ee “DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR DECK SLABS IN RCC BRIDGES” By Ivonaurt Banva* & Dr. S. Darra Rov* ‘contents Page ‘The Present Practice in India 167 Some Developments Abroad ‘An Empirical Design Alternative CConclsions & Recommendations 1 2 3 4 SYNOPSIS, ‘The design of RCC deck slabs for road bridges in India is dictated by considerations ocal bending, eventhough the flure mode of such slabs under concentrated or wheel loads de to punching shear. This Paper presents some facts about punching shear inconeete deck Slabs and urges the revision of the IRC Codes o prescribe design for punching shear so that, Tange savings fn reinfnecment meee fr eck sats nay be eflecie 1. THE PRESENT PRACTICE IN INDIA ‘The design of road bridges in India is governed by the IRC Codes. Dock slabs, as presctibed by IRC:22-1986, vide clauses 608.1.3 and 609.1.3 thereof, are to be designed in accordance with elastic theory to resist the effects of local bending together with due consideration ofthe dispersion of wheel loads in accordance with the provisions of IRC:21-1987, clause 305.13.3, 2. SOME DEVELOPMENTS ABROAD 2.1, Extensive laboratory tests and feld tess (as reported by Bakht, Batchelor and others)? on existing bridges have demonstrated conchusively that the failure ‘mode ofthe slab in aslab-on-girder bridge is that in PUNCHING SHEAR rather than in flexure. This is due to the development of an “arching action”, asa result of which 8 deck slab subjected to concentrated loads fails by punching instead of by flexure. This clearly indicates the existence of a lateral in-plane restraint inthe deck slab. The arching action or in-plane restraint develops only when the material of the deck is ‘weaker in tension than in compression, as in the case of RCC deck slabs, Hewitt & Batchelor have developed a method to take into account the beneficial action of this, arching effect. Some details of the method are also available "Designas’ Bulld, Govahat168, Banu & Dr. Rov ox Applied toad 22. This phenomenon of “arching action” makes the presence of lateral it plane restraint an extremely significant feature of these slabs. The methods currently ‘used (in this country) to calculate transverse moments neglect the in-plane restraint, thus making their predictions really not quite relevant to a rational design of deck slabs in slab-on-girder bridges. The Authors have observed the failure of some deck slabs in North-East Assam to be of the type shown in the sketch above. These single Jane bridges were built about 40 years ago and were used by vehicle transporting heavy oilfield equipment. No yield lines typifying flexural failure were observed; failures were localized, in the nature of a gaping hole right through the slab, almost in the centres of the panels spanning between the supporting girders. 2.3. From the studies described above, it can be concluded that the presence ‘of reinforcement has but a relatively small effect on the capacity of the laterally restrained slabs to sustain concentrated loads. The conclusion reached from the tests ‘was that were it not for temperature and shrinkage effects, at least some slabs in slabs- ‘om-grder bridges would not need any reinforcement a al 2.4. Finding from the study on the behaviour of deck slabs were incorporated in an experimental bridge, the design and test of which are described by Dorton et 4. The deck in this particular slab-on-girder bridge is 190 mm thick, spans 2.64 m between girders and contains as litle as 0.2 per cent isotropic reinforcement at top and bottom. The bridge has safely withstood static concentrated test loads upto 45 tonnes. 2.5. Accounting forthe arching effect results in considerable savings in deck slab reinforcement. In a deck slab with a width of 2.13 m (cle of girders), it was possible to replace 16 mm dia. rebars at 30S mm cle with 12 mm dia. rears at 220 ‘mm cle, as shown by Bakt & Jaeger This isa reality that eannot and should not be ignored in a resource scarce country like ours. 3. AN EMPIRICAL DESIGN ALTERNATIVE 3.1. The Ontario Highway Bridge Design Code of Canada requites that deck slabs of slab-on-girder bridges be designed according to an empirical method specified in that Code. This method requires a slab thickness of $/1$ with a minimum ‘of 190 mm (where °S” isthe girder spacing), and a minimum of 0.3 per een isotropic ‘einforeement in each face in each direction, Desion Consioerarions ror Deck Sass my RCC Bipors 169 3.2. The empirical design is applicable only when the following conditions are + The slab conerete has a minimum 28 days strength of 300 ke/em*s + Girder spacing does not exceed 3.7 m; + The slab extends at least 1.0 m. beyond the centre line of the outer sirders; + A bridge with steel girders has diaphragms or cross frames extending throughout the cross-section between the outer girders, and spaced at 8.0 + The bridge has diaphragms or cross frames at the supports. 3.3, Strength requirements for concrete relate more to the normal practice in (Ontario than tothe structural design of the slab. Similarly, minimum slab thickness ‘equitements stem from consideration due to de-icing salts, whieh condition is rarely ‘met with in India, except on roads in extremely high altitudes. Its to be noted that ‘the minimum thickness of deck slabs for important bridges in India is 200 mm and that the minimum grade of concrete allowed is M-35 grade. 3.4, The Ontario Code also provides charts for strength evaluation of deck slabs of existing slab-on-girder bridges. From these it ean be seen that even those slabs which have a smaller thickness and weaker concrete than specified above, ‘possess sufficient strength to sustain the 8.5 t. concentrated loads of “Class 70-R™ loading. For example, for girder spacing equal to 2.0 m, a 150 mm thick slab having 8 conerete strength of 200 kg/em and reinforcement of 0.3 percent on each face, has 2 capacity to sustain concentrated loads of 45 t 3.5. It may be noted thatthe Ontario design vehicle has a concentrated load of 10t over an area of 610 * 250 mm, compared tothe ‘Class 70-R Wheeled Vehicle’ actual maximum tyre load of 5 t over 410 * 520 mm (vide column ‘q’ of Appendix 1 of IRC:6-1966). The 35 t. concentrated load of ‘Class 70-R Tracked Vehicle loading is distributed over a much larger area (4570 * 850 mm) and is, therefore, unlikely to gover the design of deck slabs. 4, CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS |. 4.1 It can, therefore, be safely concluded thatthe practice of time consuming and laborious (but not necessarily accurate) calculations for deck slabs should be dispensed with for slab-on-pider bridges. Slabs for such bridges may be designed by an empirical method similar to the one used by the Ontario Highway Bridge Design Code (OHBDO), with suitable modifications to take into account the ground realities in this country, or by an analytical method that takes into account the arching effect (of RCC deck slabs subjected to concentrated loads.\ | | ( \ { | f | { { { ! ’ i “DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR DECK SLABS IN RCC BRIDGES” By Isorast Banuat & De. S. Datta Rov* ‘CONTENTS Page 1. The Present Practice in India 167 2. Some Developments Abroad 167 3. An Empirical Design Alternative 168 44 Conclusions & Recommendations 169 SYNOPSIS “The design of RCC dec sibs for road bridges in India is dictated by considerations ‘flea bending, eventhough the failure mode of such slabs under concentrated or whee loads ise to punching shear. This Paper presents some facts about punching sharin concrete deck slabs and urgs the revision ofthe IRC Codes to prescribe desig for punching sheat so that large savings in reinforcement needed for deck slabs may be elected. |. THE PRESENT PRACTICE IN INDIA ‘The design of road bridges in India is govemed by the IRC Codes. Deck slabs, as prescribed by IRC:22-1986, vide clauses 608.1.3 and 609.1.3 thereof, are to be designed in accordance with clastic theory to resist the effects of local bending together with due consideration of the dispersion of wheel loads in accordance with the provisions of IRC:21-1987, clause 308.13.3. 2. SOME DEVELOPMENTS ABROAD 2.1, Extensive laboratory test and fc tests (as reported by Bakht, Batchelor and others) on existing bridges have demonstrated conclusively that the failure ‘mode ofthe slab ina slab-on-pitder bridge is that in PUNCHING SHEAR rather than in flexure. This is due tothe development of an “arching action” sa result of which 2 deck slab subjected to concentrated loads fis by punching instead of by exure ‘This clearly indicates the existence of a lateral in-plane restraint in the deck slab. The arching action or in-plane restraint develops only when the materi of the deck is ‘weaker in tension than in compression, a in the case of RCC deck slabs. Hewit & Batchelor have developed a method to take into account the beneficial action of this, arching effect. Some deuils ofthe method are also available” Designer Build, Guwahati