Distortion analysis of horizontally curved trapezoidal box girder bridges

Abstract

Composite box girder bridges may be a competitive solution under certain constraints due to their efficiency and torsional capacity. However, the cross section deflects transversally, creating longitudinal stresses which reduce the capacity of the section. Those stresses may be controlled using cross-frames, but the detailing of those elements may become expensive. The procedure described herein provides a useful tool for an efficient design of cross frames based on the well-known BEF theory. It may be implemented using a commercial software and the formulation provided increases the accuracy of the existing one.