Mechanical behavior of soil-steel structure subjected to live loads and different water conditions

The paper describes the analysis of a three-span soil-steel bridge along the road section crossing a dry anti-flood reservoir. The structure can be occasionally filled with water. The authors investigate internal forces and stresses in the shells due to live loads at different water conditions. Finite element simulations are carried out assuming elastic-plastic behavior of soil, elastic shell and nonlinear (frictional) contact zone. The analysis takes into account soil load history. In particular, the construction and operation of the bridge under quasi-static live loads is considered. The construction stage includes laying and compaction of the backfill. Then, the bridge in operation is investigated at three different water conditions: normal use (dry reservoir), maximum water level (flood) and lowering of the water level in the reservoir. The results show that during the flood the maximum stress in the shell significantly increases. Moreover, some of non-linear effects, typical in such structures, e.g. hysteretic effect, become more evident in comparison to normal use of the bridge.

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Opracowanie ze środków MNiSW w ramach umowy 812/P-DUN/2016 na działalność upowszechniającą naukę (zadania 2017).