Box Girder - Specifications, Advantages & Disadvantages: Bridges

BOX GIRDER SPECIFICATIONS,
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

The continuing expansion of highway network throughout the world is
largely the result of great increase in traffic, population and extensive
growth of metropolitan urban areas. This expansion has lead to many
changes in the use and development of various kinds of bridges. The
bridge type is related to providing maximum efficiency of use of material
and construction technique, for particular span, and applications. As Span
increases, dead load is an important increasing factor. To reduce the dead
load, unnecessary material, which is not utilized to its full capacity, is
removed out of section, this results in the shape of box girder or cellular
structures, depending upon whether the shear deformations can be
neglected or not. Span range is more for box bridge girder as compare to
T-beam Girder Bridge resulting in comparatively lesser number of piers
for the same valley width and hence results in economy.
A box girder is formed when two web plates are joined by a common
flange at both the top and the bottom. The closed cell which is formed
has a much greater torsional stiffness and strength than an open section
and it is this feature which is the usual reason for choosing a box girder
configuration.
Box girders are rarely used in buildings (box columns are sometimes used
but these are axially loaded rather than in loaded in bending). They may
be used in special circumstances, such as when loads are carried
eccentrically to the beam axis
When tension flanges of longitudinal girders are connected together, the
resulting structure is called a box girder bridge.
Box girders can be universally applied from the point of view of load
carrying, to their indifference as to whether the bending moments are
positive or negative and to their torsional stiffness; from the point of view
of economy.
Historical development and description of box girder:

The first box girder cross section possessed deck slabs that cantilevered
out only slightly from the box portion shown in figs a to e. With
the prestressed concrete the length of cantilever could be increased. The
high form work costs caused a reduction in the number of cells fig (f, g,
h). In order to reduce the construction loads to minimum possible extent
or to require only one longitudinal girder in working states even with
multiple traffic lanes.
It was only with the development of high strength prestressing steel that
it became possible to span longer distances. The first
prestressed concrete bridges, most of I-cross sections were built towards
the end of the 1920s.The great breakthrough was achieved only after
1945. THE SCLAYN bridge over the river Maas, which was built by
Magnel in 1948, was the first continuous prestressed concrete box-girder
bridge with 2 spans of 62.70m. In following years the ratio of wages to
material costs climbed sharply. This thereby shifted the emphasis of
development of construction method. The box girder cross-section
evolved structurally from the hollow cell-deck bridge or T-beam Bridge.
The widening of the compression zone that began as a structural
requirement at the central piers was in the extended throughout the
entire length of bridge because of advantages transverse load-carrying
characteristics.
Evolution of Box Girder:
The spanning of bridges started with simple slabs. As the spans
increased, the design depth of slab is also increased. It is known that
material near centre of gravity contributes very little for flexure and
hence can be removed. This leads to beam and slab systems. The
reinforcement in bottom bulb of beam provided capacity for tensile forces
and top slab concrete, the capacity to resist the compression. They
formed a couple to resist flexure.
As the width of slab is increased more number of longitudinal girders are
required resulting in reduction of stiffness of beams in transverse
direction and relatively high transverse curvature. The webs of beams get
opened out spreading radially from top slab. Under high transverse
bending these will no longer be in their original position. To keep it in
their original position the bulbs at bottom should be tied together which
in-turn leads to evolution of box girder. Long spans with wider decks and
eccentric loading on cross-section will suffer in curvature in longitudinal
and transverse direction causing heavy distortion of cross-section. Hence
the bridges should have high torsional rigidity in order to resist the
distortion of cross-section deck to a minimum.
Accordingly box girders are more suitable for larger spans and wider
decks, box girders are to be suitable cross-section. They are elegant and
slender. Economy and aesthetics further lead to evolution of cantilevers in
top flanges and inclined webs in external cells of box girder. The
dimension of cell could be controlled by prestressing.
As the span and width increases the beams and bottom slabs are to be
tied to keep the geometry which in turn leads to evolution box girder.
Any eccentric load will cause high torsional stresses which will be counter
acted by the box section. The analysis of such sections are more
complicated due combination of flexure, shear, torsion, distortion. But it is
more efficient cross-section. It is used for larger spans with wide crosssection. It can be used for spans up to 150m depending upon the
construction methods. Cantilever method of construction is preferred
most.
Advantages Associated with Box Girders:
In recent years, single or multi-cell reinforced concrete box Girder

Bridge have been proposed and widely used as economic aesthetic
solution for the over crossings, under crossings, grade separation
structures and viaducts found in modern highway system.
The very large Torsional rigidity of the box girders closed cellular
section provides structures beneath is more aesthetically pleasing than
open-web type system.
In case of long span bridges, large width of deck is available to

accommodate prestressing cables at bottom flange level.
Interiors of box girder bridges can be used to accommodate service

such as gas pipes, water mains etc.
For large spans, bottom flange could be used as another deck

accommodates traffic also.
The maintenance of box girder is easier in interior space is directly

accessible without use of scaffolding.
Alternatively space is hermetically sealed and enclosed air may be

dried to provide a non-corrosive atmosphere.
It has high structural efficiency which minimizes the prestessing

force required to resist a given bending moment, and its great
Torsional strength with the capacity this gives to re-centre eccentric
live loads, minimizing the prestress required to carry them.
Disadvantages:
One of the main disadvantages of box decks is that they are difficult to
cast in-situ due to the inaccessibility of the bottom slab and the need to
extract the internal shutter. Either the box has to be designed so that the
entire cross section may be cast in one continuous pour, or the cross
section has to be cast in stages.
Specifications:
It can cover a range of spans from 25 m up to the largest non-suspended
concrete decks built; of the order of 300 m. Single box girders may also
carry decks up to 30 m wide. For the longer span beams, beyond about
50 m, they are practically the only feasible deck section. Below 30m
precast beams or voided slab decks are more suitable while above 50ma
single cell box arrangement is usually more economic.
Single cell box-girder cast-in-situ are used for spans form 40m to
270m.The box arrangement is done in order to give aesthetic appearance
where the web of box will act as a slender appearance when combined
with a slim parapet profile. Single box arrangements are efficient for both
the longitudinal and transverse designs, and they produce an economic
solution for mot medium and long span structures. This type of deck is
constructed span-by-span, using full-height scaffolding or trusses, or as
balanced cantilever using form travelers. This could be particularly
important for medium length bridges with spans between 40m and 55m.
Such spans are too long for twin rib type decks, and too short for cast-insitu balanced cantilever construction of box girders, while a total length of
box section deck of less than about 1,000 m does not justify setting up a
precast segmental facility.
Haunches:
The uprights have to carry the same bending moment as the haunch, but
with the benefit of a compression force due to the weight of the roof.
Thus they may be slightly thinner than the haunches. Haunches are
always economical. They provide the twin benefits of attracting moment
away from mid-span and then providing a greater lever arm to resist this
moment economically. Even very short haunches are valuable in reducing
the hogging reinforcement.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES
TYPES OF REINFORCED CONCRETE RETAINING WALL
STRENGTHENING OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES
THIN SHELL CONCRETE STRUCTURETYPES & FORMS
BALANCED CANTILEVER METHOD OF BRIDGE

CONSTRUCTION
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What are the advantages of box girder bridges?

What are the advantages of box girder bridges?

How did box girder bridges evolve structurally?

How did box girder bridges evolve structurally?

BOX GIRDER SPECIFICATIONS,

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

Historical development and description of box girder:

In recent years, single or multi-cell reinforced concrete box Girder

In case of long span bridges, large width of deck is available to

Interiors of box girder bridges can be used to accommodate service

For large spans, bottom flange could be used as another deck

The maintenance of box girder is easier in interior space is directly

Alternatively space is hermetically sealed and enclosed air may be

It has high structural efficiency which minimizes the prestessing

LOAD BEARING MASONRY

BEHAVIOUR OF BOX GIRDER BRIDGES

TYPES OF REINFORCED CONCRETE RETAINING WALL

STRENGTHENING OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES

THIN SHELL CONCRETE STRUCTURETYPES & FORMS

BALANCED CANTILEVER METHOD OF BRIDGE

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