Performance estimation of prestressed concrete box girders

Abstract

A composite layered approach is adopted in this paper for the analysis of prestressed concrete box girders, which have complex behaviour. The multilayer shell element is made up of many layers with different thickness, and different material models are assigned to various layers so that the structural performance can be directly connected with the material constitutive law. In the present work, the load history is divided into a sequence of steps and the step-by-step procedure is used for different loading stages. Experimental investigations are conducted and the results are compared with the analytical values. The study reveals the potential of numerical simulation developed for box girders using a layered approach to predict the behaviour of the members when the prestressing force and external loads are applied.akes it available for a much wider audience. The software has been used with great success in teaching as well as in conceptual design environments such as architecture, industrial design and engineering. The addition of an optimisation algorithm and tablet PC support makes the software even more interesting as a tool for conceptual design.