Design and assessment of concrete bridges

Summary

The course focuses on the conceptual and detailed design of reinforced and prestressed concrete bridges. The first part covers the history and provides an introduction to bridge engineering. The second part covers the detailed design of the superstructure and substructure of bridges.

Content

Keywords

Bridges, reinforced and prestressed concrete, design, assessment

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

Statics (for GC), Structural mechanics (for GC), Continuum mechanics (for GC) , Reinforced concrete structures

Recommended courses

Reinforced concrete structures- advanced topics

Important concepts to start the course

Statics, structural mechanics, mechanics of reinforced concrete

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Identify the different bridge typologies and describe the corresponding characteristics.
• Distinguish bridge structural elements.
• Characterize the different construction and erection methods.
• Discuss on the conceptual design of different bridge typologies with regard to the functional requirements and existing constraints.
• Design and assess the main structural elements of bridges superstructures.
• Analyze the main structural elements of a bridge substructure.

Transversal skills

• Plan and carry out activities in a way which makes optimal use of available time and other resources.
• Set objectives and design an action plan to reach those objectives.
• Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.
• Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
• Respect relevant legal guidelines and ethical codes for the profession.
• Assess one's own level of skill acquisition, and plan their on-going learning goals.
• Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.

Teaching methods

3-hour lectures and 1-hour exercises

With use of :

• Ex cathedra
• PowerPoint
• In-class discussions
• In-class exercises
• Problem sets

Expected student activities

• Lecture attendance
• Active participation in class
• Resolution of in-class exercises
• Independent study outside class

Assessment methods

• Midterm written exam (50%)
• Final written exam (50%)

Supervision

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Bibliography

• C. Menn, Prestressed Concrete Bridges, Birkhäuser Basel, 1990
• A. Muttoni, M. Fernandez Ruiz, Polycopié "Structures en béton", Lausanne: EPFL
• A. Muttoni, P. Buch, F. Monney, S. Mühlberg, Polycopié "Ponts en béton - Exemples de conception, dimensionnement et vérification", Lausanne. EPFL
• J. P. Lebet, M. A. Hirt, Steel Bridges, EPFL Press, New York 2013
• A. J. Reis, J. J. Oliveira Pedro, Bridge Design - Concepts and Analysis, Wiley, 2019
• SIA Structural design codes (SIA 260-267 and SIA 269)
• Structural Eurocodes (EN 1990-1992)
• Find references at Library
• SIA and european standards (available online for EPFL community)
• Prestressed concred bridges by C. Menn

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/CIVIL-478

Prerequisite for

Semester and master projects in structural design and assessment of concrete bridges