Current Practice Sheet No.

15

Colin McKenna Scott Wilson

Precast Segmental Concrete Bridges

Introduction
The use of precast segments in bridge construction has developed since its first use in France in 1962. The term is generally applied to box girder bridges constructed in segments up to 4m in length that are then stressed together to form the complete structure. Segments can be erected from purpose-made gantries that support the segments from either above or below or they can be placed on conventional falsework. It is the use of gantries that is most common as it minimises the disruption to traffic below in urban situations or eliminates the erection of falsework in difficult or sensitive terrain. Even where the aforementioned criteria are not paramount, the use of precast segments can be beneficial where standardised cross-sections can be adopted and overall construction programmes compressed. The use of segmental construction can be applied to simply supported or continuous structures constructed span-by-span or as balanced cantilevers. Textbooks on the subject invariably talk about the long- and short-line methods of match casting. The long-line technique involves laying out a complete span of units; it is most uncommon these days and will not be discussed further. The manufacture of segments for the short-line method requires a purposebuilt casting mould and the expense of that and other necessary equipment generally dictates that only schemes with significant structures warrant the use of precast segments. Segments are match-cast against each other in the same sequence as they will be erected in the final structure. It must be remembered that the geometry of the final structure is determined at the time of casting.

The fifteenth in a series of Current Practice Sheets prepared by the Concrete Bridge Development Group

Figure 2: Match casting operation showing horizontal curvature of segment

Precasting techniques
The moulds used for the casting of precast elements must be able to provide for the precise geometric control required. They must also allow for the variation in section required between, typically, diaphragm and span segments. One end wall of the mould the bulkhead will be rigidly fixed at right angles to the axis of the mould and be truly vertical. The design of the mould must allow for the easy movement of segments out of it, generally with hinged side and cantilever shutters. Internal shutters are provided that similarly allow for easy extraction (see Figure 1).
Figure 3: Match casting operation showing vertical curvature of segment

Casting will commence with the first segment, which will generally be rectangular in plan and longitudinal section. A temporary end wall is provided opposite to the bulkhead for this segment. Once this segment has cured it is moved from the mould into the match-casting position such that its adjacent segment can be cast against it. Any horizontal and vertical curvature that is to be inbuilt into the segments is achieved by the rotation in either plane of the previously cast segment. This alignment must be checked to close accuracy by sightings in line and precision levelling onto control points cast into the segment (see Figures 2 and 3).

Design
The design of the permanent structure is generally little different from a cast-in-situ structure whether it be one erected span-by-span or as balanced cantilevers. There are variations in permissible stresses in the concrete across the joints in most international codes. In the UK, when designing to BS 5400(1), stresses across the joints must be compressive under all service loading conditions.

Figure 1: Formwork short-line method

It must also be remembered that longitudinal reinforcement in the segments is not continuous across the joints and this may affect shear design. Shear keys are usually provided at joints to assist with the alignment of segments during erection. There have been concerns regarding the effective protection of internal prestressing tendons across the joints and at present their use is banned in the UK and the use of external tendons is mandatory. The use of external, non-bonded tendons means that behaviour at the ultimate limit state is different from that with internal, bonded tendons by virtue of the fact that changes in strain in the tendons will not be directly proportional to those in the concrete. A non-linear method of analysis may be required to determine failure load.

Erection methods
As one of the prime reasons for the selection of segmental construction is the avoidance of falsework then methods of erection are generally based around the use of gantries that either support the segments from above or below. The gantries themselves are complex structures, allowing for the delivery of the segments and also the advancement of themselves as construction progresses. These require particular consideration on a project-by-project basis as regards their design. Where access from below is feasible it is also possible to erect the units by simply lifting them into position using cranes. Joints between segments are generally provided with a thin epoxy layer that allows alignment without damage to shear keys and accommodates any minor imperfections in the faces. Temporary prestress is applied to control the stresses across this joint in the erection condition. Typical examples of balanced cantilever and span-by-span erection are shown in Figures 46.
Figure 5: Au Tau Interchange Hong Kong

Figure 6: Au Tau Interchange Hong Kong

Concluding remarks
The use of precast concrete segmental construction can offer significant advantages on schemes of a repetitive nature or where there is limited land available for support from below and the high-quality finish can provide an elegant and aesthetically pleasing end product.

References
Figure 4: Rambler Channel Bridge Hong Kong
1. . BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. BS 5400. Steel, concrete and composite bridges. BSI, London.