Title: Nondestructive Condition Assessment of a Posted Bridge
State Job Number: 14651
Final Report, October 1997 (23,491 KB)
Executive Summary,  (201 KB)

 

There are about five hundred steel-truss highway bridges in Ohio, as well as many thousands in the nation, which are more than seventy-five years old.  Preservation of aged historic steel-truss bridges first requires a consideration of public safety issues.  Bridges with certain structural attributes and materials are well established as having non desirable failure modes, which make them public safety hazards.  These should be removed from service with the highest possible priority.  If non-technical issues such as historic significance and functional adequacy are favorable, the question then becomes whether a given bridge can be preserved within the available financial and technical resources of the responsible government agency.

 

 

Title: Development and Implementation of New Driven Pile Technology
State Job Number: 14588
Final Report, May 1999 (19,511 KB)
Executive Summary,  (74 KB)

Driven piles have been frequently used by highway engineers to support bridges, retaining walls, and overhead signs. Prior to pile driving, engineers need to estimate the required pile length based on soil information and soil mechanics principles. During pile driving, engineers need to verify the load-carrying capacity and integrity of each driven pile. The analysis tools for pile length estimation and dynamic pile testing techniques for pile-driving control constitute the two main focuses of this research.

 

Topic 3

Title: Development of Optimal Concrete Sealant Techniques & Modeling of Encapsulation Effects on Concrete Exposed to Freeze-Thaw
State Job Number: 14619 & 14623 ( Both projects are included in 14619)
Final Report, May 1999 (10,586 KB)
Executive Summary,  (20 KB)

This study investigates the phenomenon of moisture encapsulation and how concrete sealants and coatings influence concrete freeze/thaw durability and moisture migration.  A finite Element Method computer model based on linear diffusion theory is found to adequately predict the drying behavior of concrete treated with relatively impermeable coatings.

 

Topic 4

Title: Instrumentation of Bridge #MEG-124-6.78
State Job Number: 14624
Final Report, October 1999 (1,368 KB)
Executive Summary,  (68 KB)

MEG 1244.78 was a single span bridge, composite, and adjacent prestressed box girder bridge. It had a 45" right forward skew. After being in service about 1 year, the three edge beams on the inside of the curve showed extensive cracking. Diagonal and vertical cracks were visible on the fascia beam. Subsequent inspection revealed several construction errors, including loose bearing pads and a large bump in the approach slab.

In an attempt to determine the cause of cracking, the bridge was subjected to both static and dynamic truck load testing using single axle dump trucks. Each truck weighed between 27 kips and 32 kips.  The bridge showed the expected load distributions between the beams under 10 different static load combinations. Uniform loads were equally shared between the girders. Loads which were more toward one edge were distributed more to that edge of the bridge, but the distribution was still reasonable. It did not appear that one or two beams were carrying the entire load. Therefore, the cause of failure was not overload in the edge beams due to improper load distribution.

 

Topic 5

Title: Evaluation of the Cause of Cracking in Bridge #MEG-124-6.78
State Job Number: 14675
Final Report, October 1999  (3,212 KB)
Executive Summary,  (74 KB)

Bridge MEG 124-6.78 was a single span, composite, adjacent, prestressed box girder bridge with a 45E right forward skew. After being in service about 1 year, the three edge beams on one side of the bridge showed extensive bottom flange cracking. Diagonal and vertical cracks were visible on the sides of the fascia beam. Field tests done on the bridge in a previous study indicated that the cracking did not occur due to overload or improper load distribution.

 

Topic 6

Title: Experimental Analysis of Composite Reinforced Bridge - Field Study
State Job Number: 14655
Final Report, April 2000  (8,574 KB)
Executive Summary,  (62 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (78 KB)

This study investigated the effectiveness of fiber-reinforced plastic on reinforced concrete and steel structures. Three types of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) materials, Replark, 19, and Flat Carbon Vinyl (FCV) Ester plates, were tested to record changes in the behavior of concrete beams with the application of the plates. FRP performance was monitored initially under controlled laboratory conditions. A field study was then conducted on two bridges in Ohio. Strains and deflections in the concrete structures under a static load were measured both before and after the installation of the fiber-reinforced plastic plates.

 

Topic 7

Title: Predicting The Ultimate Load Capacity of Long-Span Precast Concrete Arch Culverts
State Job Number: 14595
Final Report, June 2000 (2,446 KB)
Executive Summary,  (69 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (75 KB)

A full-scale live load test was conducted on a 36-ft span precast reinforced concrete arch culvert in October 1992. The soil-structure interaction analysis procedure of correlating the actual and predicted performance of this underground structure was the subject of study, partially sponsored by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), during the 1992-94 period.

 

Topic 8

Title: Instrumentation, Monitoring & Testing of The CUY-90-15.24 Central Viaduct Project
State Job Number: 14685
Final Report, June 2000  (18,347 KB)
Executive Summary,  ( 73 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (86 KB)

Bridge CUY-90-15.24, the Central Viaduct, also known as the Inner Belt Bridge, is part of the Interstate Highway System in Cleveland, Ohio. The structure carries up to eight traffic lanes, over many streets, the Cuyahoga River, Conrail tracks, the N-S Trestle, Cleveland Rapid Transit tracks, among others. The roadway carries an average of 134,660 vehicles per day.  About nine percent of the traffic is heavy trucks. Since 1988, Richland Engineering Limited has inspected the bridge annually. In addition, beginning in 1991, detailed substructure stability study was carried out. From these studies, general observations revealed that: (a) Pier 1 has moved about 0.6 to 0.8 feet toward the river, and (b) The west end pier has moved about 0.3 to 0.4 feet toward the river. As an initial step to stabilize the slopes and piers, the grading and drainage improvements were completed in 1995. As a permanent stabilization to the upper slope, the CUY-90-15.24 project (PID No. 12374) has been approved. The stabilization scheme involved the use of drilled shafts, rock anchors, tiebacks, and driven piles. Because of unique features (extremely long drilled shafts, high capacity rock anchors) and the uncertainties of design assumptions (mechanisms of the slope stabilization), engineers have put into the plans a special item for instrumentation, testing, and long-term monitoring. The University of Akron was the designated research team to carry out the tasks involved in this special item.

 

Topic 9

Title: Instrumented Elastomeric Bridge Bearings
State Job Number: 14647
Final Report, June 2000 (3,159 KB)
Executive Summary, (8 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (87 KB)

This report presents the results of tests and analyses performed on elastomeric bridge bearings. The focus of this research was the measurement of bearing deformations in the field and assessment of the feasibility of using instrumented elastomeric bearings to monitor bridge condition. The bearing deformations were successful measured in the field during the deck concrete pour and a static truck test. Shear, compression, rotation, and fatigue tests have been carried out in the laboratory and at the manufacturer’s facility. Full scale bearings (shape factor 11) were tested at the manufacturer and installed in the field. Model bearings (shape factor 11 and one-quarter the plan area of the full scale bearings) were tested at the manufacturer and in the laboratory. Test bearings (shape factors 5,7, and 10) were tested in the laboratory. The bearing material was 50 Durometer neoprene. The analyses support the testing and considered the bridge-bearing system. The stiffnesses of the bearings are explicitly included in the analyses. A singular characteristic of this experimental research is the focus on the in-service behavior of the bearings.

 

Topic 10

Title: Instrumentation and Monitoring of Tieback wall of SUM82 at Brecksville
State Job Number: 14648
Final Report, November 2000  (19,204 KB)
Executive Summary,  (93 KB)

Implementation Plan, (88 KB)

The instrumentation, monitoring, and analysis of a tieback wall located on the western side of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (CVNRA) Valley railroad in the vicinity of the State Route 82 Bridge over the railroad and the Cuyahoga River, Brecksville, Ohio constitutes the main work of this project. Slope movements on the western wall of the Cuyahoga River valley were noticed, extending excessively to the north and south of the State Route 82 Bridge centerline. Slope movements were also occurring within the 80 feet wide bridge right-of-way portion of the embankment. ODOT has conducted an independent investigation of this area and developed plans using tieback walls to stabilize the slope movements.

 

Topic 11

Title: Drilled Shaft Testing at Washington County Segmental Bridge and Hamilton-50 Test Site
State Job Number: 14707
Final Report, December 2000 (7,861 KB)
Executive Summary,  (72 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (92 KB)

A total of four lateral load tests on eight fully instrumented drilled shafts have been successfully carried out. The test data and analysis results have been submitted to ODOT structure office in a timely manner to allow ODOT engineers to implement these test results into design. Specifically, two load tests have been conducted at Putnam bridge site with the shafts diameter of 1.22-m (48-inch) and shaft length of 14-m and 9-m respectively. Also, two lateral load tests have been conducted at CLE-50 site with the shafts diameter of 1.067-m (42-inch) and shaft length of 5.48-m (1 8-ft), and 9.62-m (264) respectively. Test results included the load-displacement relationship at the shaft head, and strains and deflections along shaft length at different load levels. In addition to lateral load testing a new back-analysis method was employed to demonstrate the benefits of deriving the p-y relationship from the curve-fitting back-analysis techniques.

 

Topic 12

Title: Use of HPC for an Adjacent Box Beam Bridge Guernsey County, Ohio, Bridge #GUE-22-0657
State Job Number: 14615
Final Report, January 2001 (8,162 KB)
Executive Summary,  (77 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (78 KB)

As part of FHWA’s multi-state SHRP High Performance Concrete (HPC) Implementation Program, a highway bridge in Ohio originally designed using normal concrete as a three-span adjacent box girder structure was able to be redesigned as a single-span HPC adjacent box girder bridge (referred to as the Ohio HPC Showcase Bridge) by using 70 MPa HPC and 15 mm diameter strands. Principal objectives of the FHWA HPC Program include the formation of partnerships among FHWA, state highway agencies, academia, and industry, and the promotion of technology transfer, which includes the research, design and construction aspects of the showcase HPC projects.

 

Topic 13

Title: Instrumentation, Testing, & Monitoring of a Newly Constructed Reinforced Concrete Deck-on-Steel Girder Bridge - Phase III
State Job Number: 14611
Final Report, May 2001 (1,5628 KB)
Executive Summary, (36 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (86 KB)

The measurement and documentation of construction and service effects for a steel stringer bridge will permit evaluation of the complete state of force in a bridge over its lifetime, together with the corresponding causative effects or events. Accumulated versus transient stresses and forces are evaluated through a regular regimen of long-term monitoring, diagnostic truckload and modal impact testing, and structural analysis.

 

Topic 14

Title: Field Performance Evaluation of Multiple Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bridge Deck Systems Over Existing Girders - Phase I
State Job Number: 14708
Final Report, June 2001   (15,997 KB)
Executive Summary,  (92 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (78 KB)

In recent years, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) deck systems have emerged as a viable alternative to conventional systems, namely reinforced-concrete slabs. The use of such systems to replace existing, deteriorated bridge deck systems offers both economic benefits and improved performance. The economic advantages are possible for a number of reasons: since such composite systems are lighter, considerable savings are realized by reduced transportation costs (several deck systems can be transported on one truck); erection costs will be less as relatively light cranes can be used to install the decks; and construction time is reduced, which eliminates long traffic delays. Due to the high resistance of FRP deck systems to environmental effects and corrosion attack, the long- term performance is also expected to be improved significantly, leading to lower maintenance and longer service life.

Topic 15

Title: Thin Bonded Overlay & Surface Laminates
State Job Number: 14759
Final Report, August 2001 (3,539 KB)
Executive Summary,  (4 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (95 KB)

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) constructed two (2) experimental concrete bridge deck overlays on bridges over I-75 in 1994/1995 near and in the City of Findlay. The project was funded as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Demonstration Projects Program (ISTEA Section 6005) entitled “Thin Bonded Overlay and Surface Laminates.” The intent of the program was to evaluate new systems for repairing and overlaying deteriorated concrete bridge decks. ODOT chose to try the material known as Microlite to be incorporated in the standard bridge deck concrete overlay material to determine if it had improved effects on permeability and workability.

Topic 16

Title: Forces Exerted in the Wingwalls of skewed Semi-Integral Bridges
State Job Number: 14698
Final Report, August 2001  (3,109 KB)
Executive Summary,  (66 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (84 KB)

In the state of Ohio, semi-integral bridges have become more popular because these bridges eliminate high maintenance joints. The girders in a semi-integral bridge are encased in a diaphragm supported on elastomeric lads that bear on the abutment. Movement of the diaphragm caused by thermal change is theoretically resisted by backfill and also by the wingwalls for skewed bridges. The wingwalls are subjected to forces as a skewed bridge rotates during thermal expansion.

Topic 17

Title: Infrared Inspection of Composite Reinforced Concrete Structures
State Job Number: 14688
Final Report, October 2001  (1,594 KB)
Executive Summary,  (51 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (77 KB)

The Ohio Department of Transportation has been evaluating the use of composite reinforcements to enhance the safety margins in concrete deck bridges. A critical aspect of the retrofitting process is ensuring that the composite material remains bonded to the concrete beams that are subjected to prolonged exposure to the elements.

Topic 18

Title: The Feasibility Study on Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Tubes Filled with Concrete for Pile/Column for Bridges
State Job Number: 14717
Final Report, December 2001  (15,037 KB)
Executive Summary,  (102 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (75 KB)

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) tubes filled with concrete will not be subjected to corrosion as seen with steel and reinforced concrete piles for bridges.  This study deals with the development, testing of the GFRP tubes in the laboratory and testing the GFRP tubes filled with concrete driven in the test site.

Topic 19

Title: Retrofit of Existing Reinforced Concrete Bridges with Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites
State Job Number: 14719
Final Report, December 2001 (3,417 KB)
Executive Summary, (34 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (79 KB)

Four 76-year old T reinforced concrete beams were retrofitted with four different systems employing carbon fiber polymer reinforced (CFRP) composites to examine the success of FRP systems to strengthen aged members with substantial deterioration. The beams were removed from FAI-37-2899 and FAI-37-2915. The systems used in this project were (a) external post-tensioning system with CFRP rods, (b) bonded CFRP plates, (c) bonded CFRP fabrics, and (d) bonded CFRP plates with mechanical anchors at the ends of the plates. The experimental data were augmented with analytical results to better understand the observed behavior, particularly when visual data or the measured data were insufficient.

 

Topic 20

Title: Development of a Load Test for the Evaluation & Rating of Short Span Reinforced Concrete Slab Bridges
State Job Number: 14737
Final Report, January 2002 (1,480 KB)
Executive Summary,  (9 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (78 KB)

There exists in the state of Ohio a large inventory of short span reinforced concrete bridges, particularly on rural secondary highways, whose actual structural reliability cannot be accurately ascertained.  Quite often little or no documentation exists to assist the responsible local jurisdictions in assessing the ability of these bridges to safely carry modern truck loading.

Topic 21

Tie: The Structural Analysis, Design, & Prototype Testing of Three-Sided Small-Span Skewed Bridges
State Job Number: 14697
Final Report, April 2002  (1,297 KB)
Executive Summary,  (39 KB)

Implementation Plan, ( KB) Not available yet

An analytical study was carried out for the structural performance assessment of precast-concrete, short-span, skewed bridges with integral abutment walls. Typically, these structures are designed as simplified two-dimensional rigid portal frames, neglecting the degrading effects of the skew angle and laterally unsymmetrical vertical loading. This design practice produces under-designed bridges for certain aspect ratios, causing cracking and local deterioration symptoms, observed in some instances out in the field.

Topic 22

Title: Implementation of Field Measurements for Fatigue Lifetime Evaluation
State Job Number: 14745
Final Report, June 2002 (3,734 KB)
Executive Summary, (23 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (80 KB)

An accurate estimate of the remaining fatigue lifetime of a bridge is needed in bridge management systems that are used to make cost effective decisions regarding inspection, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation and replacement of existing bridges. The estimation of remaining life is also crucial for assessing permit-vehicle policy and determining the effects of permitting a certain class of overloaded vehicles to use the highways, and can be used to assess legislative policies such as permissible truck weights. The fatigue-life approach can also be applied in the design of new bridges.

Topic 23

Title: Field Verification of Structural Performance of Thermoplastic Pipe Under Deep Backfill Conditions
State Job Number: 14682
Final Report, July 2002 (10,702 KB)
Executive Summary,  (71 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (89 KB)

This report provides information regarding the structural performance of thermoplastic pipes under relatively deep soil cover conditions. The eighteen (12 HDPE, 6 PVC) thermoplastic pipes, with diameter ranging from 30 to 60 in., were instrumented with sensors, embedded in granular backfill in shallow trenches, and subjected to 20-ft. or 40-ft. high soil fill for about 10 months. Their installation plans involved two types of backfill soil, three relative compactions, and varying bedding thickness to study the effects of these installation parameters on the pipe performance.

 

Topic 24

Title: Evaluation of Durability of Prestressed/Precast Concrete in Ohio
State Job Number: 14787
Final Report, September 2002 (736 KB)
Executive Summary, (12 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (99 KB)

Currently the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has prestressed/precast concrete box beam bridges in service that exhibit spalling due to corrosion of the prestressed strand (as reported by ODOT personnel). The primary protection for the strand is concrete cover. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) allows prestressed/precast concrete to have a reduced concrete cover over the reinforcing steel compared to cast-in-place concrete.1 The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has a similar specification.2 The lower cover thicknesses for prestressed/precast concrete is allowed due to the general perception that prestressed/precast concrete is more durable than cast-in-place concrete.

 

Topic 31

Title: Structural Health Monitoring of the Tech 21 All-Composite Vehicular Bridge
State Job Number: 14716
Final Report, March 2003  (2,907 KB)
Executive Summary,  (71 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (96 KB)

Topic 38

Title: MSE Wall & Reinforcement Testing at MUS-16 Bridge Site
State Job Number: 14735
Final Report, September 2004 (4,699 KB)
Executive Summary,  (165 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (106 KB)

The primary objectives of this research are to (i) plan and carry out an instrumentation monitoring and field pullout testing program on an instrumented 52 ft (15.85 m) high reinforced earth wall, (ii) examine the adequacy of the current practice of design and analysis of reinforced earth walls with emphasize on the method recommended by the FHWA Design Manual and the Coherent Gravity Method, and (iii) develop a new method for design and analysis of reinforced earth wall. The field instrumentation program has provided measurements of reinforcement working forces, lateral earth pressures, vertical earth pressures, and the deflections at wall facing. The comparisons made between the field measurements and the current method adopted by the FHWA indicated that significant errors have occurred, especially in the case of slopping backfill. The results also indicated that the reinforcements and the wall facing have significantly influenced the vertical earth pressure. The vertical earth pressure could be reasonably approximated by the uniform pressure distribution leading to possible savings in the cost of reinforced earth walls. A new method has also been developed and presented in this report. The method is called the Virtual Soil Wedge (VSW) method, and it has been derived by studying the analogous retaining actions of the reinforcements and the retaining soil slopes. The method has been shown to accurately predict the reinforcement working forces, lateral earth pressures, and the reinforcement pullout resistance. The VSW method requires the evaluation of a new factor called the scaling factor, f, using field measurements of different reinforcement and soil combinations.

 

A multi-plate corrugated steel culvert was built on Nease Creek in southeast Ohio under SR 224 and US33.  The culvert was 252 inches in diameter and 439 feet long.  The culvert was covered with up to 75 feet of backfill consisting of ODOT #304 crushed limestone and local silty clay soil.  The steel plates were 0.375 inches thick and had a 6 inch by 2 inch corrugation profile.  The culvert design used slotted blot joints to relieve stress caused by backfill.  Earth pressure cells were mounted around the culvert to measure vertical soil pressure at the crown and at the springline and horizontal soil pressure at the spring-line underneath the centerline and shoulder of the road.  The horizontal and vertical diameters of the culvert were measured during and after construction.  CANDE-89 was used to generate a finite element model of the culvert during and after construction.

 

Title: Dynamic Load Environment of Bridge Mounted Sign Support Structures
State Job Number: 134153
Final Report, September 2005  (1,159 KB)
Executive Summary,  (79 KB)

Implementation Plan,  (93 KB)

A bridge-mounted welded aluminum sign support structure suffered a fatigue failure on Interstate Route 77, just south of Cleveland, OH.  The sign support structure was a 72 foot span, bridge-type, four chord space truss, comprised entirely of tubular members.  The failure was located at a diagonal to chord joint, initiating at the weld toe and progressing completely around the circumference of the chord until fracture of the chord member occurred. Bridge-type sign structures typically have a high enough natural frequency that wind induced vibrations are not a major design concern.  For that reason an investigation was undertaken to arrive at an explanation of the fatigue failure. This investigation involved a combination of finite element analysis, field testing under actual truck loading, and laboratory fatigue testing of remnants of the actual failed structure.