THE INFLUENCE OF CONCRETE VISCOUS DEFORMATIONS DURING BEHAVIOR CALCULATION OF CABLE-STAYED BRIDGES

Abstract

On the calculation example of a cable-stayed bridge with oblique cables, it was pointed out the shrinkage and creep of concrete significantly affects the distribution of stresses and deflections of the span beam over time. The segmental type of bridge construction is considered, which implies the successive introduction of concrete rheology, for cases of controlled and free beam deflections during construction, i.e. with or without cable tightening on previously performed segments. The phenomenon of reduced sensitivity of the span beam to the effects of concrete rheology is pointed out, in case of controlled deflections by cable tightening, while without cable tightening the deflections increase over time and can negatively affect the usability of the structure. The analyses were performed using an appropriate algorithm (developed by the author) which introduced composite layered finite elements with viscous properties into the calculation.