Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593

www.elsevier.com/locate/compstruc

Practical crack control during the construction

of precast segmental box girder bridges
Do-Young Moon a, Jongsung Sim a, Hongseob Oh b,*

a
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 1271 Sa1-dong, Ansan 425-791, South Korea
b
Department of Civil Engineering, Jinju National University, 150 Chilam-dong, Jinju, Kyeongnam 660-758, South Korea

Received 7 October 2004; accepted 16 May 2005

Available online 12 September 2005

Abstract

Cracks that occurred in the bottom slab of a precast segmental bridge were investigated through a construction
sequence analysis, which revealed that the cracks were caused by excessive deformation during temporary post-tension-
ing while joining the segments. In addition, a parametric study was performed to evaluate the eects of the prestressing
sequence, bottom slab thickness, and position of the prestressing anchors. The structural behavior of the girder sections
was greatly aected by the thickness of the bottom slab and the position of prestressing anchors, but not by the pres-
tressing sequence. Based on the results, a construction method that prevents the cracks is proposed.

2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Construction sequence analysis; FE analysis; PC box girder; Precast segmental bridge; Structural behavior; Temporary
prestressing

1. Introduction The Seo-hae grand bridge, which is an oversea bridge

Prestressed concrete box girder bridges were devel-
oped in Europe in the 1950s, and are widely used in both
mid- and long-span bridge construction for reasons of
economy and aesthetics. In particular, quality control
is easily ensured when precast segmental box girder
bridges are constructed using the span-by-span method,
because the mechanization of the construction work al-
lows contracts for the spans to be awarded for a term
that extends over many construction projects. Therefore,
this technique has been used in many of the prestressed
concrete girder bridges constructed in Korea since 1980.
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 55 751 3299; fax: +82 55
751 3209.
E-mail address: hongseob@jinju.ac.kr (H. Oh).
with a total length of 7.3 km that was completed in early
2001, also used this method, except for the cable-stayed
portion of the bridge, as shown in Fig. 1.
In precast segmental construction, the bridge seg-
ments are constructed osite. They are then trucked or
barged to the bridge site and lifted into place with a
crane or gantry, as depicted in Fig. 2. The size of the seg-
ments is aected primarily by the method of transport
that is available. For example, a bridge located near a
navigable waterway can use larger segments because
they can be transported by barge. If the segments must
be transported by truck, they are generally limited to
widths that can travel within a roadway lane. In the
span-by-span method, a segmental box is placed on
the pier, moved by an overslung truss, and post-
tensioned after it has been erected.

0045-7949/$ - see front matter
2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.compstruc.2005.05.001
 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593
FCM
PSM
Cable stayed Bridge
PSM
P55 FCM
P41
P40
Pyungtak
Pier5~ Pier6
Fig. 1. The bridge plans and inspected bridge section.
The forms are then released and moved forward. At
this point in the sequence, an entire span of segments is
supported by an overhead gantry until it is post-ten-
sioned and self-supporting. The truss or girder is then
launched to the next adjacent pier, and the process is re-
peated. This type of construction usually requires addi-
tional clearances owing to the supporting truss. Even
though the cross-sectional structural stiness is high
and the structural behavior after construction has been
completed is comparatively simple, precautions must
be taken during conveyance and construction because
each sequence is complicated and the segments are very
heavy [1].
Construction of precast segmental box girder bridges
erected using the span-by-span method must consider
the moment redistribution that takes place over the ser-
vice life of the structure because of the time-dependent
deformation of the concrete and the repeated changes
in the structural system that occur during construction
[2]. This means that to preserve the safety and service-
ability of the bridge an analysis must be performed that
considers the construction sequence. In particular, dur-
ing assembly of the segments, each new segment that is
positioned by the temporary overhead gantry or form
traveler must be post-tensioned to the previous segment
by using an external temporary tendon to maintain the
continuity of the segments. At this point in the sequence,
the stress in the bottom slab of the segment suddenly
changes due to the post-tensioning, and there is a risk
that the slab will either crack or collapse. Cracking of
a bridge that spans seawater can lead to additional cor-
rosion of the steel bars and prestressing of the tendons
during its service life. Therefore, precise analysis of the
structural system response of precast segment box girder
bridges is required for each change in loading that oc-
curs during the construction sequence [3].
This study addressed the structural system response
of a precast segment box girder bridge. The stress state
2585
PSM
Dangjin
P100 A2
P74
P56
Pier87~ Pier88
in the temporary tensioning phase, when a prestressing
steel bar is used to combine a fore segment with the sub-
sequent segment, was assessed, and the cause of hairline
cracks that developed during construction was exam-
ined. A countermeasure to control the cracking is
proposed. The eect of design variables such as the
sectional properties and tensioning procedures of the
steel bars are considered in the countermeasure. There-
fore, the proposed technique is practical and may be
used to improve quality control and safety during the
construction of precast segmental box girder bridges.
2. Crack patterns and cause of crack propagation
2.1. Construction sequence and NDT results
The box girder bridge considered in this paper was
designed and constructed using the span-by-span meth-
od and supported with an overhead gantry, as shown in
Fig. 2. Numerous longitudinal hairline cracks were
found on the bottom slabs of the box girder during
the initial service life. A NDT test and FE analysis were
performed on the box girder between Piers No. 5 and 6
in Fig. 1, and on the box girder between Piers No. 87
and 88, in Fig. 1.
2.1.1. Construction sequence and method
Figs. 2 and 3 show the construction sequence of the
box girder, and Fig. 3(b) depicts the position of the
anchorages and the stressing sequence for temporary
post-tensioning. The assembly procedure for the seg-
ments was: (1) spread epoxy on the joint of each seg-
ment, (2) apply temporary jacking to the attached
segments, (3) install a wedge for spacing, and (4) cast
the closure joint. The construction details are shown in
Fig. 2. An analysis of the construction showed that a
temporary prestressing compressive stress of more than
2586 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593
Fig. 2. Falsework and assembling of segment.
3.4 MPa was applied to the segment joints. In addition,
600 kN of temporary prestressing was introduced over
three steps, ! ! , from each of the ve prestress-
ing steel bars shown in Fig. 3(b).
2.1.2. Crack patterns and NDT results
An inspection of a precast box girder bridge found
numerous longitudinal cracks on the bottom slabs, as
shown Fig. 4. The nondestructive test results, such as
the Schmidt hammer test and PUNDIT test, are summa-
rized in Table 1. Pundit test uses the through transmis-
sion method of ultrasonic pulse to determine material
characteristics, such as compressive strength and depth
of crack. It generates low-frequency ultrasonic pulses
and measures the time taken for them to pass from
one transducer to the other. It has become part of many
national standards for concrete testing [4]. The ultra-
sonic equipment used in this study consisted of pulser/
receiver pundit device. The device generates and receives
ultrasonic waves and has a digital display of the results.
The device can be used with piezoelectric transducers
over a frequency range from 20 to 500 kHz. The pundit
device was used to read the time required for ultrasonic
waves to transfer across the specimen. The distance
between the transducers, which is 30 cm, was divided
by the measured time to calculate the wave velocity.
Four readings were performed for each specimen and
averaged.
The crack depth was estimated from the PUNDIT
test using the BS method [4],
s
4T 21  T 22
h 150 1
T 22  T 21
where h is the crack depth, and T1 and T2 are the ultra-
sonic delivery times at an estimated spacing of 15 and
30 cm along the crack. The average crack depth calcu-
lated from Eq. (1) was within 10 cm of the observed
 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593 2587

Fig. 3. Construction sequence and cross-section of precast segment box girder bridge: (a) construction sequence (the numbers , and
mean the position of temporary tendons and the prestressing sequence) and (b) cross-section.

Fig. 4. Crack details and overall crack patterns of bridge: (a) typical crack patterns and (b) crack patterns.

values. These are summarized in Table 2. The cracks
propagated from the segment joints. The crack width
ranged between 0.1 and 0.25 mm, and the crack length
ranged between 50 and 100 cm. Additional extensions
or further crack development did not occur.
2.1.3. Hypothetical cause of crack propagation
The crack patterns and the possibility of existing
cracks propagating further were evaluated with a visual
inspection of the inside and outside of the box girder
bridge. Nondestructive ultrasonic and Schmidt hammer
tests were used to estimate the concrete strength and
crack depths. The inspection revealed that all cracks that
developed on the bottom slab of the box girder propa-
gated from a segment joint. We assumed that these
cracks were not caused by manufacturing errors such
as dry shrinkage and insucient concrete cover because
each segment box was cast, cured, and transported to
2588 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593

Table 1
The compressive strength of concrete based on the NDT
Estimated strength (MPa)
Schmidt St. dev. PUNDIT St. dev.
hammer
Bottom slab of box girder between P5 and P6 42.12 5.62 52.55 1.9
Bottom slab of box girder between P87 and P88 44.05 6.15 53.21 2.66

Table 2
The estimated crack depth
Average (cm) St. dev.
Bottom slab of box 8.2 0.85
girder between P5 and P6
Bottom slab of box 8.4 0.93
girder between P87 and P88

the bridge site following precise quality control mea-

sures. Therefore, either the cracks developed owing to
the self-weight of the segment box girder supported by
the overhead gantry, or the cracks were propagated be- Fig. 5. FE analysis model.
cause the local tensile stress in the bottom slab was
greater than the tensile strength of the concrete when
temporary prestressing steel bars were stressed to bond
the epoxy between the segments during the construction
sequence.

2.2. Finite element analysis for crack assessment

Each of the two possible crack causes was evaluated

through a nite element (FE) analysis. The commercial
structural analysis program MIDAS [5], which was
developed in Korea, was used. The concrete section
and prestressing steel bars were modeled by eightnode
solid element and as bar elements, respectively.

2.2.1. Risk estimate of crack propagation by excessive

dead load
The box segment depicted in Fig. 3(b) was modeled
to estimate the risk of crack propagation caused by
the dead load bending moment of the moving precast
segment when it was positioned or moved in place by
the overhead gantry. The material properties used in
the analysis were the existing design data and NDT re-
sults. The compressive strength and elastic modulus of
the concrete were 45 MPa and 2.93 104 MPa, respec-
tively. The segment box was supported on the launching
truss as depicted in Fig. 2, and roller conditions were as-
sumed in the FE model as shown in Fig. 5.
The stress contours of segment obtained from the FE
analysis are depicted in Fig. 6. The maximum compres-
sive stress and the maximum tensile stress in the top slab
of the segment was 1.72 and 2.0 MPa, respectively. Be-
cause the mid-span tensile stress in the bottom slab,
Fig. 6. Stress contour and deformation by dead load.
where the cracks developed in the actual segment box
was only 0.7 MPa, there was no possibility that the
cracks developed as a result of the dead load during
the moving or positioning phases.
2.2.2. Risk estimate of crack propagation as a result of
external prestressing by the temporary tendon
In this analysis, the two segments that were posi-
tioned on a truss after the epoxy bonding procedure
were considered to be a perfectly bonded structure, as
shown in Fig. 7, to evaluate the risk of crack propaga-
tion being caused by the external temporary prestressing
steel bars. In this analysis, the temporary prestressing
steel bars were modeled as truss elements with an elastic
modulus of 2.0 105 MPa.
 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593 2589

Fig. 7. Modeling of prestressing sequence: (a) prestressing sequence and (b) after prestressing.

The supports for the two segments positioned on a
falsework truss were modeled using the roller condition,
and the end section of the previously launched segment
nearest to the pier was modeled with hinges. The FE
model for this analysis is depicted in Fig. 8. The tempo-
rary prestressing applied in the three steps ( ! ! )
shown in Fig. 3 was analyzed in the same manner.
The deformation shapes obtained from the FE anal-
ysis for each segment after external prestressing are
shown in Fig. 9. After temporary prestressing was ap-
plied to structurally integrate the two segments, upward
and downward deformations occurred in the top and
bottom slabs, respectively, of the two segments. The
deformation of the second segment, which had a free
end, was larger. In particular, an unexpectedly large
local deformation occurred in the nearby anchor blocks
that were placed on the bottom slab of the second
segment to anchor the temporary tendons. This defor-
mation characteristic was very dierent from either
the overall deformation of the segments during the
construction sequence or the structural behavior of the
entire bridge system caused by live loads once construc-
tion was completed. These deformation patterns and
stress variations in the segments during construction
could not be predicted from the results of the conven-
tional construction sequence analysis based on a frame
analysis.
The deformation and stress contours of the bottom
slab in the same direction are depicted in Fig. 10. The
maximum tensile stress in the bottom slab of the second
segment, which occurred in the actual crack propagation
region, was 4.03 MPa. This stress is similar
p to the rup-
ture modulus of concrete (fr 0:63 fc0 4:24 MPa,
fc0 45:0 MPa) [6]. Therefore, the risk of a crack occur-
ring during the external prestressing state was greater
then that during the other construction sequences.

Fig. 8. Support condition of FE model: (a) FE model, (b) side view and (c) plan view.
2590 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593

Fig. 9. Deformation of the segment after temporary prestressing.

Fig. 10. Deformation and stress contour of segment 1 by temporary prestressing in original case: (a) stress contour of top slab,
(b) stress contour of bottom slab, (c) deection in front view and (d) half section.

3. Case studies of the prestressed concrete box design
parameters
The authors wished to investigate the structural
behavior and stress variation of a segment during the
temporary prestressing phase using a 3-dimensional FE
analysis, and to propose an eective construction tech-
nique to control cracking during construction phases
using analytical results based on a parametric study.
Dierences in the structural behavior owing to design
variables, such as the sequence of the temporary pres-
tressing bars (Case 1), thickness of the bottom slab of
the segment (Case 2), and the anchorage position of
the prestressing bars (Case 3), were analyzed and related
to the sectional deformation and stress distribution in
the segment.
 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593 2591

3.1. Eect of the temporary prestressing sequence tensile stress of the bottom slab was 2.5 MPa, or approx-
(Case 1) imately 1.5 MPa less than the stress of the original seg-
ment. The deformation prole caused by the stressing
The eect of the construction sequence that was fol- sequence was similar to that observed with the original
lowed as the temporary prestressing steel bars were slab, but the deformation of the bottom slab decreased
jacked to form a web to the bottom slab of the segment by 60%. This resulted from the stiness increment of
was analyzed by reversing the prestressing steps the bottom slab and veried that increasing the thick-
(( ! ! in Fig. 3(b)). The resulting stresses and ness of the bottom slab was an eective means of crack
deformation are summarized in Table 3 and Fig. 10, control. However, increasing the thickness also in-
and the nal deformation after prestressing by the tem- creased the dead load and reduced the structural e-
porary steel bars is shown in Fig. 11. The tensile stress in ciency of the segment.
the bottom slab was 0.4 MPa lower after the rst and
second prestressing states as compared to the stress ob- 3.3. Eect of the anchorage position (Case 3)
tained following the original sequence ( ! ! ).
However, the nal stresses after the temporary prestress- An alternative segment box was analyzed, in which
ing were almost the same. the anchor blocks that were used to attach the external
While the deformation of the bottom slab in the rst temporary prestressing steel bars were moved to the
and second prestressing phases was deliberately chan- joint of the web and the bottom slab, from the midpoint
ged, the nal deformation of the bottom slab after the of the bottom slab, as depicted in Fig. 3(b). The deec-
third external prestressing phase was relatively large tion and stress contours of the alternative segment box
and almost equal to the deformation in the original case. model are shown in Fig. 12. From the results, the tensile
For the top slab, however, an upward deformation oc- stress of the bottom slab greatly decreased to 2.17 MPa.
curred in the rst prestressing stage, but the slab then As depicted in Fig. 11, the deformation of the bottom
recovered owing to the additional stressing, contrary slab in Case 3 decreased remarkably as compared to
to what was observed in the original design. the other cases, while the deformation of the top slab
was similar to the other cases. The change in deection
3.2. Eect of bottom slab thickness (Case 2) at each prestressing step was relatively small, within
0.1 mm. Therefore, moving the anchoring positions
In this analysis, the thickness of the bottom slab was was the more eective technique for controlling cracking
increased from 20 cm to 30 cm. From the results, the during construction.
The theoretical deection change depended on the
prestressing steps, which followed the procedure de-
Table 3
Analytical stress at crack scribed in the primary design plan shown in Fig. 13. In
the gure, the y-axis gives the maximum deformation
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
of the top and bottom slabs of the second segment (Seg-
(MPa) (MPa) (MPa)
ment in Fig. 9) at each prestressing step. The initial
Original design 4.01 4.02 4.03 deformation of the segment caused by the dead load
Case 1 3.60 3.60 4.03 prior to prestressing was assumed to be 0, and is denoted
Case 2 2.50 2.52 2.53
as Reference in the gure. Also, (+) is an upward defor-
Case 3 1.73 1.76 2.17
mation to the reference level of the top slab and () is a

Fig. 11. The comparison original deformation with other cases: (a) original case, (b) Case 1, (c) Case 2 and (d) Case 3.
2592 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593
Fig. 12. FE model and results of Case 3: (a) modeling and (b) half section.
0.2
Original case
0.15 Case1
0.1 Case 2
Deflection(mm)
0.05 Case 3
0 0
Reference Step 1 Step 2
-0.05
-0.1
-0.15
a Prestressing sequence
Fig. 13. The deection variation of prestressing sequences: (a) top slab and (b) bottom slab.
downward deformation to the reference level of the bot-
tom slab. The increment of the upward deformation in
the bottom slab was higher after the rst step, and the
increment after additional prestressing at the web of
the segment was relatively small. For the top slab, a
downward deformation occurred owing to prestressing
of the bottom slab, but the slab recovered smoothly
from the additional jacking of the prestressing tendon
in the upper web of the segment. The stresses acting in
the transverse direction obtained from the FE analysis
are summarized in Table 3. Excessive deformation and
tensile stresses caused by either the prestressing force
in the bottom slab or an insucient bottom slab thick-
ness can be assumed to be the cause of the longitudinal
cracks that developed on the bottom surface of the lower
slab of the segment. This takes into account the identical
crack patterns and analytical results.
4. Conclusions
The authors investigated the stress variation and
deformation characteristics of a segment during the con-
struction of an actual precast segment box girder bridge,
using a sequence analysis, and veried proposed con-
struction techniques to control the cracks that developed
during construction. A FE analysis and NDT results
showed that longitudinal cracks developed on the
2
1.5
1
Deflection(mm)
0.5
Step 3 Reference Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
-0.5 Original case
Case1
-1
Case 2
Case 3
-1.5
b Prestressing sequence
bottom slab of the segment box in a direction parallel
to the bridge. These were caused by excessive tensile
stresses and the deformation that occurred during tem-
porary external prestressing for bonding the adjacent
segment box. The thickness of the bottom slab and the
anchoring position of the external prestressing bars were
the dominant factors that aected the tensile stresses in
the bottom slab of the segment. Consequently, a pro-
posal to move the anchoring positions and thereby de-
crease the stress and deformation of the segment box
during the external prestressing sequence was veried
using a FE analysis. This was found to be a more eec-
tive technique than other proposals for preventing
cracks during construction, when the eciency of the
section and construction costs were considered.
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[1] Menn C. Prestressed concrete bridges. Boston: Birkhauser;
1990.
[2] Kwak HG, Seo Y-J. Time-dependent behavior of composite
beams with exible connectors. Comput Meth Appl Mech
Eng 2002;191(34):375172.
[3] Megally S, Seible F, Garg M, Dowell RK. Seismic perfor-
mance of precast segmental bridge superstructures with
internally bonded prestressing tendons. PCI J 2002;47:
4056.
 D.-Y. Moon et al. / Computers and Structures 83 (2005) 25842593 2593

[4] BS 4408: pt.5. Non-destructive methods of test for concrete- [5] MIDAS IT Co., MIDAS Manual, Seoul, Korea, 2001.
measurement of the ultrasonic pulses velocity in concrete. [6] Concrete Design Specication, Korean Concrete Institute,
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