the different parameters which are used to determine the load distribution factors for bending moment and shear force of box and I-girder bridges. Design guidelines in the form of empirical expressions for the load distribution factors are also derived from this big database.