Loads on Bridges

The SUBSTRUCTURE transmits all these loads and

the substructure dead load to the EARTH.

The EARTH supports the bridge and all its loads It’s
all about LOAD PATHS.

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Loads on Bridges:

Loads acting on bridges are divided into

 Primary loads
 Secondary loads
A load is considered primary or secondary according
to the part of the bridge which shall be designed.
Wind loads are secondary loads in designing the
main girders and primary loads in designing the
wind bracings.

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Loads on
Bridges: Secondary loads:
Primary loads: Wind pressure or
 Dead loads earthquake
 Live loads Braking force

 Impact loads Temperature effect

 Centrifugal forces Frictional resistance at

movable bearing.
Effect of shrinkage and
creep of concrete
Forces due to erection

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Loads on Bridges:
Main components of bridge structure:
Super Deck, bearings, kerb, handrails,
structure: expansion joints, drain pipes,
parapet walls, guide posts etc..
Abutments, piers, wing walls,
Sub approach slab etc..
structure: Shallow foundation (isolated,
combined, strip, and raft), deep
Foundation foundation (well and pile
foundation)
Bed lining
Protective
works
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 Loads on
Bridges as per
IRC

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Loads on Bridges:
Classification of Loading:
 IRC Class 70R Loading: This loading is to be
normally adopted on all roads on which permanent
bridges and culverts are constructed. Bridges
designed for Class 70R Loading should be checked
for Class A Loading also as under certain
conditions, heavier stresses may occur under Class
A Loading.
 IRC Class AA Loading: This loading is to be
adopted within certain municipal limits,
contemplated industrial areas, and certain
specified highways. Similar to IRC Class 70R.
 IRC Class A Loading: This loading is to be
normally adopted on all roads on which permanent
bridges and culverts are constructed.
 IRC Class B Loading: This loading is to be
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Loads on Bridges:
Codes Used:
 IRC:06-2014: Standard Specifications and Code of
Practice for Road Bridges, Section II – Loads and
Stresses (Fifth Revision)
 IRC:18-2000: Design Criteria for Prestressed
Concrete Road Bridges (Post-Tensioned Concrete)
(Third Revision) (Amalgamated with IRC:112-2011)
 IRC:21-2000: Standard Specifications and Code of
Practice for Road Bridges, Section III – Cement
Concrete (Plain and Reinforced)
 IRC:22-2008: Standard Specifications and Code of
Practice for Road Bridges, Section VI – Composite
Construction (Limit States
Design) (Second Revision)
 IRC:24-2010: Standard Specifications and Code of
Practice for Road Bridges, Steel Road Bridges 8
Loads on Bridges:
Codes Used:
 IRC:78-2000: Standard Specifications and Code of
Practice for Road Bridges, Section VII – Foundations
and Substructure (Second Revision)
 IRC:83-1999 (Part-I): Standard Specifications
and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section IX –
Bearings, Part I : Metallic Bearings (First Revision)

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Loads on Bridges:
Softwares Used:
 ADAPT-ABI: analysis and design of segmental,
cable-stayed, precast, pre- and post-tensioned,
concrete bridges and girders
 STAAD: including AASHTO, ASD, or LRFD
 SAP2000
 GT STRUDL: linear and nonlinear static and
dynamic analysis features include moving load
generation, response spectrum analysis, pushover
analysis, plastic hinges. New solvers enable the
solution of static and dynamic models with more
than 300,000 degrees of freedom. Also use for the
analysis of cable-stayed and suspension bridges,
tunnels, and seismic retrofit. Impact loads
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Loads on Bridges:
Loads for design of a bridge:
Dead load
 Aggregate weight of complete structure elements
such as deck, wearing coat, parapets, stiffeners
and utilities.

Live load
 Includes vehicle live load That are moving on the
bridge.
 IRC has categorized standards of vehicle live load
as under following categories

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Loads on Bridges:
Classification of Loading:
IRC class 1. Tracked vehicle of 70 t
AA: 2. Wheeled vehicle of 40 t
 National highways; State
highways; Major district roads
1. Other district roads; Village
IRC class A: roads and cart tracks
Temporary structures like timber
IRC class B bridges

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Loads on Bridges:
Classification of Loading:

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Loads on Bridges:
Classification of Loading:
If a bridge designed
for IRC class AA
loading then it will
automatically
satisfied IRC class A
& class B loading.

IRC 70R is not used

in India. It is used
only in USA.

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Loads on Bridges:
Classification of Loading:

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Loads on Bridges:
Classification of Loading:
Reduction in the longitudinal effect on bridges
accommodating more than two traffic lanes

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Loads on Bridges:
Impact loads:
 It is account for the dynamic effects of sudden
loading of a vehicle on bridge structure.
 It is calculated by multiplying the live load with an
impact factor.
 The impact factor is calculated as the IRC-6
suggested which are discussed below.

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Loads on Bridges:
Impact factor for IRC CLASS A loading
If=A/(B+L)
Where If=Impact factor
A=constant( 4.5 for RCC bridge & 9.0 for
STEEL bridge)
B=constant (6.0 for RCC bridge & 13.5 for
STEEL bridge)
L= effective span

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Loads on Bridges:

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Loads on Bridges:

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Loads on Bridges:
Centrifugal forces:
 Consider for bridge constructed on horizontal
curve.
 Where a road bridge is situated on a curve, all
portions of the structure affected by the centrifugal
action of moving vehicles are to be proportioned to
carry safely the stress induced by this action in
addition to all other stress to which they may be
subjected.

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Loads on Bridges:
Wind forces:
 This clause is applicable to normal span bridges
with individual span length up to 150 m or for
bridges with height of pier up to 100 m. For all
other bridges including cable stayed bridges,
suspension bridges and ribbon bridges specialist
literature shall be used for computation of design
wind load.
 The intensity of wind force shall be based on
hourly mean wind speed and pressure. The hourly
mean wind speed and pressure values corresponds
to a basic wind speed of 33 m/s, return period of
100 years, for bridges situated in plain terrain and
terrain with obstructions, with a flat topography.

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Loads on Bridges:
Wind forces:

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Loads on Bridges:
Wind forces:
 The transverse wind force FT (in N) shall be
taken as acting at the centroids of the appropriate
areas and horizontally and shall be estimated from:
FT = PzAtGCD
where, Pzis the hourly mean wind pressure in N/m2
(see Table 5), At is the solid area in m2 (see Clause
209.3.2), G is the gust factor and CDis the drag
coefficient depending on the geometric shape of
bridge deck.

 The longitudinal force on bridge superstructure

FL (in N) shall be taken as 25 percent and 50
percent of the transverse wind load as calculated
as per Clause 209.3.3 for beam/box/plate girder
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bridges and truss girder bridges respectively.
Loads on Bridges:
Wind forces:
 An upward or downward vertical wind load FV (in N)
acting at the centroid of the appropriate areas, for
all superstructures shall be derived from:
FV = PzA3GCL
CL is the lift coefficient which shall be taken as 0.75
for normal type of slab, box, l-girder and plate
girder bridges. For other type of deck cross-
sections shall be ascertained either from wind
tunnel tests or, if available, for similar type of
structure. Specialist literature shall be referred to.

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Loads on Bridges:
Seismic forces:
The effect of vertical component may be omitted for
all elements in zones II and III, except for the
following cases

a) prestressed concrete decks

b) bearings and linkages
c) horizontal cantilever structural elements
d) bridges located in the 'Near Field Regions‘

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Loads on Bridges:
Seismic forces:
Combination of Component Motions

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Loads on Bridges:
Seismic forces:
Horizontal seismic force
Feq = Ah (Dead Load + Appropriate Live Load)

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Loads on Bridges:
Seismic forces:

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Loads on Bridges:
Seismic forces:

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Loads on Bridges:
Seismic forces:

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