AASHTO / NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration
Guidelines for Design for Constructability
answers here…
Indiana DOT
Indianapolis, IN
July 24, 2012
William McEleney
NSBA, Director
Brief Background
• Consensus based
• AASHTO publication
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
Chapters
• Design
• Plate Girders
• Box Girders
• Bolts
• Corrosion Protection
• Other
• Design
• Rolled Beam vs. Plate Girder
• Girder Spacing
• Minimum Thicknesses
• Material Availability
• Flange Sizing
• Differential Deflections
• Bearings
• Design
• Rolled Beam vs. Plate Girder
– Rolled beam generally more economical
• availability – rolling schedules, etc
• except with hard curve or camber
– Allow plate girder alternate (show on bid
documents)
[Link]
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Design
• Girder Spacing
- Wider is more economical
- A reduced number of girders (fewer linear feet)
to be detailed, fabricated, painted, transported,
erected, inspected and maintained
- Fewer diaphragms, x-frames, bearings
- MAYBE more pounds, but FEWER dollars
• Design
• Girder Spacing
- Use 10’ to 11’ with spans less than 140’
– Use 11’ to 14’ with spans greater than 140’
– Cost of thicker deck to accommodate wider spacing
• Thicker deck may increase life
• More dead load per girder may reduce vibration
– Consider future redecking operations during
preliminary design
• Girder Spacing
Design/Build
PENN DOT
• Spans and approaches fixed
by 1st bridge (1973)
• Build ‘companion’ bridge
(2000)
• WSD - 6 girder lines
LFD - 4 girder lines
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Design
• Minimum Thicknesses
– Plate girder webs
• 7/16” minimum, 1/2” preferred
– Plate girder flanges
• 3/4” minimum
– Stiffeners, connection plates
• 7/16” minimum, 1/2” preferred
• Design
• Plate Availability
– Arcelor-Mittal Steel USA
• to 4” thick, 195” wide
– Nucor Steel
• to 3” thick, 120” wide
– SSAB-IPSCO Steel
• To 3” thick, 120” wide
– EVRAZ Claymont Steel
• to 4” thick, 155” wide
• Design
• Plate size preferences - width
Modern Steel Construction, Sept 2011
• Plate size preferences – thickness increments
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Design
• Wide Flange Beam Availability
– NUCOR YAMATO - to 44” deep
– Gerdau Ameristeel - to 36” deep
– Steel Dynamics - to 36” deep
– 120’ long - max
– ASTM A992; ASTM A709, Gr. 50S
• Minimum Yield = 50 ksi
• No HPS
Availability
• fabricator comments
– rolled beam availability
– rolled beam vs. plate girder
– plate material availability
– other
• Design
• Plate Girder Flange Sizing
– Shop butt splices within a shipping piece – when to
change area?
• No more than 2 shop slices
• Minimum change; 1/8” (to 2 ½” thick), 1/4”
• Maximum change; thinner piece at least 1/2 of thicker…
• ONLY when material cost saved > labor cost spent
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Flange Sizing – when to change area?
Multiply weight savings/inch x flange width (length of butt weld)
Thinner Plate Thicker Plate at Splice (inches)
at Splice
(inches) 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
1.0 70 70 70
1.5 80 80 80 80
2.0 90 90 90 70 70
2.5 100 100 80 80
3.0 110 90 90
3.5 110 110
4.0 130
Weight Saving Factor Per Inch of Plate Width
for ASTM A709-Gr 50 Non-Fracture Critical Flanges Requiring Zone 1 CVN Testing
• Design
• Plate Girder Flange Sizing
– Shop butt splices within a shipping piece – what
to change, width or thickness?
• Keep width constant (i.e., to change cross section
area, change thickness)
• WHY ?
• compare changing width vs. changing thickness
• Flange Sizing - change width
Bevel
FABRICATE 4 FLANGE ASSEMBLIES
STEP 1: Bevel (4) plate edges
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Flange Sizing - change width
Burn
STEP 2: Burn 12 pieces from 3 plates
• Flange Sizing - change width
STEP 3: Fit up and tack weld 4 flange assemblies
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Flange Sizing - change width
Run-off Tab
STEP 4: Attach 16 run-off tabs
• Flange Sizing - change width
Weld
STEP 5: Weld and grind 8 splices
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Flange Sizing - change width
STEP 6: Turn over 4 flange assemblies
• Flange Sizing - change width
Weld
STEP 7: Back gouge, weld and grind 8 butt joints
• Flange Sizing - change width
STEP 8: Remove and grind 16 run-off tabs, taper wider plates
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
Bevel Taper
CHANGE THICKNESS
STEP 1: Bevel (4) and taper (2) plate edges
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
STEP 2: Fit up and tack weld 3 plates
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
Run-off Tab
STEP 3: Attach 4 run-off tabs
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
Weld
STEP 4: Weld and grind 2 splices
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
STEP 5: Turn over 1 piece
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
Weld
STEP 6: Back gouge, weld and grind 2 butt welds
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
STEP 7: Remove and grind 4 run-off tabs
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
Burn
STEP 8: Burn 4 flanges from 1 assembly
• Flange Sizing - change thickness
STEP 8: Burn 4 flanges from 1 assembly
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Design
• Flange Sizing
– Width transitions increase labor for flange
assemblies up to 35%
– If you must change flange width, do so at bolted
field splice (do not clip corners of top flanges)
– Allow fabricators to eliminate splices within a
shipping piece by carrying thicker material
through to next designed splice location
• Design
• Differential Dead Load Deflections
– Phased construction
• omit crossframes between phases, if possible
• otherwise, single angle top & bottom strut (w/ 1 bolt)
– Curved girders
• ‘beyond the scope’
– Skewed girders
• Skewed Girders
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Skewed Girders
1 1/2”
STAGE 1
• Skewed Girders
STAGE 2 STAGE 3 STAGE 4
• Skewed Girders
STAGE 5
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Skewed Girders
STAGE 6
• Skewed Girders
STAGE 7
• Design
• Bearings
– Use elastomeric if possible
• 800 kips, 4” lateral, .04 radians rotation
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Design
• Bearings
– Use pot bearing next
• Design
• Bearings
– Use elastomeric if possible
• 800 kips, 4” lateral, .04 radians rotation
– Use pot bearing next
– See Collaboration G9.1, Steel Bridge Bearing
Design and Detailing Guidelines
• Plate Girders
• Bearing Stiffeners/Diaphragms, Connection
& Intermediate Stiffeners
• Welding
• General Details
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Plate Girders
• Bearing Stiffeners/Diaphragms, Connection
& Intermediate Stiffeners
– Bearing stiffeners can be either fabricated
normal to top flange or vertical (plumb) under
full dead load (DL) - effect on design is minimal
– Box girder bearing diaphragms can be either
normal to top flange or vertical under DL
– Connection (and intermediate) stiffeners should
be normal to top flange
• Plate Girders
• Bearing Stiffener Attachment
– mill to bear fit on bottom flange
• add a fillet weld (if transversely loaded)
- NO full penetration weld
- AWS D1.5 tolerances for fit between underside
of bottom flange and bearing sole plate
(projected area of bearing stiffeners and web)
• Bearing Stiffeners
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Plate Girders
• Connection Stiffener Attachment
- attach to top and bottom flanges
- welds to tension flanges ARE ALLOWED as
long as the stress in the flange does not exceed
the allowable fatigue stress for the type of weld
- good placement of connection plates should
eliminate need for any tab plates
- if needed, use tab plates only at the specific
location, not at all connection plates
• Connection Stiffener Attachment
• Plate Girders
• Connection Stiffener for Skewed Girders
– Prefer bent connection plate vs. skewed
connection plate for skewed cross frames
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Skewed Cross Frame Connections
20o maximum skew
preferred (by fabricators)
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Plate Girders (rolled beams)
• Connection stiffener
alternate for rolled
beams
– AASHTO
requirements revised
in 2011 to allow
‘bolted clip angle’ for
intermediate
diaphragms – see
[Link].1
• Plate Girders
• General Details
– Intermediate Stiffeners – weld to compression
flange, tight fit (per AWS D1.5) to tension
flange (not required, but may help fabricator to
control flange tilt)
• Plate Girders
• General Details
– Shop Assembly Requirements
– Haunched Flange Transition
• Bent or welded
• Straight or curved haunch
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Plate Girders
• General Details
– Curved Girders
• heat curve / cut curve
– Rolled Beams
• cold camber
• Plate Girders
• General Details
– Cross Frame design
• Box Girders
• Closed Box Details
• Trapezoidal Tub Girder Details
– Stiffener detail at (near) bottom flange
– Stiffening of bottom flange (compression zone)
– External cross frames
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Box Girders
• Closed Box Configuration - Corner Welds
– Try to arrange to use fillet welds or partial pen
• Closed Box Diaphragm Attachment
– Weld 3 sides, tight fit at tension flange
• Closed Box Interior Diaphragm Access Hole
– 32 x 36 inches preferred (18 x 24 inches min)
• Box Girders
• Stiffener Detail at (near) Bottom Flange of Tub
Girders
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
• Box Girders
• Stiffening of Bottom Flange (Compression
Zone)
– Use WTs (versus bars)
– Stop short of field splice (splice plates should
adequately stiffen the flange)
• Box Girders
• Interior Coating
– For inspection; single coat, light color
• Relative Costs of Closed Boxes and Tub
Girders
– No recommendation (box may be 20-30% more)
• External Cross Frames
– At supports; for curved
NSBA website
• [Link]
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
Shipping/Fabrication Piece Limits
• To have the most competition:
- Length < 125 feet
- Weight < 35 tons
- Height < 9 feet tall
• To ship, by road, max. fabricated segments:
- Length < 175 feet (varies by state)
- Weight < 80 tons (varies by state)
- Height < 13.5 feet (on side) 9.5 feet (upright)
Collaboration Documents
NSBA website
• [Link]
AASHTO bookstore
• [Link]
SIMON
• Updating to 5th Edition AASHTO LRFD
• Enhanced with Graphic User Interface
• Distributed at WSBS in April
– general distribution August 1
• [Link]\softwareregistration
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012
NSBASplice
• Updated from AISI
product (10 years ago)
to 5th Edition
AASHTO LRFD
• general distribution
August 1
• [Link]\
softwareregistration
Contact Information…
• Bill McEleney
Director
mceleney@[Link]
401.943.5660
• [Link]
• solutions@[Link]
Indiana DOT Bridge Design Conference 7/24/2012