Abstract—The increased traffic demand, material ageing, cracking of bridge components, physical damages incurred by concrete, corrosion of reinforcement and inadequate maintenance of bridges necessitate the assessment of bridges periodically for their performances. The accuracy of analytical assessment of bridges depends on the ability of the tool to simulate the problem. The nonlinear analysis is one such tool to simulate the exact material behavior, to evaluate strength in inelastic range and to identify the potential of high load carrying capacity through redistribution, tensile and shear strength. An attempt has been made to perform nonlinear finite element analysis to analyze the component of a selected road bridge. The aim of this dissertation is to study the effects of deck thickness of RCC T-Beam bridge on the properties like Arching action by varying the thickness of the bridge and keeping all the other parameters same. Linear analysis using SAP and nonlinear analysis of the structural element using ANSYS is carried out. Linear analysis is used for the identification of critical component. A single panel of the RCC T-Beam bridge has been chosen for detailed 3D nonlinear analysis. The Solid 65 element is used for modeling the concrete and Beam 188 element is used for modeling the reinforcement. The magnitude of the gravity loads are obtained from the linear analysis. From the present study, it is concluded that decrease in the deck slab thickness by a small value decreases the bending stiffness by about 40% to 50%. Analysis yields deck stresses far in excess of permissible stresses. The cracking propensity increases with decrease in the deck thickness by about 45%. 

Index Terms—arching action, flat dome, cracks, SAP-2000, displacements, ANSYS

Cite: Manjeetkumar M Nagarmunnoli and S V Itti, "Effect of Deck Thickness in Rcc T-Beam Bridge," International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 36-43, February 2014.