Structural Safety of Segmental Concrete Bridges during Construction

The dynamic response and structural safety of a segmental precast concrete box-girder bridge during construction are investigated. The bridge is realized by means of a balanced cantilever approach where bridge segments are sequentially erected to form deck spans counterweighted about a single support. The segments are precast at the ground level, uplifted up to the deck level, and moved to the final location at the end of the cantilever arms. The results of structural analyses carried out to investigate the dynamic response of the bridge during the construction process show that a bridge failure with overturning of the cantilever arms may occur if the dynamic effects are not properly considered.