Methodologies for numerical modelling of prestressed concrete box-girder for long term deflection

In this paper, two methods M1 and M2 to determine long-term deflection through finite element analyses including the effect of creep and relaxation are proposed and demonstrated for a PSC box-girder. In both the methods, the effect of creep is accounted by different models from international standards viz., ACI-209R-92, CEB MC 90-99, B3 and GL2000. In M1, prestress losses due to creep and relaxation and age adjusted effective modulus are estimated through different models and have been used in finite element (FE) analyses for individual time steps. In M2, effects of creep and relaxation are implemented through the features of FE program and the time dependent analyses are carried out in single step. Vaiiations in time-dependent strains, prestress losses, stresses and deflections of the PSC box-girder bridge through M1 and M2 are studied. For the PSC girder camber obtained from both M1 and M2 are lesser than simple bending theory based calculations, this shows that the camber is overestimated by simple bending theory which may lead to non-conservative design. It is also observed that stresses obtained from FEM for bottom fibre are lesser than the stresses obtained from bending theory at transfer for the PSC girder which may lead to non-conservative estimates.