Horizontal Load Transfer in Structural Concrete Bridge Deck Overlays

Abstract

Full‐depth structural concrete overlays in bridge deck rehabilitation require special interface design and construction joint preparation between the old bridge deck and the overlay in order to ensure monolithic structural action of the overlaid bridge superstructure under all loading conditions. The effectiveness of interface dowels for horizontal shear transfer in connection with clean and speciallyroughened contact surfaces is investigated. Preliminary analytical studies of the horizontal shear‐transfer behavior of overlaid reinforced concrete bridge decks and experimental results on the effects of interface preparations and dowels from shearblock tests, full‐scale transverse bridge deck slab panel tests, and a full‐scale prototype bridge deck test are presented. The full‐scale prototype bridge deck test was performed on a section of a reinforced concrete T‐girder bridge that had been in service for 25 years. A detailed account of analytical and experimental investigations of the horizontal load‐transfer behavior is presented, and the basis for simple capacity design considerations for dowel reinforcement in full‐depth structural concrete overlays is provided.