Fundamental Study on Rigid Connection Detail of Steel-Concrete Composite Rigid Frame Bridge Using Bearing Plate

Recently, the number of steel-concrete composite rigid frame bridges is increasing for short and medium span length in Japan. To make this type of bridge more rational, it is important to ensure a good performance of the rigid connection, which can transfer the load from the steel girder to the abutment. Therefore, a new type of the connection detail with a bearing plate has been proposed by the authors. In this study, effectiveness and applicability of the newly proposed rigid connection detail was examined by elasto-plastic finite displacement analysis. Mechanical behavior of the connection detail up to the ultimate limit state is investigated based on them. It is found that the load can be securely transferred from the steel girder to the abutment through the bearing plate. It is concluded that the proposed connection detail can be one of the practical and effective rigid connection detail considering easiness of construction.