Experimental investigation of multilayer surfacing system on orthotropic steel bridge with the five-point bending test

Experimental investigation of multilayer surfacing system on orthotropic steel bridge with the five-point bending test

Tzimiris, G.
Liu, X.
Scarpas, A.
Li, J.
Hofman, R.
Voskuilen, J.

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Structural Engineering

2013-01-13

Due to lightweight and flexibility, orthotropic steel deck bridges become popular the last decades but several problems were reported in relation to asphalt surfacing materials such as rutting, cracking, loss of bond between the surfacing system and steel deck. In the Netherlands a surfacing structure for orthotropic steel bridge decks mostly consists of five structural layers: top porous asphalt layer, guss asphalt layer, steel deck and two membrane layers. The five-point bending fatigue test is the standard device in France for asphalt concrete used on steel orthotropic deck bridges to perform the best asphalt mixture having a strong resistance to cracking. For the needs of this paper the 5 PBT was employed in order to evaluate the performance of the whole multilayer structure on steel deck and also to evaluate the mechanical properties of both top and bottom membrane and the influence they have on the structure. For the completion of the experimental investigation two types of specimen have been tested using the 5PBT set up. Displacement sensors have been used in order to detect the initiation of cracks where they are most likely to appear. Strain gauges have been used in order to monitor significant changes in strain on the Guss asphalt layer during the fatigue tests. Shear displacements between the asphalt layers are monitored and presented. It shows that the stiffness and the bonding characteristics of the intermediate membrane sheet as well as the wearing course behaviour seem to have great influence on the mechanical response of multilayer bridge surfacing system.

five-point bending test
orthotropic steel deck bridge
multilayer surfacing system

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a4da6b47-e27d-4584-86d9-0ca329de0785

Transportation Research Board

92nd Annual Meeting Transportation Research Board, Washington, USA, 13-17 January 2013; Authors version

Institutional Repository

conference paper

(c) 2012 The Author(s)