Nonlinear Finite-Element Analysis for Highway Bridge Superstructures

The most popular type of bridge in service today is the concrete deck on steel-girder composite bridge. A finite-element model is built to analyze the superstructure of this type of bridge under working load conditions. The deflections along a test bridge are computed by using this method; the results obtained are close to the experimental data. The concrete deck of the bridge is analyzed using nonlinear finite elements, of which the analytical procedure is described in detail. A comparison is also made between this method and the traditional transformed area method.