Open Access

ARTICLE

Life-Cycle Bearing Capacity for Pre-Stressed T-beams Based on Full-Scale Destructive Test

by Yushan Ye¹, Tao Gao¹, Liankun Wang², Junjie Ma², Yingchun Cai², Heng Liu^2,*, Xiaoge Liu²

1 China Construction Seventh Engineering Division Corp., Ltd., Zhengzhou, 450004, China
2 School of Water Conservancy and Transportation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

* Corresponding Author: Heng Liu. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advanced Data Mining in Bridge Structural Health Monitoring)

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring 2025, 19(1), 145-166. https://doi.org/10.32604/sdhm.2024.053756

Received 09 May 2024; Accepted 24 July 2024; Issue published 15 November 2024

Abstract

To investigate the evolution of load-bearing characteristics of pre-stressed beams throughout their service life and to provide a basis for accurately assessing the actual working state of damaged pre-stressed concrete T-beams, destructive tests were conducted on full-scale pre-stressed concrete beams. Based on the measurement and analysis of beam deflection, strain, and crack development under various loading levels during the research tests, combined with the verification coefficient indicators specified in the codes, the verification coefficients of bridges at different stages of damage can be examined. The results indicate that the T-beams experience complete, incomplete linear, and non-linear stages during the destructive test process. In the complete linear elastic stage, both the deflection and bottom strain verification coefficients comply with the specifications, indicating a good structural load-bearing capacity no longer adheres to the code’s requirements. In the non-linear stage, both coefficients exhibit a sharp increase, resulting in a further decrease in the structure’s load-bearing capacity. According to the provisions of the current code, the beam can be in the incomplete linear stage when both values fall within the code’s specified range. The strain verification coefficient sourced from the compression zone at the bottom of the flange is not recommended for assessing the bridge’s load-bearing capacity.

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Keywords

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