Finite Element Modeling of Skewed Reinforced Concrete Bridges and the Bond-slip Relationship Between Concrete and Reinforcement

Abstract

A bridge deck on US 331 near Montgomery, AL developed transverse and longitudinal cracking a few months after construction was completed. A refined finite element model of this continuous, skewed, composite bridge was developed in detail to predict the stress distribution and cracking behavior of the deck. This was accomplished using the commercial finite element package ABAQUS to efficiently capture the stress contours and cracking distribution of the bridge model. A parametric study using this model was also conducted to investigate the effects of various factors that could possibly have influenced the cracking behavior, such as skew angle and differential support settlement. The results of the model predict the development of cracking at the deck and emphasized the influence of those factors.

In the second part of the thesis, a finite element model was developed to simulate the bond behavior that exists between concrete and steel in reinforced concrete material using ABAQUS software. The spring-like translator, a connector element available in ABAQUS, was used to simulate the bond phenomena between concrete and steel in a pull-out test specimen model. The analysis results show that the translators did a very good job in simulating both the elastic range of response, and the behavior in the damaged range of the bond-slip relationship.