Design of Skew Bridges (With Diagram)

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After reading this article you will learn about the design of skew bridges with the help of diagrams.

The behaviour of skew bridges differs widely from that of normal bridges and therefore, the design of skew bridges needs

special attention. In normal bridges, the deck slab is perpendicular to the supports and as such the load placed on the deck

slab is transferred to the supports which are placed normal to the slab.

Load transference from a skew slab bridge, on the other-hand, is a complicated problem because there remains always a

doubt as to the direction in which the slab will span and the manner in which the load will be transferred to the support.

It is believed that the load travels to the support in proportion to the rigidity of the various paths and since the thickness of

the slab is the same everywhere, the rigidity will be maximum along shortest span i.e. along the span normal to the faces of

the piers or abutments.

In Fig. 9.1, though the span of the deck is the length BC or DE, the slab will span along AB or CD being the shortest distance

between the supports. Therefore, the plane of maximum stresses in a skew slab are not parallel to the centre line of roadway

and the deflection of such slab produces a warped surface.

The effect of skew in deck slabs having skew angles up to 20 degrees, is not so significant and in designing such bridges, the

length parallel to the centre line of the roadway is taken as the span. The thickness of the slab and the reinforcement are

calculated with this span lengths and the reinforcement are placed parallel to the centre line of the roadway.

The distribution bars are, however, placed parallel to the supports as usual. When the skew angle varies from 20 degrees to

50 degrees, the skew effect becomes significant and the slab tends to span normal to the supports.

In such cases, the slab thickness is determined with shortest span but the reinforcement worked out on the basis of shortest

span are multiplied by Sec.2 θ (θ being the skew angle) and are placed parallel to the roadway as shown in Fig. 9.2a, the

distribution bars being placed parallel to the supports as usual.

It is also a common practice to place the reinforcement perpendicular to the support when the skew angle lies between 20

degrees to 50 degrees.

The thickness and the reinforcement are determined with span normal to the support but since in placing the reinforcement

perpendicular to the supports, the corner reinforcement within the area ABF or CDE (Fig. 9.1) do not get any support on one

side to rest on, the slab below the footpath (for bridge with footpath) or below the road kerb (for bridge without footpath)
shall be provided with extra reinforcement to act as concealed beam.
Alternatively, parapet girders as illustrated in Fig. 9.2b and 9.2c may also be provided along the edge of the slab. Such parapet

girders are made flush with the bottom of the slab and extended above the slab to the required height to form the solid

parapet. This sort of deck requires less quantity of steel in slabs but parapet girders need additional cost.

For skew bridges angles more than 50 degrees, girders should be used even though the spans are comparatively less. Where

the width of the bridge is not much, the girders may be placed parallel to the roadway and the slab thickness and the

reinforcement may be designed with the spacing of the girders as the span.

The reinforcement are placed normal to the girders (Fig. 9.3a). In wider multi-lane skew crossings with large skew angles,

however, it is preferable to use the girders at right angles to the supports. In such cases again, the triangular portions need

parapet girders to support one end of the girders. The reinforcement are used normal to the girders as shown in Fig. 9.3b.

Reaction at Support:

It has been observed that due to the effect of skew, the reactions at supports are not equal but the same is more at obtuse

angle comers and less at acute angle corners depending on the angle of skew.

For skews up-to 20 degrees, the increase, in the reaction on the obtuse angle corners is zero to 50 per cent and for skews

from 20 degrees to 50 degrees, the increase is from 50 per cent to 90 per cent of the average reaction. The reaction on the
obtuse angle corner becomes twice the average reaction thus making the acute angle corner a zero pressure point when the

skew angle reaches about 60 degrees.

Observations reveal that the longer diagonal of the skew deck connecting the acute angle corners has a tendency to elongate

due possibly to the nature of the load transference on the supports resulting in the movement or creep of the acute angle

comers as illustrated in Fig. 9.5a.

This creeping effect of the deck slab induces tension along longer diagonal and tension cracks may appear if sufficient steel

is not provided to cater for this tensile stress (Fig. 9.5b). Also on account of the creep, lifting and consequential cracks occur

at the acute angle corners and additional steel requires to be provided at the top in both directions to prevent crack due to

lifting of the corners.

It may be seen in Fig. 9.5a that due to the creep of the deck slab, considerable thrust is induced on the wing walls at X and Y

i.e. at the junction of abutment and the wing wall resulting in development of cracks in wing walls or heavy damage.

In order to avoid the damage to wing walls due to creep effect, it has been suggested by some authorities to provide fixed

bearings over abutments instead of free bearings so that movement of the deck due to creep effect is prevented over the

abutments.

Sometimes the deck slab is fixed to the abutment cap with dowel bars which seems to be the most effective means of guarding
against the creep effect Creep may be stopped over piers by providing some raised blocks or buffers over piers.

This arrangement is shown in Fig. 9.6:

Preventive measure should be taken to guard against the movement of the deck due to creep. It is suggested that the following

steps, if taken, may produce the desired result.

(i) Up to 15.0 m span for a single span bridge fixed bearings on both the abutments may be used. The construction of single

span concrete bridges with two fixed bearings has been used for years by the Wisconsin Highway Commission for span

lengths up to 45 feet (13.72 m). None of these bridges showed signs of creep.

(ii) For multi-span simply supported bridges, fixed bearings over the abutments and free or fixed bearings over the piers.

With this arrangement, it may be necessary to use two free bearings on one pier.

The layout of the bearings should be such that no obstruction is created against the free movement of the expansion bearings.

This requires the bearings to be oriented at right angles to the girders instead of parallel to the piers or abutments (similar

to the normal crossings). The typical layouts of the bearings in skew bridges are indicated in Fig. 9.7.

Layout of Expansion Joints S:

The main difference in the various types of layout illustrated in Fig. 9.7 is in the manner of providing the expansion joint

between the adjacent decks. For getting straight expansion joint, the type shown in Fig.9.7a is adopted but it requires more

pier width since some space between the bearings of the adjacent spans remains unused.

The type of Fig. 9.7b also gives a straight joint but in order to reduce the width of pier, the bearings are to be brought closer.
This necessitates encroachment of deck on the girders of the adjacent spans which is achieved by making a notch over the

affected portions of the girders and the deck slab rests on these notches. Suitable joint filler like lead sheet or tarred paper

may be inserted between the girders and the deck slab for free movement of the expansion joint.

The width of pier as well as the location of the bearings for the type shown in Fig. 9.7c are the same as in Fig. 9.7b but a saw-

toothed type of expansion joint is adopted here with a view to avoid the sort of arrangements necessary for the second one.

Each of the types described herein has certain merits and demerits and the one most suited for the bridge under

consideration may be used. The major points which a designer has to consider carefully in the design of skew bridges have

been described here very briefly.

Now to illustrate the design principles, one worked out example is presented below:

Example:

Design a solid slab skew bridge having a clear span of 7.5 m along the roadway without any footpath and a

skew angle of 25 degrees with IRC loading for N.H. Standard. M20 grade concrete and S415 grade steel will

be used:

Solution:

Since the skew angle exceeds 20 degrees, the slab thickness may be designed with span normal to the support and the

reinforcement worked out with this span may be multiplied by Sec. 2θ and the same may be provided parallel to the roadway.

Clear span normal to the supports = 7.5 cos 25′ = 7.5 x 0.9063 = 6.80 m

Effective span = Clear span + effective depth

Assuming an overall slab thickness of 600 mm, effective depth is 600 – 40 = 560 mm. = 0.56 m.

... Effective span = 6.80 + 0.56 = 7.36 m.

Dead load moment:

...Dead load moment per metre width = 1800× (7.36)2 =12,190 Kgm.

Live load moment:

Single lane of Class 70-R tracked vehicle when placed centrally will produce maximum-moment.
Distribution Steel:

Distribution steel may be calculated on the same principle as in the case of design of square crossing solid slab bridge.

Moment in the transverse direction = 0.3 LLM + 0.2 other moments = 0.3 x 13,520 + 0.2 x 12,190 = 6494 Kgm. = 63,600

Nm.

... As = 63,600 x 103/200 x 543 x0.904 = 648 mm2

Adopt 12 Φ HYSD bars @150 (As = 753 mm2)

Shear and Bond Stress:

The increase of support reaction near obtuse angle corner shall be duly considered in working out the shear and bond

stresses.

Since the skew angle is 25 degrees, the maximum reaction at the obtuse angle corner may be taken as 1.55 times the normal

reaction (Fig. 9.4). Average increased value for the half width of the deck may be taken as 1.30 times the normal reaction.

... Maximum D.L. Shear per metre width = 1800 x 7.36/2 x 1.30 = 8610Kg.

Live Load Shear:

Two types of arrangement of reinforcement in line are shown in Fig. 9.10 and 9.11 respectively. Reinforcement at top of acute

angle corners are provided to prevent cracks due to lifting of the acute angle corners.

The area of main reinforcement, if placed perpendicular to the support, is 2490 mm2 in which case 22 θ @ 150 mm gives As

= 2535 mm2. However, if the reinforcement is placed parallel to the roadway, area of steel required = 3038 mm 2 for which

22 Φ@ 125 mm is required to be provided (As = 3040 mm2).

Details of Few Skew Slab Bridges:

The spans (effective right span at right angles to the supports) for which the details are available are 4.37 m, 5.37 m, 6.37 m

and 8.37 m with skew angles of 15′, 30′, 45′ and 60 for each span.

The design is based on M20 grade concrete and S415 grade steel. Salient features of these skew bridges are given in Table

9.1 and 9.2. For further details, the standard plans under reference may be referred.