EPM715 Bridge Engineering

1 THE BRIEF 2024

This brief was developed by TATA Steel

1.1 INTRODUCTION

A bridge structure is required to carry a single carriageway across a loop in a river.

On the outside of the loop, there are cliffs and woodland. The land within the loop is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and access for construction is limited.
The new roadway rises from north and south of the river to provide clearance over
the navigable waterway. The bridge is in a popular countryside location, so must be
elegant and in keeping with its surroundings. The client wishes to avoid ostentatious
architecture.

1.2 APPOINTMENT AS CONSULTANT

You have been retained as a consultant to carry out a feasibility study for the new
bridge, and to report your findings to the client. Your brief is to prepare a report
that is to have the following scope:

a) Consideration of at least two distinct and viable structural arrangements

for the bridge;
b) A clear recommendation to the client on which scheme should be
selected, with reasons for your choice;
c) Some detailed structural design for the recommended scheme.

1.3 DETAILS OF THE PROJECT

a) Site
A plan of the site is shown in Figure 1 and an elevation along the bridge centreline
is shown in Figure 3.

The river is approximately 20 m wide between its banks and its course has been
constrained into a loop by cliffs at the west end of the site. The land within the
loop is marshy and the major part of the area has been designated a SSSI. There
is disused wharf area 25 m x 25 m on the north side of the SSSI and a disused
landing area 15 m x 15 m on the south side. Outside the loop, the land rises
steadily from the riverbank. The river is open to navigation.

A new north-south road access is required, on the alignment shown on the plan,
to replace the present long and winding route to the west.

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Figure 1 Plan of the bridge site

b) General arrangement
The required cross-section of the roadway is shown in Figure 2. The superstructure
must be a single deck. The two traffic lanes cannot be separated to accommodate
any central cables or other structure. If cables are required, they must be located
outside the cross-section.

The longitudinal profile of the road surface along the bridge centerline is shown in
Figure 3. The profile is a continuous circular curve.

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c) Construction constraints

Access to the land north and south of the loop and to the disused wharf area is
straightforward. No access is permitted to the SSSI and no permanent construction
is permitted in the river or within 10 m of the river-bank, even in the wharf and landing
areas.

The disused landing area can only be accessed by constructing a temporary bridge
across the river; it is not possible to gain access to this area by crossing the SSSI. If
the disused landing area is used for construction (either temporary or permanent),
then the costs for a temporary river bridge (see Table 1) need to be included in the
overall costing. However, the design, erection and removal of this structure will be
by others and does not form part of this brief.

For any structure close to the river, the construction method for the foundations
should be carefully considered. Within the loop of the river, permanent construction
is permitted only within the wharf and landing areas (and excluding those parts within
10 m of the bank; the available areas are thus 15 m x 25 m and 5 m x 15 m
respectively).

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1.4 BASIS FOR THE DESIGN

a) Structural Behaviour
The primary bridge structure, including any pylons or towers, is to be of steel,
which is to be designed making efficient use of material in accordance with
basic structural theory. If guidance is required, reference may be made to
the Eurocodes for bridge design (EN 1993-2 and EN 1994-2), or the
simplified version of the Eurocodes for student projects, is available within
Moodle
Checks for deflections, fatigue and dynamic response are not required..

b) Materials

i) Structural steel
The primary members of the proposed structure must be steel of the
appropriate grade. Steel elements are to be Advance rolled sections,
Celsius hollow sections or sections fabricated from plate (e.g. plate
girders and box girders).
The materials used should be chosen from the following:
BS EN 10025-2:Grade S275 or S355
BS EN 10025-5:Grade S355
BS EN 10025-3:Grade S275, or S355
BS EN 10025-4:Grade S275, or S355
BS EN 10210:Grade S355
You will be expected to demonstrate an appreciation of the implications
of the mechanical properties on the selection of steel grades in relation
to strength, ductility, notch toughness (impact strength) and weldability.
In choosing an appropriate sub-grade, students are advised that the
minimum effective bridge temperature may be taken as – 200C.

ii) Cables
If cables are used as structural members, the material strength of the
wire in the cables should be taken as 1600 N/mm2. Checks on cables at
the Serviceability Limit State are not required.

iii) Foundations material

Foundations will be provided by others, and do not form part of the final
design. However, foundations can be expensive, and must be included
in the estimated cost of the works. Costs of foundations are indicated in
Table 1 of this brief.

c) Loading
Permanent actions (dead loads and superimposed dead loads) should be
determined from the sizes of the structural members and their specific weights
(see the simplified version of the Eurocodes for student projects).
The variable actions should be taken as Load Model 1, comprising a UDL over
all of the superstructure, plus a pair of axles, as described in Bridge Design to
the Eurocodes – Simplified rules for use in student projects, available from
Moodle
If a concrete slab were to be used for the composite deck, a 250 mm slab would
be typical, as is shown in the simplified Eurocode document.
Although shear lag can be ignored for the design of steel deck plates, a
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maximum plate width of 28εt either side of the web of the main girder should
be used, when the plate is in compression.”
Wind load need not be considered in detail, but consideration must be given
to any parts of the bridge, or stages of erection, that might become sensitive
to wind effects. Overall stability effects should be checked under a nominal
wind load of 2 kN/m2 applied over the projected surface area in elevation, with
no other variable action on the bridge.
The accommodation of temperature effects and articulation of bearings should
be described, and the submission should explain how all the forces are carried
to the foundations. This description should be a properly resolved system of
forces, not merely an abstract flow diagram.
Partial safety factors on actions can be taken from the simplified version of the
Eurocodes for student projects. Pre-stressing actions in cables (which would
normally be necessary to ensure the intended geometry under permanent
actions) may be neglected.

d) Substructures
For outline design of the bridge substructure (e.g. piers and foundations) and
for estimating the cost of the proposals, the following should be assumed.
However, note that major supporting structures (e.g. pylons and arch
elements) should be considered as part of the superstructure and thus require
design.

i) Piers:
Steel piers should be designed as simple compression members.
Concrete piers should have at least 100 mm2 of concrete provided for
every 1 kN of ULS vertical reaction that is to be supported.

ii) Foundations:
A detailed design is not required for any foundations, but outline interface
details and loads should be indicated on the drawings.

iii) The height/width ratio:

The ratio of the height of the pier to the smaller cross sectional dimension
should not exceed 16 for steel piers or 12 for concrete piers, unless a
detailed analysis is presented to show that more slender piers could be
used.

iv) Movement:
The effects of settlement may be neglected when considering the bridge
and its foundations.

e) Other design requirements

The bearing system at the bridge support points should be selected and
explained in words and sketches but need not be designed in detail.
Deck details at the end of the bridge and any intermediate joints,
accommodating anticipated movements, should be shown. Annotated
sketches will be satisfactory.
Durability issues of the structure (i.e. corrosion protection, numbers of joints,
bearing replacement) should be considered and explained in the submission.
A detailed design of the bridge substructure, beyond that provided under d)
above, is not necessary.

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EPM715 Bridge Engineering

1.5 CONSTRUCTION TIME RATES AND COSTS

The construction time for the proposed design should be considered in terms of the
construction time rates detailed in Table 1. It should be assumed that the activities
listed in Table 1 cannot be overlapped.

Construction costs for the various items involved in the building and erection of the
bridge are also detailed in Table 1. It should be noted that the costs given are
notional values, selected for the purpose of this exercise. There are also overhead
costs involved in staffing and running the site; fast construction times will clearly
minimise these. A nominal overhead cost of £5,000 per day must be added to the
calculated construction costs.
Table 1 Time rates and costs
Activity Time/Rate Cost
Construction Work
Concrete piers, abutments and anchorage 5 m3 /day £650/m3
blocks for cables if required.
Concrete deck (non-steel) [including 30 m2 /day £200 m2
formwork, reinforcing, placing, curing etc]
Waterproofing, surfacing and finishes 100 m2/day £70/m2
Railway closures £250,000 per closure
Erected Fabricated Steelwork in
Grade S355
(a) Plate girders 20 tonnes/day £1900/tonne
(b) Rolled Sections 20 tonnes/day £2000/tonne
(c) fabricated box sections or stiffened 20 tonnes/day £4200/tonne
steel plate decks
(d) Hollow sections 15 tonnes/day £3800/tonne
(e) Saving for use of grade S275 nil £25/tonne reduction

Cables
Stay cables and arch hangers 1 cable/day £5.0 per kN of breaking load per
100 m length
Cable and hanger end anchorages included in £1.0 per kN of maximum
above breaking load of cable per end
Foundations for piers
(abutments need not to be priced)
By others For each foundation:
£14,500 plus £8 per kN

Notes to Table 1:
1) The cost given for steelwork includes all costs of supply, fabrication, transportation and erection. In
addition:
a) For carbon manganese steel, the rates include all costs of providing protection against
corrosion.
b) For weather resistant steel, the cost includes a margin for the normal practice of providing
extra thickness to allow for initial corrosion. This extra thickness need not, therefore, be taken
into account when calculating the weight of steel for costing purposes.
c) Concrete costs include all formwork, reinforcement fixing, placing, etc.
2) The time rate for one cable is that for a single length of cable between the bridge and the top of the
support structure.
3) Construction rates include all ancillary activities – such as erecting formwork, laying reinforcements
etc.

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