Analysis of a Prefabricated Concrete Skew Angle Slab Bridge

Sammanfattning: Prefabricated concrete elements are widely used in the construction industry today. With advantages such as time savings, increased safety at the construction site and minimized material usage, prefab becomes a major challenger to the traditional on-site casting construction method. However, constructing a bridge in concrete still presents challenges when using prefab as a construction method. Hence, more research in the area is needed. This master thesis has been studying the behavior of a prefabricated skew angle slab and the connection between the slab and wall elements of a bridge. The study was conducted using a finite element software, where three 3D-models of skew angle slabs were created. The three models had different skew angles (0, 15 and 30 degrees) and crossed the same path. The models could represent both the slab and the slab-wall connection. The finite element analysis showed that slabs with angles up to 15 degrees could be designed as a straight bridge. However, when the skew angle increases to 30 degrees, the behavior of the slab and connection changes significantly. Furthermore, the results show that a stress concentration occurs in the obtuse corner and that the stress increases when the skew angle increases. Moreover, there is a slight uplift in the acute corner when the skew angle increases to 30 degrees.