Analytical and experimental evaluation of an aluminum bridge deck panel: part 1: service load performance

Reynolds Metals Company has developed an aluminum deck system. Once developed, Reynolds approached several state departments of transportation in hopes of securing projects to showcase their new system. Interested in the potential for long-term savings, the Virginia Department of Transportation agreed to employ this deck system in a replacement structure on U.S. Route 58. Since the aluminum bridge venture involves new technologies, it is classified as an experimental project and requires a thorough evaluation. Using Federal Highway Administration sponsorship, the Virginia Transportation Research Council initiated a three-phase study of the Reynolds deck system. This report covers the first phase of this study, which analyzed the static response of a 2.74 m x 3.66 m (9 ft x 12 ft) deck panel. Seven service-load tests were performed on this panel, each using an AASHTO HS-20 loading involving different boundary conditions. Upon completion of the service-load tests, two ultimate-load tests were performed. The static load tests and response evaluation that pertained to service load behavior is the subject of this report. The results of the laboratory and analytical study indicated adequate strength and stiffness of the deck panel. The panel was recommended for use on the replacement structure on Route 58. Additional findings in this study showed that properly developed models can reliably predict the complex response of the aluminum bridge deck panel. Both strain distributions and magnitudes were predicted with reasonable accuracy. On the bottom deck surface, the average difference between strain values predicted by the models and those measured in the laboratory was 22 microstrain for load cases involving simple supports and 55 microstrain for load cases involving cantilevered supports. Excluding output obtained under the load patch, the average difference in strains on the top deck surface was 24 microstrain for simple support load cases and 59 microstrain for load cases involving cantilevered supports.