Journal of Highway and Transponation Research and Development VoL 9,No.

1(2015)035

Construction Control Techniques of Long-span Steel Truss Arch Bridges

CHEN Qiang ( il*5i) 1 * , ZHANG Yun( 5{E.ft)2, XIANG Hua-wei( rPJ�1'f1)3,

WANG Shu-guo( .:Etxf�) 1
( 1. Mengxi-Huazhong Railway Co. , Ltd. , Beijing 100073, China; 2. Capital Normal Universtty, Beijing 100048, China;

3. ZheJiang Universtty, Hangzhou Zhejtang 310012, Chtna)

Abstract: With W anzhou Yangtze River Bridge as an engineering example, FEM is applied to simulate the whole bridge con­
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struction process to optimize the truss member assembling sequences and determine the critical member bars that should be mo­

nitored. Real-time or fixed time data on stress and deflection are collected through a wireless integrated test system. Thus, the

status of stress and deflection for the cantilever structure is under good control to ensure safety and stability. Measurements and

theoretical computations of temperature effects are valuable for closure time selection and temperature deformation adjustment.

The middle span is closed under the conditions of "zero error and zero additional stress". A successful construction of this

bridge provides experience and guidance for other similar bridges.

Key words: bridge engineering; steel truss arch bridges; simulation; process optimization; construction control techniques;

temperature effects

girder adopts a triangle truss type with vertical bars hav­

1 Introduction
ing a main truss that is 16 m in height, 16 m in width,

Steel truss arch bridges have recently become popu­ and 12 m in internode length.

lar and important in the field of bridge constructions in A stiffening string with a leg height of 20 m is set at

China because such bridges have many advantages, such the intermediate pivot. The stiffened legs increase the

as an attractive shape, high carrying capacity, as well a height of the main girder truss at the pivot point to im­

good anti-seismic and wind-resistant performance. How­ prove the structural stress conditions while enhancing the

ever, these bridges are complex to build because of the unity and smoothness of the bottom girder line of the rib

multiple system conversions during construction. A varie­ of the steel truss arch. The mid-span steel truss arch rib

ty of temporary support facilities is required during the uses the variable height N -type truss, which has an inter­

construction of such bridges. These characteristics give mediate supporting point girder height of 41 m ( including
rise to many construction risks and require strict con­ the stiffening leg height ) . The rib girder at the mid-span

struction control accuracy. These issues have drawn con­ is 8 m high, the height from the vault to the bridge deck

cern from many scholars and bridge engineers in China. is 63 m, the vector height is 59 m ( the center distance of
However, people have limited experience in the con­ the arch rib truss ) , and the rise-span ratio of the arch is

struction of such bridges because of the small number of 1/6. 1. Different quadratic parabolas are adopted as the

similar bridges both in China and abroad. top and bottom arch axes of the arch rib truss, and a

Wanzhou Yangtze River Bridge is located at the curve smooth transition design is used to deal with the top

Tuokou bridge site of the Three Gorges reservOir area. arch axis and the top horizontal bar axis of the side span.

The main bridge is a three-span single-arch continuous A steel tie-girder is applied between the arch feet to with­

steel-trussed girder structure of ( 168 + 360 + 168) m stand the great horizontal thrust that the arch rib pro­

( figure 1). The steel beam is 697. 1 m in length ( inclu­ duces. This girder is also used as a railway traffic sys­

ding the end girder ) with the two side spans of flat chord tem. The arch rib and the steel tie-girder are connected

truss girders. The mid-span is a steel truss arch bridge with booms, each with a maximum length of 55 m. As­

with a rigid arch and flexible beams. The side-trussed sembled nodes are used for the connectivity of the steel

Manuscript received July 26, 2014

• E-mail address: chenqiang 2127@ 126. com

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 36 Journal of Highway and Transportation Research and Development

girder, and cast steel skateboard-style abutments are mid-span. Double sling towers are needed because of the

adopted as supporting points of the steel-trussed girder. large-span cantilever ( up to 180 m), whereas the side

QIN and SHA011 31 demonstrated the design of the span and mid span cables should be strengthened to im­

bridge and conducted considerable research on the corre­ prove the stress performance of the construction progress

sponding lateral stiffness and wind-induced vibration structure. Heavy float tanks are placed at the end of the

characteristics of the boom. ZHAO[4 s] discussed the de­ side span girder (filled with water based on the calculat­

sign of the tower and pier top arrangement method for the ing result) to balance the capsizing loads produced dur­

longitudinal and vertical movement. LIU[6 9l investigated

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ing the erection of the mid-span steel truss girder.

the construction process and the closure steps of the (3) The trussed arch is closed first, the steel tie­
[ ] girder is closed second, and the vertical and horizontal
large-span steel truss arch structure. PENG and LEI lo

analyzed the space static and dynamic characteristics of beams of the mid-span bridge deck system are assembled

the construction process; JIN[nJ calculated the wind-in­ last.

duced stability in the construction process of the steel (4) The steel member bars are erected with the

truss arch structure. Most of the research focused on the girder erection crane, which can erect the steel truss arch

design and construction of this kind of bridge with limited both on the horizontal chord and on the 24-degree slope

attention directed toward the optimization of the erection when the arc moves.

process or field measurement of strength and stability 2. 2 Simulation model of the steel truss girder con­

control. Against this background, this study probes into struction process

the issues of construction simulation, control measure­ Based on the original erection progress of the steel

ments, and precise computation of the erection and clo­ truss structure, MIDAS/Civil finite element software is

sure progress. We hope that this study will serve as a used to simulate the whole bridge construction process to

good guide for the construction of similar bridges. optimize the erection program. The full-bridge model is

shown in figure 3. According to the calculation results,

the maximum tensile and compressive stress of some

member bars reach 248.4 MPa and 163.3 MPa when the

steel member bars are erected to the mid-span of approxi­

mately 120 meters which exceeds the corresponding al­

lowable strength of the steel material (240 MPa). Thus,

the maximum tensile and compressive stresses of the bars

Fig.l Layout ofWanzhou Yangtze River Bridge (unit: m) reach 213.5 MPa and -210.97 MPa, respectively, be­

fore the mid -span closure, which exceeds the stable

2 Construction process simulation analysis and con­
bearing capacity of -181. 9 MPa (figure 4).
trol points of Wanzhou Yangtze River Bridge
To decrease the maximum stress of the member

2. 1 Overall erection scheme of the steel-trussed bars, some mid-span bridge deck systems and transverse

girders connecting bars that were installed before the mid-span

The steel girders are erected from the side span to closure are adjusted to be erected after the closure of the

the mid span, and closed at the mid-span point of the truss arc rib. Thus, the structure stress of each construc­

main span, as shown in figure 2. tion progress meets the code requirements of stability and

(I) The side span steel truss girder ( 168. 7 m in strength. On the basis of the updated constructing

length) is erected by using the cantilever method with scheme, the member bars that should be monitored are

the aid of four temporary piers on each side. selected. The stretching forces of the temporary cables

(2) When the side span steel truss girder is com­ are determined according to the closure scheme of the

pletely erected, the steel girders continue to be assem­ steel-trussed girder and possible longitudinal and vertical

bled using t cantilever method from pier 5# and 6# to the displacement of the temporary pies. The whole bridge

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 CHEN Qiang, et al: Construction Control Techniques of Long-span Steel Truss Arch Bridges 37

Double sling tower Girder erection crane Girder erection crane

Wanzhou
"""'--- �g

2
-
Low water level in three gorges reservoir: 133.46 m

�
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Measuring water level Yangtze River:\09.60 m

Fig. 2 Erecting scheme of the steel-trussed girder ( unit: m)

simulation model consists of 792 nodes, 2 233 beam ele-
ments that simulate the bars and the temporary towers,
and 8 truss elements that simulate the temporary stay ca­
bles.
Fig. 3 MIDAS FEM model of the constructing progress
characteristics and the results of the construction process
simulation analysis, the key test contents and corre­
sponding targets are as follows:
( 1) The stress measurements of the key bars in the
control section during the process of the steel truss girder
and arch erection ensure the security and stability of the
structure.
( 2 ) The linetype measurements of the steel truss
girder and arch ensure perfect mid-span closures with
" "

simulation of Wanzhou Yangtze River Bridge zero-error .

( 3) The spatial temperature field, thermal stress,
Beam stress as well as the temperature deformation measurements of
2.484 03e+002

1.735 56e+002 the steel truss girder and arch, provide the data for deter­
9.870 80e+OOI mmmg the optimized closure techniques and tempera­
2.386 02e+OOI

5.098 75e+OOI
tures.
1.258 35e+002 ( 4) The stress and deformation measurements of the
efficient=I.072 2E+OOI
key bars of the side span areas equipped with heavy float­
(a)Mid-span is 120 m ing tanks appraise the effects of the tank loading.
Beam stress ( 5) A tension test is conducted on the temporary
2.134 9Ie+008

1.363 16e+008
cables to assure the safety and reliability of the tower-ca­
5.914 09e+007 ble system.
0.000 OOe+OOO
( 6) The linetype and stress measurements of the
9.520 93e+007

I.723 84e+008
roefficient=6.279 5E+OOO
(b) Mid-span is 180 m
Fig. 4 Stress contour of two unfavorable construction
stages of the original erection scheme
2. 3 Test scheme of the construction process control
The main span of Wanzhou Yangtze River Bridge
reaches 360 m, which exceeds the current scope of the
code for railway bridge designs. Thus, conducting the
construction process control test to ensure the quality of
the whole bridge is important. According to the structural
key bars in the completed bridge to accumulate the origi­
nal data set up the bridge health records.
The section type of the monitoring bars and the cor­
responding stress and temperature gauge layouts are illus­
trated in figure 5. The upper and lower bars, web mem­
bers, tie-girder bars, and boom bar s of each tested sec­
tion are emphatically tested, and each bar position can
be determined by the corresponding node numbers in fig­
ure 5. Gauges are laid out on each bar, as shown in fig­
ure 6. A total of 260 strain-measuring gauges are needed
for the whole bridge monitoring measurement.
A wireless integrated test system is applied to moni-

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 38 Journal of Highway and Transportation Research and Development

_ Wanzbou Yichang
�

[_:::_:1
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Fig.5 Stress test sections of the main bridge spans

tor the stress of bars at regular times or all day long be­ and conduct data analysis on time to determine the stress

cause of the large amount of gauges, high-test frequency, status of the key bars.

strict measurement and dispersed gauges layout. A total Electronic total station test system is used to meas­

of 16 - 32 gauges are set to one group that accesses the ure the vertical and horizontal linetypes of the steel­

collection substation placed at the node of the steel­ trussed structure in the main bridge. Optical pnsms are

trussed girder, whereas the main station is placed in a fixed at the bottom member bar nodes of the displacement

monitoring house 3 km away. The main monitoring sta­ monitoring sections to ensure the precision of the displace­

tion is connected with collecting substation through a ment test. Two sets of prisms (a total of 24 prisms) are

constant wireless communication to collect the field data needed for the upstream and downstream sides of the trussed

girder. The linetype test sections are shown in figure 7.

800
2. 4 Critical measuring construction stages

'p =I� ' '

:
I F=��c=i l 8!
��

- - - - - - - - - - - -�J
According to the construction scheme and simulation

results of the construction process, the monitored critical

Aj __j
construction stages and the corresponding erected truss
_______________ 1..,800 J

]� r� ] mmmmmmml[:l
A
bars are shown in table 1.

The temporary load of each control stage should be

counted to assure the calculation accuracy for the theoreti­

cal results to be precisely compared with the field data[6J .

:I'( 800 ,.I

A. Stress and temprarure gauges
I. ___§_Q_Q______�
3 Construction control measurement and analysis of

(a) Seetion type A (b) Seetion type B (c) Seetion type C Wanzhou Yangtze River Bridge

Fig.6 Layout of the stress gauges on monitoring

3. 1 Deflection measurement and analysis of the
bars(unit: mm)
steel-trussed girder

The theoretical calculation and the measured deflec-

Vv'anzhou Yichang
�
14 81 __,_
13 91
�
�
I
11
'1\1
11
11\1/1' '1\1/1\111\l�l
111
""l..t / 13 14 Is 16 ,I
sl 91 " J-Y
I 2 10 1

Fig.7 Deflection test sections of the main bridge spans

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 CHEN Qiang, et al: Construction Control Techniques of Long-span Steel Truss Arch Bridges 39

Tab.1 Critical construction stages and erected truss bars respectively, with a difference of 0. 32 em. Meanwhile

Stage Brief description those values on Yichang side are 0. 075 rn and 0. 073 8 rn

CS01 Internodes 1# -4# steel girder erection respectively, with a difference of 0. 69 em.

CS02 Internodes 5# -9# steel girder erection Imaginary line of tmssed

girder's nodes
CS03 Internodes 10# steel girder erection 2.55
. Measured elevation(t , e �
-c- Measured elevation(dov� �am)
l.70
CS04 Internodes 11# -14 # steel girder erection · -
.,,.. Theoretical elevatio
-v- Pre-camber of :; trussed girder
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CS05 Internodes 15# -18# steel girder erection

0.85
CS06 Internodes 19# -24 # steel girder erection

Temporary tower erection and temporary stay cables stretc­

0.00 ..&
///
� ---
CS07
hing EO E7 Ei4 818
Positions of deflection nodes (Wanzhou side)
CS08 Internodes 25# -27# steel girder erection (a) Wanzhou

4 -o-Measured elevation(upstreamJ
CS09
Internodes 28# steel girder erection (Wanzhou side); inter­
.. o .. Measured elevatwn(dowJY � n)
-to.- TI1eoretical elevation /,0�

3
nodes 29# steel girder erection ( Yichang side)
-v-Pre-camber of ste" Jssed girder
CS10 Bottom bars of internodes 29# arc rib (Wanzhou side)
2 /f
h:(;
"'
CS11 Web and top bars of internodes 29# (Wanzhou side)

L
:lmag:inary line of tmssed
:#" girder's nodes
0
CS12 Tie -girder erection of internodes 29# ( Wanzhou side) -·-·-"'
-•···--···u- -·

CS13 Removal of temporary constraints, temporary tower and cables

EO E7 El4 ElS
Positions of deflection nodes (Yichang side)
Remaining bars and bridge deck system erection; removal of
CS14 (b) Yiclmng
temporary load and imposing the second -phase dead load

Fig.S Lineshape comparison between the measurements and

tion of the steel-trussed girder in CS02 and CS03 have a theoretical calculating results of CS05

difference less than 2 mm. In CS04 , the elevations of

-[]-Measured elevation(upstream).
node E7 and node El4 relative to node EO are 0. 485 rn --o-l'v[easured elevation(dovms am)
..f>... !heoret!ca! e!evation ,;:..--'- '
and 0. 356 m on the Wanzhou side, which means that the ---v-P - re-camber of steel _lssed girder

deflection of node El4 relative to node E7 is 0. 127 rn.

Whereas the theoretical deflection value is 0. 113 m,

such that the difference is 1. 4 em. The elevation of node

E7 and El4 relative to node EO are 0. 574 rn and 0. 378

m, respectively, which means the deflection of node E14

Positions of deflection nodes (Wanzhou side)
relative to node E7 is 0.196 m. The theoretical deflection (a) Wanzhou

value is 0. 220 m, such that the difference is only -o- Measured elevation(u:pstream}
··0··· rvfeasured elevaiionldovm�tl-e'm;pJ

2. 4 ern. --&- Theoretical elevation /

, _
,:
-v- Pre-camber of stee1 ssed girder
The contrasting curves of the measured and theoreti­

cal elevations in CSOS and CS06 are shown in figures 8

'>...Imaginary line of trussed
and 9, respectively. In CSOS, the measured and theoret­
,Y girder's no �
-"
·

ical central deflections of the side span on Wanzhou side

----·---���-o:::- :=�:��-- ----,
are -0. 196 7 m and -0. 220 6 m, respectively, with a
ED E7 M1� C1s Cn
difference of 2. 39 em. Meanwhile those values on Positions of deflection nodes (Yichang side)
(b) Yicbang
Yichang side are -0. 189 2 rn and - 0. 2 05 I rn, re­
Fig.9 Lineshape comparison between the measurements and
spectively, with a difference of 0. 69 ern. In CS06, the
theoretical calculating results of CS06
measured and theoretical central deflections of the side

span on Wanzhou side are -0. 076 m and -0. 072 8 m, In CS07 , the measured deflection agrees well with

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 40 Journal of Highway and Transportation Research and Development

§
".;:J
"
"
6.0
CI
- -

---o-- z:
Measured elevation(upstream)
l'v[easured elevation(d wnetr )
§
"
"
"
5.1
--�--Measured elevation(upstream)
--o--Measured elevat!on(dowustre

/:
'"
" 4.5
/ <;;.:.1
--&--Theoretical elevation
�
-"'- Theoretical elevaiwn
__,,___ Pre-camber of steel
. �
" --v-- Pre-camber of steel t1 "��i
�
ed g:rder

:
0 a ·-� 3.4

L: L :
§';; 3.0 §�
·-g .g lmagimny line f trueeed
� g "!:1� ]" 1.7
1.5
/
L- �-=-��===:=-==:
" in of trucced •;J
"'" girder's node � ">
g1rder's nodes

il "...,-..1
0.0
0.0 ¢'�E=:=-----=-=X--• "
------v
" -.J)
" "
Eo E7 l'vb1 C1s Cn BJ E7 Cn Cn C26
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M;4
Positions of deflection nodes (Wanzhou side) Positions of deflection nodes (Wanzhou side)
(a) Wanzhou (a) Wanzhou

--c--- Measured elevation(upstre- 1 § 1--�-- Measured elevation(upstream)

---o - fvfeasured elevation(dow ream) ".;:!
5_4
� ---o Measur�d �l�vatw n(dovmstr>¢1)
-

--<">-- Theoretical elevation g 1---to.- Theoretical e!evahon

_
/
__,_ Pre-camber of stee
� 1--v-- Pre-camber of steel �cn$1-
p-=- - -
rrWtf>er
./,.../1
o a· 3.6 �
1
4-.. �-

o·- J /
-�� '
//"
9""" (
Imaginary line of trussed
Imas"inary line of trussed
"0
E; § J s
· I
J -
girder's nodes " girder's nodes

i L��
--
-----x--- -- :
=--=..:::x�--� -� ·,: _,

0.0
--

� :=��: : �;;��*
Cn
------------------ - ----,------ _____ ,_ - ---

F� E7 ?vf1-1 CJS Cn C26

Positions of deflection nodes (Yichang side) Positions of deflection nodes (Yicbang side)
(b) Yichang (b) Yicbang

Fig.lO Lineshape comparison between the measurements and Fig.ll Lineshape comparison between the measurements and

theoretical calculating results of CS07 theoretical calculating results of CSOS

the theoretical results when the main span cantilever IS tive error is 3. 82%. The measured values on the Yichang

120 m, and the temporary cables are stretched. At this side are - I. 106 2 and - I. 136 0 m with an error of

stage, the measured and theoretical central deflections of 1. 99 em compared with the theoretical deflection of

the side span on the Wanzhou side are -0. 110 and - - I . 101 2 m, and the relative error is I . 8%. All theo­

0. 098 m, respectively, with a difference of 1. 2 em. retical calculations agree well with the measured data be­

Meanwhile, the values on the Yichang side are -0. 123 fore the closure of the steel-trussed girder, which means

and - 0. 111 m, respectively, with a difference of the accurate conditions of the main span closure may be

1. 2 cm,as shown in figure 10. achieved, as shown in figure 12.

The measured deflections of node C26 are -0. 749 3 The measured elevation, the steel truss girder's pre­

(upstream side) and - 0. 738 9 m (downstream side) camber, as well as the theoretical and measured deflec­

when the main span cantilever is !56 m ( CS08). The tions of the completed bridge (CS14) are shown in figure 13.

theoretical deflection is - 0. 692 m, such that the error The data and curves show that the maximum deflection

between them is approximately 5. 21 em. The measured error between the theoretical results and the measure­

values on the Yichang side are -0. 645 3 and ments is only 5. 54%. The measured lineshape of the

-0.635 I m with an error of 7. 2 mm compared with the completed bridge is smooth, and all the methods and

theoretical deflection of -0. 633 m. The deflection rela­ measures are suitable for the feasible closure scheme of

tive errors of node 26 are 7. 5% on the Wanzhou side the main span, which means that the lineshape of the

and 1. 13% on the Yichang side, as shown in figure 11. steel-trussed girders are under good control during all the

The measured deflections of node C26 on the Wanzhou construction stages. All the errors between the measured

side are - 0. 910 9 ( upstream side) and -0. 893 9 m values and the designed values of the trussed girder ele­

(downstream side) when the cantilever of Wanzhou side vation, the vertical precamber, and the relative positions

is 168 m and the cantilever of Yichang side is 180 m. The of different nodes can meet the requirements stated in

theoretical deflection is -0. 938 3 m, such that the error Standard for Const=tional Quality Acceptance of Railway
between them is about 3. 59 em, and the deflection rela- Bridge arul Culvert EnginRering (TB10415 -2003) .

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 CHEN Qiang, et al: Construction Control Techniques of Long�span Steel Truss Arch Bridges 41

-<�- Measured elevation( upstream) 4 ..._Deviation curve of trussed girder's central line
4.8 __._Measured elevation(downstre
2
__._Theoretical elevation
--.--Pre�camber of steel I.,
0
�
;>
§ �2
Imaginary ine of trussed .,
.

girder1S n� ----v--- -4
0.0
v -�
Cl
�-g--------Q-==:::::______
·----.... -6
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Eo E7 Mt4 Cts Cn C26
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Positions of deflection nodes (Wanzhou side) Positions of deflection nodes (m)

(a) Wanzhou
Fig.14 Central line deviation measuring curves of the
6.4
�- Measured elevation(upstream) steel truss girder of CS14
--<>-Measured elevation(downstream
4.8 --& -Theoretical elevation upstream member bar 33# on Yichang side). Stresses of
--v--Pre�camber of steel tru o �"
3.2 all the member bars at any construction stage are lower

than their matching strength and stability capacity. The

c
Imaginary ·ne of trussed
�
girder1S ____v____. erection scheme of the adjusted girder, which is the
0.0 �-·-.,-=::::::�
11
--
·----. main-span-tied trussed girder, the connecting bars of the

Eo E1 Mt4 Cts C22 C26 upstream and downstream booms and the bridge deck
Positions of deflection nodes (Yichang side)
systems are installed after the closure of the arc rib, has
(b) Yichang
decreased the stresses of the structure to assure the struc­
Fig.U Lineshape comparison between the measurements and tural safety and stability during construction.
theoretical calculating results of CS09
3. 4 Measurement and theoretical analysis of the

temperature effect during the erection of the steel­

0.6

<::: 0.4 trussed girder

0
".:J
� 0.2 The temperature deformation test curves of the canti­
., -. Longitudinal deformation
� 0.0 *"=----�..- 16 -.-Transverse deformation
_g ..._Vertical deformatio
�0.2
. Wanzhou Yichang
>
�0.4

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Positions of deflection nodes

Fig.13 Lineshape measurements and theoretical deflection

-4+---����--�--��
curves of the whole bridge of CS14 (unit: m) 5:00 7:00 9:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 19:00
Test moment
3. 2 Central line deviation monitoring of the steel­
(a) Temperature deformation test curve of arc rib top chord
trussed girder before closure

The maximum measured central line deviation of the

16 ---Longitudinal deformation
-.-Transverse deforma ·on
steel-trussed girder is 2 mm in the upstream direction and
..._ Vertical deform
5 mm in the downstream direction. All the deviation val­

ues can meet the requirements of the standards, as shown in

figure 14.

3. 3 Stress test results and erection analysis of the

-4+------.--·
steel truss girder 5:00 7:00 9:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 19:00
Test moment
At the two critical stages of CS06 and CS09, the
(b) Temperature deformation test curve of front node tie-girder
minimum stability capacity factor of the member bars is before closure

1. 13 (the upstream member bar 8# on Wanzhou side),

Fig.15 Temperature deformation measurement
and the minimum safety factor of strength is 1. 33 ( the
curves of CS09

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 42 Journal of Highway and Transportation Research and Development

lever structure at different moments of one day before the mately 1 0 "C . The maximum theoretical longitudinal and

closure on the Yichang side are shown in figure 15. With vertical deformation values of the front end of the arch rib

the deformation of the structure at 5:00 am, which is ac­ are 7. 8 and -12. 3 em when the temperature rise rea­

cepted as the "zero point", the maximum temperature ches 10 "C , as shown in figures 16 and 17. Moreover,

deformation of the cantilever structural end gradually in­ the deformation values of the end of the tie-girder are 3.

creased with the increase of temperature. The longitudi­ 1 and - 13. 1 em. The measurements and calculation re­

nal and vertical displacements of the top bar end of the sults are consistent. On the basis of the test results of the
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arc rib are 8. 2 and - 12. 6 em, respectively, and the temperature deformation, the truss girders are chosen to

displacements of the front end of the booms are 4. 2 and be closed at 3: 00 am. With the aid of the longitudinal

- 13 5 em, respectively, at 2:00 pm. According to the

. and vertical movements of the whole structure to offset

environmental temperature test results, the temperature the temperature deformation, the ideal result of "zero-er­

difference between 5 :00 am and 2 :00 pm is approxi- ror closure" is achieved.

Tab.2 Average axial stress measurements of the steel bars at some critical construction stages (unit: MPa)

CS06 CS09 CSlO CSll CS12

Positions Stress capacity
Number of bars Measured Theoretical Measured Theoretical Measured Measured Measured
of bars value
value value value value value value value

WZSE8 -E9 -90.92 -115.2 -119.12 -118.92 -114.58

9" -96.4 -120 -181.9
WZXE8 -E9 -88.84 -107.3 -111.92 -118.97 -115.97

WZSE9 -E10 -82.31 -106.7 -110.22 -109.17 -105.76

10" -96.7 -122 -181.9
WZXE9 -E10 -87.69 -106.3 -111.28 -108.96 -116.37

WZSElO -Ell -137.25 -123.9 -125.31 -123.84 -122.66

11" -140 -134 -208.1
WZXE10 -Ell -134.28 -131. 8 -133.51 -136.41 -137.08

WZSEll -E12 -149.12 -158. 6 -160.91 -157.86 -154.s

12" -142 -136 -208.1
WZXE11 -E12 -146.95 -147.3 -150.76 -157.28 -157.15

WZSE21 -£22 -25.77 -103.4 -108.25 -112.86 -101.58

18" -26 -108 -205.4
WZX£21 -E22 -23.21 -95.76 -100.99 -106.22 -96.75

YCSE1S -E16 -117.42 -124.2 -127.17 -127.58 -122.36

32" -124 -125 -190.1
YCXE1S - E16 -123.26 -130.s -129.58 -131.79 -127.58

YCSE11 -E12 -143.49 -150.3 -153.17 -153.61 -146.57

34" -145 -146 -208.1
YCXEll -E12 -148.98 -157.4 -157.28 -158.41 -154.88

YCSElO -Ell -111.27 -118.8 -119.71 -120.18 -112.81

35" -143 -144 -208.1
YCXElO - Ell -146.47 -139. 8 -140.87 -141.43 -140.52

YCSE9 -ElO -86.36 -116.2 -119.56 -120.28 -111.21

36" -99.2 -138 -181.9
YCXE9 -E10 -95.74 -129.3 -129.6 -131.94 -123.56

YCS£8 - E9 -96.2 -124.9 -128.93 -129.7 -118.23

37" -98.9 -137 -181.9
YCXE8 -E9 -92.87 -128 -128.62 -130.23 -123.07

YCSE6 - E7 -36. 95 -101.2 -102.51 -99.27 -101.7

41" -44.3 -102 -175.7
YCXE6 - E7 -41. 33 -91.99 -92.86 -93.95 -96.59

YCSA4 -AS -52.4 -90.49 -90.91 -91.53 -93.2

42" -48.9 -85.7 -175.2
YCXA4 -AS -47.68 -97.3 -97.84 -98.14 -99.44

YCSA3 -A4 -54.12 -87.56 -88.07 -88.23 -90.95

43" -49.4 -85.6 -175.2
YCXA3 -A4 -SO.03 -87.12 -91.93 -97.25 -92.28

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 CHEN Qiang, et al: Construction Control Techniques of Long-span Steel Truss Arch Bridges 43

3. 4. 2 Temperature stress tests and analysis of the bars
The temperature stress test results of some steel
truss structure bars before closure are shown in table 3.
With the stress of the bars at 5 : 00, which are accepted
as the "zero point" the temperature stress increases grad­
ually with the ascent of the environmental temperature,
and decreases gradually with the descent of temperature
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former field data collected when the environmental tem­
perature increases to 10 OC .
4 Conclusions
(1) On the basis of the spatial finite element simu­
lation results, the order of the bar erections are optimized
for decreasing the maximum structural stress to avoid cer­

in the afternoon. The maximum temperature stresses are
19. 91 (tensile stress) and -8. 92 MPa (stress). From
the temperature stress contour of the bars are shown in
figure 17 , in which the maximum thermal stresses are
19. 98 MPa and -8. 72 MPa, which are according to the
Analysis results
1.323 52e-OOI
I 058 82e-OOI
tain risks in construction. The theoretical lineshape a­
grees well with the field data. The maximum error of the
mid-span deflection of the main span between the meas­
urements and the theoretical value is only 5. 54% when
the bridge is completed. The measured values of the
trussed girder elevation, the vertical pre-camber, the rel­
ative positions of different nodes, and the center line are
consistent with the design values and meet the require­

I
7 941 14e-002 ments of the Standards for Constructional Quality Accept­
I 5 294 I Oe-002
ance of Railway Bridges and Culvert Engineering

I
2 647 05e-002
l 0 000 OOe+OOO (TB10415 -2003).
C-ee IGient=l 195 2E+002
(2) The wireless integrated test system can provide
Fig. 16 Temperature deformation contour ( + 10"C) of CS09 " long-distance, real-time, and routine single gauge

1
measurements" and is a more convenient method to ana-
Axial stress lyze the stress of the bars in time and determine the sta­
1.987 14e+OOI

1.467 20e+OOI tus of the structural safety and stability. During the whole
9.472 56e+OOI
construction process, the minimum stability-bearing coef­
4.273 12e+OOO

0.000 OOe+OOO ficient value of the critical bar is 1. 13, and the minimum
-6.125 76e+OOO strength safety value is 1. 33. The optimized construction
zy� cient=l.l95 2E+002
scheme decreased the stress of the bars effectively to a­
void the risk in construction and ensure the security and
Fig.17 Temperature axial stress contour ( + 10 "C) of bars of �
stability of the structures.

Tab. 3 Temperature axial stress measurement of the steel bars a day before closure ( unit: MPa)

Number of Position of Test moments

bars bars 5: 00 7: 00 9: 00 12: 00 14: 00 16: 00 18: 00 19: 00

YCSAIO -All 0.00 5.98 12.24 16.37 19.91 15.82 9.48 I.98
33"
YCXA10-All 0.00 5.83 11.97 15.96 19.76 16.26 10.06 2.04

YCSE11-E12 0.00 -1.83 -3.74 -5.38 -6.59 -5.34 -3.59 -0.67

34"
YCXEII-El2 0.00 -I.99 -3.99 -5.24 -6.47 -5.49 -3.48 -I.32

YCSE9-EIO 0.00 -2.96 -5.05 -6.91 -8.79 -6.52 -3.67 -I.09

36"
YCXE9-EIO 0.00 -2.89 -4.97 -6.97 -8.59 -6.29 -3.78 -0.97

YCSE8-E9 0.00 -2.68 -4.99 -6.84 -8.77 -6.67 -4.41 -I.35

37"
YCXE8-E9 0.00 -2.71 -4.96 -6.98 -8.92 -6.37 -4.59 -1.04

J. Highway Transp. Res. Dev. (English Ed.), 2015, 9(1): 35-44

 44 Journal of Highway and Transportation Research and Development
( 3 ) The temperature effect tests of the cantilever
structure one day before closure prove that the maximum
temperature deformation and the thermal stress of the
cantilever gradually increase with the ascent of tempera­
ture. The temperature measurements are consistent with
the theoretical values. With the aid of the longitudinal
and vertical movements of the whole structure truss gird­
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ers, the test results of temperature deformation, and with a
zero error at 3 : 00 am, the trussed girder is closed per­
fectly in the sequence of the top bar, the web bar, the
bottom bar, and the tied girder of the bridge deck sys-
tern.
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