Addis Ababa Science & Technology University
College of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
(MSc in Structural Engineering)
Bridge Engineering
Dr. Utino Worabo
A.Y: 2021/22
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Course Outline
Course Content
1. Introduction
2. Bridge Hydrology
3. Bridge Loading and Design Philosophy
4. Design of Bridge Structures
5. Substructures Design
6. Introduction to Railway Bridges
7. Bridge Performance Assessment
8. Bridge Maintenance
9. Construction sequence in RC and steel Bridges: Concrete
Bridge Construction, Steel Bridge Construction
Assessment
Continuous Assessment (50%) Final Exam (50%)
(Assignments and Mini Project)
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Course Outline
References
1. ERA: Ethiopian Roads Authority, Bridge Design Manual, Addis Ababa, 2002.
2. AASHTO: American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, 4th edition, Washington, 2007.
3. Johnson Victor, D. “Essentials of Bridge Engineering”, Oxford and IBH
Publishing Co. New Delhi, 2001.
4. Ponnuswamy, S., “Bridge Engineering”, Tata McGraw Hill, 2008.
5. Raina V.K.” Concrete Bridge Practice” Tata McGraw Hill Publishing
Company, New Delhi, 1991.
6. Wai-Fah Chen and Lian Duan, “Bridge Engineering Handbook: Seismic
Design”, CRC Press, 2014.
7. Wai-Fah Chen and Lian Duan, “Bridge Engineering Handbook:
Substructure Design”, CRC Press, 2003.
8. Richard M. Barker and Jay A. Puckett “Design of Highway Bridges: An LRFD
Approach”, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.\
9. Robert Benaim, “The Design of Prestressed Concrete Bridges: Concepts
and principles”, Taylor & Francis, 2008.
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Chapter one: Introduction
A bridge is a structure which carries uninterrupted flow
of traffic across any obstacle:
river or any water body,
deep gorges or valleys, etc.
Bridge is a structure corresponding to the heaviest
responsibility in carrying a free flow of transport and is
the most significant component of a transportation
system in case of communication over spacings/gaps for
whatever reason such as aquatic obstacles, valleys and
gorges etc.
Bridge is the KEY ELEMENT in a Transportation System
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Components of a bridge
Components of a bridge
The main parts of a bridge structure are:
Decking, consisting of deck slab, girders, trusses, handrails,
parapets, guard stones etc.,
Bearings for the decking,
Abutments,
wing walls and
Piers
Foundations
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Components of a bridge
Approaches to the bridge to connect the
bridge proper to the roads on either side.
The components above the level of bearings
are grouped as superstructure,
The parts below the bearing level and above
the foundation are classed as substructure.
The portion below the bed level of the
river/water is called the foundation.
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Classification
According to function:
aqueduct, viaduct, pedestrian,
highway, railway bridge
According to the material of construction of superstructure:
timber, masonry, steel, reinforced concrete,
prestressed concrete, composite bridge
According to the form or type of superstructure:
slab, girder, truss, arch,
cable stayed or
suspension bridge
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Classification cont’d
According to the inter-span relations
simple,
continuous or
cantilever bridge
According to the road level relative to the highest flood
level
below,
particularly for the highway bridge, as high level
or submersible bridge
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Classification Cont’d
According to the length of the bridge:
culvert (less than 6 m),
minor bridge (6 m to 60 m),
major bridge (above 60 m), or
long span bridge when the main span
of the major bridge is above 120 m.
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Classification Cont’d
According to the degree of redundancy
determinate or
indeterminate bridge
According to the anticipated type of service and duration
of use
permanent,
temporary,
military bridge
According to the alignment of the super structure with the
formation of the river or gorge
straight bridge or
skew bridge
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Investigation for Bridges
1. Introduction
2. Site selection
3. Site investigation
4. Span determination
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Investigation Cont’d
Sequence of stages
Initial stage: Desk Study
Desk study of available data
Site visit and visual assessment
Preliminary report and fieldwork plan
Main stage: Site Investigation
Fieldwork
Geological mapping if necessary
Trial pits, trenches and boreholes
Geophysical survey if appropriate
Lab testing, mainly of soils
Geophysical survey
Final Report
Review stage
Monitoring during excavation and construction
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Investigation Cont’d
Aims and benefits of a desk study:
• To collect, understand and interpret data
• To limit costs
• Aid in the Design Process
• Highlights problems early
• Low cost & cost effective
• Provides information which would otherwise be
difficult to obtain
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Investigation Cont’d
Sources of information
Maps
Geological maps & Memoirs/Records
Old and current Maps / Aerial Photos
Archive
Historical Geotechnical Information
Engineering Drawings
Construction Records
Libraries
Specialist Surveys
Enviro Check, Landfill etc.
Mining Records
Ecological Survey
Observational
Site Visit / Walkover survey
People (Construction Staff, Local Residents)
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Investigation Cont’d
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Walkover survey Desk study
Checklist • Collect the information
Ground truth air photos • Highlight potential problems
Land use • Design site investigation
Physical features
• Geology
• Drift
Groundwater conditions
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Investigation Cont’d
Site investigation
SITE INVESTIGATION is the exercise of undertaking a
planned sequence of exploratory holes, with associated
field and laboratory testing, in order to bring our
understanding of the ground at a site, to an acceptable
level of confidence for a particular project.
SCOPE of investigation is developed from the Desk
Study review
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Investigation Cont’d
Site investigation boreholes
Percussion drilling
soils/soft clay rocks
core recovery
Rotary coring
soil or rock >100m deep
core recovery
Rock probing
rotary percussion rig
soil or rock
no core recovery
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Investigation Cont’d
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Auger rotary drilling
Field testing
SPT: Standard Penetration Test
no. of blows/300mm
penetration
Permeability Test
Vane tests
Cone Penetration Tests ( Dutch
Cone Soundings )
In-Situ Density Test
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Selection of bridge site
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Investigation of bridge is to select suitable site which
satisfy:
Economy
Safety, Traffic,
The Stream and Aesthetics Demands
Site Selection Based on:
The proposed roads alignment
The local terrain and site conditions
The required design life of the bridge
The likely traffic volumes
The resource available
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Site Selection…cont’d
Selection of ideal bridge site:
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1. Straight and perpendicular, avoid skew
2. Narrow, minimize cost and with firm banks
3. Uniform flow, no turbulent flow, reduce scoring
4. high stable and bank
5. Good soil foundation
6. If possible no under water construction
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Site Selection Cont’d
To the extent possible, it is desirable to align the bridge
at right angles to the river/obstacle, i.e. to provide a
square crossing, which facilitates minimum span length,
deck area and pier lengths, with accompanying
economies. Further, a square crossing involves simpler
designs and detailing.
Sometimes, a skew crossing which is inclined to the
center line of the river at an angle different from a right
angle has to be provided in order to avoid costly land
acquisition or sharp curves on the approaches.
A skew bridge usually possess more difficulties in design,
construction and maintenance
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Satellite image of Omo river truss girder bridge location
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Site Selection Cont’d
Preliminary survey to select more alternatives
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(office Works)
Use road alignment
Map, Hard Copy or Softcopy in Google Map to
calculate catchment area
Designers should visit to inspect:
High water marks
Selection of roughness coefficient
Flow concentration
Observation of land use
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Site Selection Cont’d
Factors that most often need to be confirmed by
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field inspection are:
high-water marks or profiles and related
frequencies.
selection of roughness coefficients,
evaluation of apparent flow direction and
diversions,
flow concentration (main stream),
observation of land use and related flood
hazards, and
geomorphic relationships and soil conditions
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Site Selection Cont’d
1 FIELD VISIT INVESTIGATION FORM
•PROJECT:…………..................................................……………......…………Date: .........………. Inv.
by…....................……………… Site Situated @ STA: .................……….
•WATERWAY: Name: .............................................................................. Direction of flow: ...................................
• High Water Mark:... ...................... Level: +...............Side Slopes: ..................................degrees: ............Diversions/ Flow
concentration / Flood Hazards year, level:...............................................................
% Grade of Stream: ......... Channel, Base: ……(m) Height of Banks:…...... (m) Manning's Value n=.................. Crossing
angle (estimated): …………degrees Meandering:………………………(show figure below) Bottom/Base
material............................................................ Material on channel side: .........................n=.......... Up or Downstream
Restriction (debris/sedimentation/scour/soil mtrl.):
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.............
•STRUCTURES: Bridges/ Buildings upstream and downstream:............................................. @ M up/down:....... Type:
..................................................................................Piers: Type:............................................................ Abutment Types:
........................................Width: ...............(m) Size of Spans: ................................................... Clear Height: ……(m) @............;
............m@..............; .............m@ .............; Total water width at HWL:............(m); (Overflow? Year? Level: +...)
...............................................................................................................................
•MISC. Land Uses upstream and downstream:.............................................................................. Vegetation (Location, Type,
Name): ..................................................................................Wildlife (Paths, Traces, Type, Name):
................................................................................................
•Soil Conditions: .................................................................................... at Roadway STA: ..................... Sample no: ............. @
STA: .............; Sample no: ............ @ STN: ................; Sample no: ............ @ STA: ................;
•Photos no:............@STN:............... Shows: ................... Photos no:..........@STA:............... Shows: ......................... Photos
no:............@STN:............... Shows:..................... Photos no:............@STN:............... Shows: .........................
•REMARKS:..............................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................(please, make simple
plan sketch incl. water shores/Rd alignment and continue the text on back side of this page, if needed)
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Bridge Inspection Form
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Site Selection Cont’d
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Site Investigation Inputs Span determination:
Economical span = cost of
Catchment area and run off data superstructure and substructure
Drawings Hydraulic requirements
River survey Location of piers
Free board
Soil investigation Grade requirement
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Site Selection Cont’d
Following are the factors to be carefully considered while
selecting the ideal site for a proposed bridge:
Connection with roads
Firm embankments
Foundations
Material and labor
Square crossing
Straight stretch of river
Velocity of flow of water
Width of the river
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Economic considerations to be made for
bridge design
Structural types, span lengths, and materials shall
be selected with due consideration of projected
cost.
The cost of future expenditures during the
projected service life of the bridge should be
considered.
Regional factors, such as availability of material,
fabrication, location, shipping, and erection
constraints, shall be considered.
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General design requirements (from ERA
design manual)
Free (clear) opening: is the face-to-face
distance between supported components.
It shall be measured perpendicular to the
supports. If the supports are not parallel, the
free opening is the least distance between them
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General design requirements
Total(overall) bridge length: is the distance
between the rear ends of the wing-walls or
abutments.
Itshall be measured parallel to the alignment
between the rear ends of the wing-walls or
abutments.
Span length should be
For simple spans: the distance center to center
of supports but need not exceed clear span plus
thickness of slab.
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General design requirements
For members that are not built integrally with
their supports: the clear span plus the depth of
the member but need not exceed the distance
between centers of supports.
Span length should give the placing of the piers
regardless of type or dimensions selected at a
later stage.
It is normally measured at the alignment and
given as stations.
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Theoretical span length
is the distance between the center of bearings. At
the abutments or at special wide piers it will be
better to give the dimension from face to face of
the pier or abutment front wall.
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MINIMUM DIMENSIONS(As specified in ERA manual)
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WIDTH OF BRIDGE DECK: The width is to be
measured between the inside of the railings
or the curbs
Total width of bridge is defined as the distance
between the inside of the outer railings
including walkways, island/refuge and similar. If
the width will vary along the bridge all
dimensions should be given.
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PEDESTRIAN LANE WIDTHS
Segregated pedestrian lane (footway) protected by a
barrier (railing) with end treatment having protection
for both pedestrians and vehicles shall not be less than
1.5 m wide
the height of the railings along the footways shall be
1.5m by means of a top rail made of steel pipes.
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FREE BOARD HEIGHT
The waterway below the superstructure must be
designed to pass the design flood and the floating
debris carried on it. This should apply even after
several years of sedimentation under or
downstream of the bridge
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The clear height of roads shall normally be 5.1m
for underpasses. Light superstructures (i.e.
timber, steel trusses, steel girders, etc.) above
roadways shall have a clearance height of at
least 5.3 m.
CROSS FALL
For adequate dewatering while minimizing the use
of materials for the bridge deck, a cross fall of 2%
(1 to 50), as well as longitudinal slope/grade of 1%
(1 to 100), should be provided
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Deflection
In the absence of other criteria, the following
deflection limits shall be considered for concrete,
and/or steel construction:
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DESIGN WORKING LIFE
Concrete, stone and steel bridges shall be
designed for 100 years working life
Concrete and Steel culverts with an
opening or diameter less than 2.0 m and
all timber bridges shall be designed for 50
years working life.
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