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Bridges & Structures

LRFD Steel Girder SuperStructure Bridge Designers' Guide

Technical Report Documentation Page
1. Report No.
FHWA NHI - 04-041
2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle
LRFD Design Example for Steel Girder Superstructure Bridge with Commentary
5. Report Date
December 2003
6. Performing Organization Code

8. Performing Organization Report No.
B25285 001 0200 HRS
7. Author(s)
Raymond A. Hartle, P.E., Kenneth E. Wilson, P.E., S.E., William A. Amrhein, P.E., S.E., Scott D. Zang, P.E., Justin W. Bouscher, E.I.T., Laura E. Volle, E.I.T.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Michael Baker Jr., Inc.
Airside Business Park, 100 Airside Drive
Moon Township, PA 15108
10.   Work Unit ( TRAIS)
11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-02-D-63001
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Final Submission
August 2002 - December 2003
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Federal Highway Administration
National Highway Institute (HNHI-10)
4600 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 800
Arlington, Virginia 22203
14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes
Baker Principle Investigator: Raymond A. Hartle, P.E.
Baker Project Managers:
Raymond A. Hartle, P.E. and Kenneth E. Wilson, P.E., S.E.
FHWA Contracting Officer's Technical Representative: Thomas K. Saad, P.E. Team Leader, Technical Review Team: Firas I. Sheikh Ibrahim, Ph.D., P.E.
16.  Abstract

This document consists of a comprehensive steel girder bridge design example, with instructional commentary based on the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications (Second Edition, 1998, including interims for 1999 through 2002). The design example and commentary are intended to serve as a guide to aid bridge design engineers with the implementation of the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, and is offered in both US Customary Units and Standard International Units.

This project includes a detailed outline and a series of flowcharts that serve as the basis for the design example. The design example includes detailed design computations for the following bridge features: concrete deck, steel plate girder, bolted field splice, shear connectors, bearing stiffeners, welded connections, elastomeric bearing, cantilever abutment and wingwall, hammerhead pier, and pile foundations. To make this reference user-friendly, the numbers and titles of the design steps are consistent between the detailed outline, the flowcharts, and the design example.

In addition to design computations, the design example also includes many tables and figures to illustrate the various design procedures and many AASHTO references. AASHTO references are presented in a dedicated column in the right margin of each page, immediately adjacent to the corresponding design procedure. The design example also includes commentary to explain the design logic in a user-friendly way. Additionally, tip boxes are used throughout the design example computations to present useful information, common practices, and rules of thumb for the bridge designer. Tips do not explain what must be done based on the design specifications; rather, they present suggested alternatives for the designer to consider. A figure is generally provided at the end of each design step, summarizing the design results for that particular bridge element.

The analysis that served as the basis for this design example was performed using the AASHTO Opis software. A sample input file and selected excerpts from the corresponding output file are included in this document.

17. Key Words
Bridge Design, Steel Girder, Load and Resistance Factor
Design, LRFD, Concrete Deck, Bolted Field Splice,
Hammerhead Pier, Cantilever Abutment, Wingwall, Pile
Foundation
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161 and from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified 20. Security Classif. (of this page)
Unclassified
21. No. of Pages
644
22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

Acknowledgements

We would like to express appreciation to the Illinois Department of Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation, and Mr. Mike Grubb, BSDI, for providing expertise on the Technical Review Committee.

We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the following staff members at Michael Baker Jr., Inc.:

Tracey A. Anderson
Jeffrey J. Campbell, P.E.
James A. Duray, P.E.
John A. Dziubek, P.E.
David J. Foremsky, P.E.
Maureen Kanfoush
Herman Lee, P.E.
Joseph R. McKool, P.E.
Linda Montagna
V. Nagaraj, P.E.
Jorge M. Suarez, P.E.
Scott D. Vannoy, P.E.
Roy R. Weil
Ruth J. Williams

Contents

Updated: 03/07/2018
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000