Lateral Distribution Factors for Highway Bridges

Abstract

The current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) methods of lateral load distribution in bridges, because of being too simplistic in basic assumptions, have been found to be unrealistic for at least some bridges. A set of new methods of load distribution is presented in this paper for slab‐on‐girder bridges. These methods, which are suitable for adoption in the AASHTO specifications, were developed by using the same principles as those on which the current AASHTO methods are based. While the proposed methods do take into account all those aspects of a bridge that influence its load distribution characteristics, their use is similar in format and simplicity to those of the current AASHTO methods. The paper also critically examines the basic assumptions on which the AASHTO methods are based.