Zerstörende Belastungsversuche zur Untersuchung des Schubtragverhaltens von vorgespannten Trägern einer Straßenbrücke

Ultimate Load Tests on Girders Concerning the Shear Load Behaviour of a Prestressed Road Bridge

At the beginning of the 1950s, the use of prestressed concrete for bridge structures rapidly increased. Many of these structures, which are still in use, have less shear reinforcement than required by current codes. Therefore, the question arises whether sufficient load-carrying-capacity (according to the state of the art) can still be ensured or not. In the course of the destruction of a bridge, which was built in the year 1952, the Institute for Structural Engineering at Vienna University of Technology got the possibility to carry out tests concerning the shear load carrying capacity of the continuous beam of a bridge construction. The beams were removed during the demolition work of the bridge. The article contains a description of the bridge structure, the results of the load tests, a comparison of the calculated shear load capacity with the measured loads and the results of a non-linear finite-element-simulation of the tests.