The design of bridge girders is often complicated by the many performance stages that must be
evaluated, including erection, construction, and in-service. Horizontally curved girders are
especially complex due to the wide range of support conditions and loading that an individual
girder is subjected to at various stages during construction. Girder stability during erection and
construction phases is often critical due to the variability in the bracing that is present at these
crucial stages. Recent failures during construction on bridges in Illinois and Colorado have been
blamed on inadequate installation of the bracing.
This research investigation is focused on developing guidelines for the proportioning of curved
plate girder systems that can be safely and economically constructed. The research will consist
of parametric finite element analyses supported with field measurements. The results of these
investigations will produce clear guidelines for sizing and erecting curved plate girder systems.
In addition, a PC-based finite element program will be developed with a graphical user interface
that can be used as a design tool to evaluate the safety of the girders during critical stages of
erection and construction. It is anticipated that the program will be a tool to evaluate
constructability. Output from the software can be combined with analyses conducted using
traditional grid analysis programs so that the in-service performance of the bridge can also be
evaluated.