Curved Bridges – SGS Guidance

• This study investigates the hypothesis made by the AASHTO

Guide Specification (AASHTO ,2011) that curved bridges may be
analyzed as if they are straight, provided the bridge is regular.

Curved bridge

(Unwrap deck
superstructure)

Equivalent straight bridge

Regular Bridge Requirements - SGS
Four Phase Parametric Study
Phase 1: AL 36m 36m 36m 36m 36m 36m AR

Same span lengths and 15m 15m 15m 15m

15m
pier heights

Phase 2: AL 36m 36m 36m 36m 36m 36m AR

Same span lengths and 15m 12m 9.5m 9.5m
15m
different pier heights

Phase 3: AL 36m 36m 36m 24m 24m 24m AR

Same pier heights and 15m 15m 15m 15m 15m

different span lengths

Phase 4: AL 36m 36m 36m 24m 24m 24m AR

Different span lengths 12m 9.5m 9.5m
15m 15m
and pier heights
Abutment Restraint and Bent Details
Y 11 m
AL S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 AR Z
6m
Y
Z X 4.5 m 2m
Deck axis 3m
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5
X Shear key
Global axis tbf =thickness of bottom
flange= 0.25m
All other thicknesses = 0.3
m
Elevation View of typical bridge

Bent typical Section view

Center-line of deck
Abutment Local
axis Center-line of deck

 
    Z
  Z   Z
         
X
X
X Global axis
Abutment Local axis
Global axis

Plan view of straight bridge

Plan view of curved bridge
 Abutment Restraint Cases
Case. No Abutment translational D.O.F (local) Abutment rotational D.O.F (local)

X-axis Y-axis Z-axis X-axis Y-axis Z-axis

1 R R R R U U
2 P.R R R R U U
3 R R P.R R U U
4 P.R R P.R R U U
5 U R R R U U
6 R R U R U U
7 U R U R U U
8 U R P.R R U U
9 P.R R U R U U

U- unrestrained; R- restrained; P.R- partial restrained (finite

stiffness)
 Bridge Nomenclature
 BNAP
– ‘B’ stands for bridge
– ‘N’ number of spans (4, 6)
– ‘A’ Abutment case no. (1 to 9)
– ‘P’ phase no. (1 to 4)
 B691 means: 6-span bridge with abutment restraint
case no. 9 in phase 1
 Methodology
Step 1: Select equivalent straight bridge from
case study bridges

Step 2: Design the equivalent straight bridge using Direct Displacement-

Based Design in both longitudinal and transverse directions.
θp= 3% (for pier): ∆Long.=160 mm; ∆Tran.=40 mm (for Abut.)

Step 3: Perform inelastic time history analysis of

equivalent straight bridge

Step 4: Perform inelastic time history analysis of curved

bridges with different subtended angles

Step 5: Comparison of straight and curved

bridges
Comparison of transverse displacement for 6 span bridges in phase 1

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
0.5 ST
C15
0.4 B611 C30
C45
0.3 C60
C75
0.2 C90
C105
0.1 C120
C135
0.0 C150
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 C165
D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )

C180
Normalized length

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
Case 1 [R-R]

0.5
0.5
B631
0.4 B661
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0
Normalized length 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Normalized length

Case 3 [R-P.R] Case 6 [R-U.R]

8
Comparison of transverse displacement for
6 span bridges in phase 1

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
0.5
B621 0.5
0.4 B641
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
Normalized length
(d)
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6
Normalized length
0.8 1.0

Case 2 [P.R-R]
Case 4 [P.R-P.R]

0.5 ST
B691 C15
0.4 C30
C45
0.3 C60
C75
0.2 C90
C105
0.1 C120
C135
0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Normalized length

Case 9 [P.R-U.R]
Comparison of transverse displacement for 6 span bridges in
phase 1

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
0.5 0.5

0.4 0.4

0.3 0.3

0.2 0.2
B651 B671
0.1 0.1

0.0 0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
Normalized length Normalized length

Case 5 [U.R-R] Case 7 [U.R-U.R]

0.5 ST
C15
0.4 C30
C45
0.3
C60
C75
0.2
B681 C90
0.1 C105
C120
0.0 C135
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Normalized length

Case 8 [U.R-P.R]
Comparison of longitudinal displacement for 6 span bridges in
phase 1

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t (m )

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
0.3
0.3
B621
0.2 B641
0.2

0.1
0.1

0.0
0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
-0.1
-0.1

Normalized length

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
Normalized length

Case 2 [P.R-R] Case 4 [P.R-P.R]

0.5
ST
B691 C15
0.4
C30
C45
0.3
C60
C75
0.2
C90
C105
0.1
C120
C135
0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Normalized length

Case 9 [P.R-U.R]
Comparison of longitudinal displacement for 6 span bridges in
phase 1

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t (m )

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )
0.5
0.5
0.4
B671
0.4
0.3 ST C15
0.3 C30 C45
0.2 C60 C75
0.2 C90 C105
B651 C120 C135
0.1
0.1 C150 C165
0.0
0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Normalized length
Normalized length

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t (m )
Case 5 [U.R-R] Case 7 [U.R-U.R]

0.5 ST
C15
0.4 C30
C45
0.3 C60
C75
0.2 C90
B681 C105
0.1 C120
C135
0.0 C150
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Normalized length

Case 8 [U.R-P.R]
 Displacement index (DI)
ST ,i ST ,i
DI  max if ST ,i  C ,i DI  min if ST ,i  C ,i
C ,i C ,i
(1)

for all C ,i  0

D e c k D is p la c e m e n t ( m )

D I_ P IE R

D I_ A B T
3.0 1.0
B641 B641
2.0
0.5
0.5 ST C90 1.0
C180
0.4
B641 0.0 0.0
0.3 C90 C180 C90 C180
Abutment case No. 4 Abutment case No. 4
0.2

0.1

0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Normalized length
DI for 6 span bridges in phase 1-4 (transverse)

D I_ A BT
D I_ PIE R
B621 B622
B621 B622
B623 B624
B623 B624
UL=1.2
LL=0.8

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 2 Abutment case No. 2
D I_ P IE R

D I_ A BT
B641 B642 B641 B642
B643 B644 B643 B644

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 4 Abutment case No. 4
D I_ P IE R

D I_ A BT
B651 B652 B651 B652
B653 B654 B653 B654

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 5 Abutment case No. 5
DI for 6 span bridges in phase 1-4 (transverse)

D I_ P IE R

D I_ A B T
B671 B672 B671 B672
B673 B674 B673 B674

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 7 Abutment case No. 7
D I_ PIE R

D I_ A B T
B681 B682 B681 B682
B683 B684
B683 B684

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 8 Abutment case No. 8
D I_ P IE R

D I_ A B T
14

B691 B692 B691 B692

B693 B694 B693 B694

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 9 Abutment case No. 9
DI for 6 span bridges in phase 1-4
(longitudinal)

D I_ P IE R

D I_ A B T
41, 38, 37, 40

B621 B622 B621 B622

B623 B624 B623 B624

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 2 Abutment case No. 2

D I_ A B T
D I_ PIE R

B641 B642 B641 B642

B643 B644 B643 B644

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 4 Abutment case No. 4

D I_ A B T
D I_ P IE R

20, 28, 29, 39

B651 B652 B651 B652

B653 B654 B653 B654

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 5 Abutment case No. 5
DI for 6 span bridges in phase 1-4
(longitudinal)

D I_ P IE R

D I_ A B T
B671 B672 B671 B672
B673 B674 B673 B674

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 7 Abutment case No. 7

D I_ A B T
D I_ P IE R

B681 B682 B681 B682

B683 B684 B683 B684

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 C15 C30 C45 C60 C90
Abutment case No. 8 Abutment case No. 8

D I_ A B T
D I_ PIE R

B691 B692
B691 B692
B693 B694
B693 B694

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90

C15 C30 C45 C60 C90 Abutment case No. 9
Abutment case No. 9
 Summary
 Deviation in the response of curved bridges from a straight bridge:
– increases as the subtended angles become larger
– Impact of irregularities (pier heights and span lengths) was not
significant
– Higher for transverse direction than the longitudinal direction
– The type and degree of abutment restraint is a critical parameter
Perhaps best to model bridges with presented geometry

Limit on maximum
Abutment restraint condition
subtended angle (degrees)
Fully restrained in the direction of flow of traffic 0
Partially restrained in the direction of flow of traffic 30
Unrestrained in both directions (parallel and
180
perpendicular to direction of flow of traffic)