Doctoral Dissertations

Keywords and Phrases

assessment; bridge engineering; impact dynamics; overheight vehicles; Prestressed girders; retrofitting

Abstract

Over height vehicle collisions pose a growing threat to the resilience of bridge infrastructure across the United States. According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA, 2024), approximately 36% of all U.S. bridges require major repair or replacement, with an estimated cost of $400 billion. This dissertation investigates the structural dynamic response, damage assessment, and retrofitting strategies for prestressed concrete (PC) bridge girders subjected to lateral impact loading.

The research comprised two main phases: (1) numerical modeling and (2) experimental testing. A validated 3D nonlinear finite element (FE) model was developed to conduct parametric studies on impact behavior, dynamic response, and residual strength of prestressed concrete (PC) girders subjected to overheight vehicle impacts. Experimental testing involved thirteen full-scale MoDOT Type II girders. One girder served as a control, eight were tested under lateral impact, and three damaged girders were evaluated—two retrofitted with externally bonded CFRP and tested in flexure, and one tested for residual capacity.

Given the absence of reliable impact force models in U.S. bridge codes, a 500 kN equivalent static load was proposed. The study introduced two novel relationships: impulse–drift and impulse–impact force, linking impact demand to girder response. A practical mechanics-based method was also developed to estimate flexural capacity under asymmetric prestress loss, validated to within 9.2% of experimental results. Finally, CFRP retrofitting restored or exceeded original flexural capacity (up to 15% gain) in girders with 17–33% strength loss, aided by improved U-wrap anchorage.

Advisor(s)

ElGawady, Mohamed

Committee Member(s)

Chen, Genda
Myers, John J.
Birman, V. (Victor)
Schonberg, William P.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Civil Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Summer 2025

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

Paper I: Pages 18-63 is intended to be submitted for publication to Journal ASCE Bridge Engineering.

Paper II: Pages 64-101 was submitted for publication to the Journal of Transportation Research Record.

Paper III: Pages 102-137 is intended to be submitted for publication to Journal ASCE Bridge Engineering.

Paper IV: Pages 138-184 is intended to be submitted for publication to Journal ASCE Bridge Engineering.

Paper V: Pages 185-221 is intended to be submitted for publication to the Journal of PCI.

Paper VI: Pages 222-256 is intended to be submitted for publication to Journal ASCE Bridge Engineering.

Pagination

xxiii, 373 pages

Rights

© 2025 Haitham A AbdelMalek , All Rights Reserved

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12530

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