Analysis of concrete strength’s influence on bending moment and shear force distribution in the widening of curved bridges
Bridge Widening; Concrete Strength; Live Loads; Finite Element Method.
The study proposes to analyze live load transverse distribution in curved bridges that have undergone a process of widening, considering the influence of concrete’s strength variation. Using the Finite Element Method (FEM), as well as an approximate analytical method (V-Load), the Bending Moment (BMDF) and the Shear Force (SDF) were obtained. The analysis considered the design truck in two different positions on the deck, constituting the load cases 01 and 02. Considering load case 02, the widened segments receive a higher share of internal forces, while the original portion of the deck is relieved. On the other hand, for load case 01, the internal widened segment, regardless of its higher stiffness, is also relieved. The curvature did not significantly alter the response induced by the stiffening of the widened segments. Also, the divergences between the MEF and the V-load Method results for models with variable stiffness are not substantially different from those obtained for models with uniform stiffness.