FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

CES-5325 / CGN-4930 Design of Highway Bridges - Spring Term 2005

Professor L. A. Prieto-Portar

Homework No. 1 (10 points)

(due on Thursday, 3 February)
The first two slides of Lecture #1 (in my website) show two tables that I prepared a few years
ago, to represent all the bridge types versus their span length range. Those two tables need to be
improved. Firstly, they need to be united in a single table. And secondly, they need to integrate
some additional information offered below.
You can work in groups, or individually. The grade (10 points) will be given based on (1) the
completeness of using all the data provided and accuracy, and (2) the simplicity and appeal of the
graphics, to you and others that will use it in the future.
Bridge Type
Prestressed
Concrete

PC: Voided Slab

PC: AASHTO Standard I Beam
PC: Box Girder
Segmental Concrete
SC: Balanced Girder
Cantiliber (2.0<Depth<2.5)
SC: Balanced Girder
Cantiliber (2.5<Depth<3.0)
SC: Cast in Place Balance
Cantiliver
SC: Precast Balanced
Cantiliver
Steel-Concrete Composite
COMPOSITE: I-Girder
COMPOSITE: Box Girder
Steel
STEEL: Plate Girder
STEEL: Cable Stayed
Girder
STEEL: Truss
Steel Truss Arch
Steel Rib Arch
STEEL: Suspension
BRIDGE TYPE
Reinforced Concrete Deck
Slab
T-Beam

SPAN
<30

30 60

Span Length
Minimum Maximum
6
15
9
36
30
180
25
30
50
30

250

30

250

20
20
30
90

98
197
260
850

90
240
120
300

550
500
400
3000

CHARACTERISTICS AND
COMMENTS
Economical, Stress Analysis
not required
Complicated Formwork

Box Girder (Bar

Reinforced)

60 100

Box Girder (Cast-in-Place

Prestressed)

Up to 600

Prestressed Concrete Slab

Up to 65

Precast

Varies

Prestressed Concrete
Girders

30 300

Composite Welded Girders

60 300

Structural Steel Box

60 500

Good for stream crossings

6.0 Clearance needs to be
provided
Slightly more expensive than
the T-Beam except for spans
greater than 100 due to
deflections.
Aesthetically Pleasing
Required Detailed Stress
Analysis
Good in Metropolitan areas.
Better Appearance than
conventional Box Girders
Shallow Depth
More expensive than
reinforced concrete slabs
Economical where many
spans are needed
Simple detail and formwork
Not recommended for long
multispan structures
Camber difficult to control
Costs more than reinforced
concrete slabs in terms of
depth to span ratio
Spans greater than 120 cant
be used
I-Girders is good for spans
60 120
Low dead load, good for
poor foundation conditions
Details and formwork
simple
Can be adapted to curved
alignment
Should be used in special
situations
More expensive than steel I
Girders
Complicated welding and
welding details
Good Appearance