Interim Report of Research on Full-Scale Prestressed Panel Type Bridge (145-Prog)

One span of a full-scale highway bridge was constructed and subjected to cyclic axle loads at three load positions. The bridge was constructed with four Texas Highway Department Type B prestressed beams, prestressed panels for the lower portion of the deck, and cast-in-place concrete which bonded the prestressed elements together and formed the upper portion of the deck. The pretensioned prestressed panels served as stay-in-place forms for the cast-in-place portion of the deck. They later became an integral part of the structural deck. Cyclic axle loads of 41.6 kips were applied to the bridge at two locations at midspan and one location at quarterspan to evaluate the performance of this type of bridge construction. Performance was evaluated by determining the response of the bridge to static loads before and after cyclic loading. Beam deflections, beam strains, and slab strains were measured to determine the structure's response. Two million applications of load have been applied in each of the three positions, and no structural distress has occurred.