South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Theses and Dissertations 2017 Glulam Timber Bridges for Local Roads Zachary Charles Carnahan South Dakota State University Follow this and additional works at: http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Carnahan, Zachary Charles, "Glulam Timber Bridges for Local Roads" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 1173. http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/1173 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GLULAM TIMBER BRIDGES FOR LOCAL ROADS BY ZACHARY CHARLES CARNAHAN A thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Major in Civil Engineering South Dakota State University 2017 iii DISCLAIMER The contents of this report, funded in part through grant(s) from the Federal Highway Administration, reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the South Dakota Department of Transportation, the State Transportation Commission, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was funded by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) and the Mountain Plains Consortium (MPC) University Transportation Center. I would first like to thank Duane Boice and the rest of the Gruen-Wald Engineering Laminates staff for their contribution to this project. I would also like to thank Zachary Gutzmer, the Jerry Lohr Structures Laboratory Manager, for his assistance in preparation and testing. I would also like to thank Aaron Breyfogle, Kevin Heiman, Cody Axlund, Thomas Herman, Harvey Fitzgerald, Ron Bren, and Greg Vavra of the SDDOT for their assistance in this project. I would like to thank my fellow structural engineering graduate students Lucas Bohn, Abdullah Boudaqa, Abdullah Hashib, Yazen Hindieh, Michael Mingo, and Ishtiaque Tuhin for their help along the way. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Mostafa Tazarv and Dr. Nadim Wehbe for their advice and guidance throughout the project and my academic career at South Dakota State University. I would also like to thank Dr. Eric Monzon of West Virginia University Institute of Technology for helping me with my transition to graduate school. Lastly, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support. They have encouraged me and kept me sane throughout my academic career and I am greatly appreciative for that. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................................... xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xx ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xxi 1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF WORK............................................................................. 2 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 4 2.1 OVERVIEW OF GLULAM TIMBER BRIDGES ................................................................. 4 2.2 TYPES OF GLULAM TIMBER BRIDGES......................................................................... 5 2.3 TIMBER BRIDGE STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS ............................................................ 6 2.3.1 Glulam Materials ............................................................................................... 6 2.3.2 Girders (Stringers) ............................................................................................. 7 2.3.3 Deck Panels ....................................................................................................... 7 2.3.4 Stiffeners ............................................................................................................ 8 2.3.5 Diaphragms ........................................................................................................ 8 2.3.6 Deck to Stringer Connections ............................................................................ 9 2.4 TIMBER BRIDGE FAILURE MODES ............................................................................ 12 2.5 LONG TERM PERFORMANCE OF GLULAM TIMBER BRIDGES ..................................... 15 2.6 WEARING SURFACES FOR TIMBER DECKS ................................................................ 19 2.7 PRESERVATIVE TREATMENT OF WOOD .................................................................... 21 2.8 MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION REQUIRED FOR GLULAM TIMBER BRIDGES .......... 23 vi 2.9 RAILING SYSTEMS .................................................................................................... 27 2.10 TIMBER BRIDGE ABUTMENTS ................................................................................ 28 2.11 TIMBER BRIDGE FABRICATION............................................................................... 29 3. TRANSVERSE GLULAM DECK ON GLULAM STRINGER BRIDGE TEST SPECIMEN ..................................................................................................................... 31 3.1 DESIGN OF GIRDER BRIDGE TEST SPECIMEN............................................................ 31 3.1.1 Design of Deck Panels ..................................................................................... 33 3.1.2 Design of Girders ............................................................................................. 34 3.1.3 Design of Cross Braces .................................................................................... 35 3.1.4 Design of Deck-to-Stringer Connection ........................................................... 36 3.2 FABRICATION, ASSEMBLY AND TRANSPORTATION OF TEST SPECIMEN .................... 37 3.2.1 Fabrication of Deck Panels ............................................................................. 37 3.2.2 Fabrication of Girders ..................................................................................... 38 3.2.3 Fabrication of Cross Braces ............................................................................ 38 3.2.4 Assembly of Bridge Test Specimen .................................................................. 39 3.2.5 Transportation of Test Specimen ..................................................................... 40 3.3 TEST SETUP .............................................................................................................. 41 3.3.1 Fatigue Test Setup ............................................................................................ 42 3.3.2 Ultimate (Strength) Test Setup ......................................................................... 44 3.4 INSTRUMENTATION .................................................................................................. 44 3.4.1 Strain Gauges ................................................................................................... 45 3.4.2 Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs) ...................................... 46 3.4.3 String Potentiometers (String POTs) ............................................................... 49 vii 3.4.4 Load Cells ........................................................................................................ 50 3.4.5 Data Acquisition System .................................................................................. 51 3.5 TEST PROCEDURE .................................................................................................... 52 3.5.1 Fatigue Testing ................................................................................................ 52 3.5.2 Ultimate Testing ............................................................................................... 54 4. LONGITUDINAL GLULAM DECK TEST SPECIMEN ..................................... 56 4.1 DESIGN OF BRIDGE TEST SPECIMEN ......................................................................... 56 4.1.1 Design of Deck Panels ..................................................................................... 59 4.1.2 Design of Transverse Stiffeners ....................................................................... 60 4.1.3 Design of Deck-to-Stiffener Connections ......................................................... 61 4.2 FABRICATION, ASSEMBLY AND TRANSPORTATION OF TEST SPECIMEN .................... 61 4.2.1 Fabrication of Deck Panels ............................................................................. 61 4.2.2 Fabrication of Stiffeners .................................................................................. 62 4.2.3