Static Load Tests of a Road Bridge with a Flexible Structure Made from Super Cor Type Steel Corrugated Plates

Abstract

The way in which a new road bridge made from Super Cor steel plates was tested is described and the test results for three static load schemes in which one ballasting vehicle (a Scania truck) was used as the load are presented. The tested bridge has a box structure and it is located on the Gimån River in Gimån, Sweden on the Bräcke-Holm road. The bridge has an effective span of 12.315m and a clear height of 3.555m. The span’s steel shell is founded on two reinforced concrete continuous footings. The average measured displacements and strains (normal stresses) in selected points and elements of the steel shell structure were found to be much smaller than the ones calculated for the same load. The conclusions drawn from this research can be useful for assessing the performance of such steel shells and their interaction with the surrounding backfill. Since such steel–soil designs are used more and more often for small and medium-sized bridges on road and railway lines in Poland and in the world, the conclusions from the static load tests can be generalized to a whole class of similar bridge designs.