REHABILITATION & REPLACEMENT OF BEARING AND

EXPANSION JOINTS OF HIGHWAY BRIDGES

- A CASE STUDY
by
J. K. Goyal
Scientist
Bridge and Structure Division

Dec 6, 2016

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History and Description of the

Bridge
The Balaram Bridge falls on East-West Corridor of National
Highway No. 14 being 4- laned under NHDP, in the State of
Gujarat. The Bridge provides a vital link between State Capital
Gandhinagar via Palanpur-Swaroopgunj section NH-14 and
Abu Road.
It has been subjected to heavy commercial/goods and
passenger traffic in addition to normal wear and tear on
account environmental effects over more than 43 years of its
existence.
The construction of the bridge is said to have started in 1962
and the bridge was completed and opened to traffic in the
year 1966.
The bridge comprising of 8 spans of 19.8 m each and the
superstructure is a RC T beam slab structure consisting of 3
girders in each span.
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Assessment of Damages to the

Bridge
Assessment Techniques:
Visual Inspection by hammering and chipping,
N.D.T. tests such as:
Ultrasonic (UPV),
Rebound Hammer,
Half-Cell Potential and
Concrete Core Cutter tests.

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Observations on Damages to
the Bridge
The foundation and the substructure of the bridge
appeared to be in good working condition while
superstructure parts were in severely distressed
condition.
Due to progressive deterioration, the following defects
were noticed in the superstructure and bearings which
affected the serviceability/durability of the bridge.
The observations made on distress for span no.3 (P2-P3)
are as under:
Bearings:- The bearing (Rocker and Roller types) of span P2-P3
was badly damaged and found unserviceable. At P3 upstream side
the roller bearing was tilted form its original position while at
downstream side the bearing was shifted from their original location.

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Observations on Damages to
the Bridge (Contd..)
Main Girder and Diaphragm beam- At several
portions leaching, spalling of concrete, exposed and
corroded reinforcement, inadequate cover, honey comb
and cracks were observed.
Bottom slab- Mainly in cantilever portion exposed and
corrugated reinforcement, honey comb, inadequate
cover observed.
Top slab- Leaching and cracks were observed in some
portions of top surface of slab.
Drainage spout- The length of drainage spout was very
small and it was not designed properly and maintained.
Therefore the functioning of spouts was almost nil.

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Observations on Damages to
the Bridge (Contd..)

Expansion Joint- The designed expansion joint were not

provided which lead heavy damage to top surface of deck
slab at the junction of two spans and leakages of rain water
lead to deterioration of concrete & corrosion of
reinforcement in other parts. Therefore it was observed that
functioning of expansion joint was not up to the mark.
Wearing course- The cement concrete wearing course
showed cracks & spalling of concrete in several places in
deck slab.
Kerb beam and Parapet wall- These were very badly
damaged. The reinforcement was exposed and corroded at
several places.

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Probable reasons of Failure of

Superstructure of Bridge

Failure of functioning of bearings due to non-maintenance,

excessive displacement on account of poor riding quality at the
deck slab, expansion joint etc.
Seismic activities experienced during recent earthquakes in
this region also might have triggered these kinds of failure.
Malfunctioning & damage of expansion joint.
Inadequate provision for movement due to temporary
shrinkage and creep, resulting in excessive displacement of
bearing.
Heavy traffic loading beyond what was anticipated by the
designers on account of rapid pace of development in the
surrounding area.
Poor detailing of reinforcement which led to high stress
concentrations zones.

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Probable reasons of Failure of

Superstructure of Bridge
(Contd..)
Lack of strict quality control during execution.
Lack of Cover to the reinforcement.
An unexpected secondary structural action.
Lack of preventive routine maintenance.

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Precautionary Measures
before start of Rehabilitation
Work

To arrest the oscillating movement of the girder in vertical

direction at supports, girder bottom was getting damaged and
hence it was decided to arrest that movement temporarily with
the following measures:
At span no.3 gap between main girder and pier cap was filled
by steel plates, ISMB and wooden planks to minimize the
vertical movement.
Surface irregularities were filled by pre mix carpet at top of
the slab to reduce impact while plying of vehicles.
Expansion joint gap was filled by Shalitex board and sealant
by Polysulphide to preserve bearing from foreign materials.
Provided speed breaker on both side approaches and
precautionary sign boards to minimize the speed of vehicles.

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Repairs of Superstructure

For bearings other than Span P2-P3- cleaning, greasing

and repairs (i.e. providing nuts bolts) were done.
Casting of bearing pedestal- At pier P3 there was no
pedestals below the bearing so 3 no. of new pedestal were
precast by micro concrete of size 780*700*285.
Bearing- Replacement of all existing bearing at span 3 by
Neoprene bearing.
Main girder and diaphragm beam- Polymer Modified
Cement Mortar, & PMC grouting were applied for
inadequate cover & at honey combed portions, applied
epoxy mortar and injection of epoxy resin for crack sealing

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Repairs of Superstructure
(Contd..)
Bottom slab- Repair of bottom slab was done by low
permeability polymer modified cementious mortar for
inadequate cover.
Top slab- Polymer cement grout has been applied at top of slab.
Drainage spout- Vertically upright new drainage spout with
longer length has been provided in all spans in one side due to
uni camber profile (slope).
Expansion joint- Replaced all asphaltic expansion joint by new
strip seal expansion joints.
Cement concrete wearing- Removed damaged existing C.C.
wearing coarse and replacement it with mastic asphalt wearing
course after maintaining the proper slope for drainage.
Kerb beam and parapet wall- Existing parapet wall was
demolished and holes drilled in concrete, fixed reinforced in hole
with lock fix and constructed new crash barrier.

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Lifting of Superstructure span (P2-P3)

for replacement of bearing

The Choice of Lifting the Span:

Lifting of span from top but since other rehabilitation
works were already in progress and there was also not
sufficient space available hence, it was not considered.
Secondly, lift the span off the articulations but
considering the total vertical load (dead load) which was
about 260 t, therefore it was not felt prudent to lift the span
from the river bed also keeping in view the condition of
subsoil water present and sandy soil strata below the span.
Therefore, finally lifting of span was to be carried
out from the pier cap with the help of jacks, which was
found to be very convenient, safe & economical. Finally
this scheme proved to be successful too.

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Before and after Lifting

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Methodology

Opened the expansion joints and disconnected the spans.

The top wearing course including the bituminous topping
was chipped out to a width of 500 mm along expansion
joint.
All expansion joints were cleared from all debris and dust.
Provided 12 mm thick epoxy mortar 2:1:20 (Resin:
hardener: Silica sand by weight) to the diaphragm beams
and bearing ends of the girders.
Drilled 12 mm dia holes to depth of 100 mm at a spacing
of 500 mm c/c to the diaphragm beams and bearing end
regions of the girder and fixed 8 mm dia metal nozzle in the
drilled holes using quick setting grout.
Applied polymer cement grout through the nozzles
added till rejection.

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Methodology (Contd..)

Polymer Cement grouting was done in the pier cap below the
bearings as severe honey combing in some of the pier caps was
observed.
Provided steel plate strengthening to the end diaphragm beams by
providing 8 mm plate on either side of the diaphragm beam and 16
mm plate at the bottom of the diaphragm beam. The side plates
were fixed by drilling through holes in the Diaphragm beam and
fixing by bolts.
The gap between the steel plate and diaphragm beam was filled up
using polymer cement injection grouting.
Now fixed 5 nos. Hydraulic jacks at pier P3 and mechanically jacks
were suitably placed between hydraulic jacks. All the jacks to be
placed below the diaphragm beams. Set of 3 hydraulic jacks was
connected to a single power pack. lifting process was commenced
by operating all the 5 jacks and simultaneously tightened the
hydraulic jacks. The lifting was done for a minimum height of 60 mm

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Precaution during the lifting of

span

In Diaphragm beam bottom at pier P2 & P3 cracks were

observed hence to improve shear strength and deformation
characteristics glass fiber wrapping provided. The advantages
of this wrapping provides increase in strength and load
carrying capacity without significant increase in dead load,
increased load carrying capacity and better resistance to
seismic forces and deflection, resistance of acids and alkali.
Where jacks were placed, their location/number and size
should be selected in such a manner so that there are no
undue stresses developed in the structure.
All jacks were operated from one control panel by single
control lever.
The jacks were so synchronized that differential lift between
individual jacks was not exceeded 1 mm

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Lifting Operation of the

Girders

Instruments used :
Tangee heavy duty hydraulic hand pressure pump
maximum pressure 750 kg/cm2 two Speed of automatic
change over.
Pressure pipe polynose jack nose 3/8 maximum w.p.
10000 psi (9690 bar).
Hydraulic jacks capacity 75 tones = 5 No.
Mechanical jack capacity 50 tones = 7 No.
Wooden sleeper and 10 to 25 mm thickness steel plate for
packing.
Hammer 5 kg weight.

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Lifting Procedure

The 5 no. of hydraulic jacks of capacity 75 tones were used

to lift as shown in Fig.2. All jacks were operated from one
control panel by a single control lever.
Applied pressure by hand pressure pump on jack and
measured height between girder bottom and pier cap top
and if required balanced in U/S and D/S by hydraulic jack.
When span was lifted up to 60 mm in stages. Then load
transferred to mechanical jacks (2 no.), wooden sleeper and
steel plate were removed from the hydraulic jack as shown
in Photo 9.

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Placement of the Bearings

Chipping and removal of the existing plate/rocker-roller

bearing by cutting the bolts and also by chipping and
roughening the top portion of pier cap and bottom portion
of the bearing end region of the girder for proper bonding.
Providing suitable reinforcement and shuttering at the
bottom portion of the girder by using epoxy mortar to get
early strength & level. Similarly leveled the pier cap
surface at the bearing location using epoxy mortar.
Placed precast micro concrete bearing pedestal as shown
in Photo 10 at bearing location and fixed all-round epoxy
mortar and then placed new neoprene bearing pads as per
design and lower the span on the new bearings with due
precaution and under strict monitoring.

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Placement of the Bearings

(Contd..)
The first lift for lifting of the superstructure started and the entire
superstructure was lifted 60mm above the theoretical level within 3 days.
The superstructure was tightly shimmed with steel plates and the jacks
were kept in position with the circuit closed after transferring load to
shims.
Cubes of micro concrete were taken during concreting to ensure that the
transfer of load to the bearings would be made only after the concrete had
attained sufficient strength. Thereafter, the bearings were placed in a
proper position.
The superstructure load was lifted marginally and few plates were
removed after the load was transferred to hydraulic jacks. The jacks were
lowered gradually till there was a gap of only 10 mm between top of the
bearings. The lowering was stopped and the actual clear gaps at all
bearings were checked. As the gap of downstream was more than the gap
of upstream end, the centre jack and downstream jack kept in circuit while
the upstream jack rubber house valve was closed. The hydraulic circuit
release valve was opened very gradually till the gap became uniform. The
circuit was closed and the gap dimensions verified once again.

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Placement of the Bearings

(Contd..)

The entire girder was scrutinized closely to ensure that the

structure had not been affected in any way, the hydraulic
circuit was opened gradually and the load transferred to
bearings.
The top level was constantly monitored by a leveling
instrument during the entire operation to ensure that the
deck level attained uniform profile. The position of bearings
at articulations were checked and necessary adjustment of
the bearings was then carried out by placing flat jacks
between the bearings and lifting one end of the articulation
for resetting the bearing.

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Dismantling and replacement

of Expansion joints

Methodology:
The existing damaged expansion joint shall be removed and
replaced with new single strip seal joints and compression seal
joints depending on span length and required movement.
The bituminous / R.C.C / P.C.C wearing coat upto deck level and
R.C.C deck slab shall be dismantled to the area required for
removing the existing expansion joints and installation of new
expansion joints. The expansion joint and adjoining structural
concrete shall be cleaned of all dust, loose material, muck and
any deleterious material.
If the depth of existing wearing coat is more than that required
for fixing the new expansion joints, the excess depth below in
the above recess is also to be filled with concrete of M-35 grade
by providing new reinforcement of H.Y.S.D bars with proper
development length with existing deck slab reinforcement.

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Dismantling and replacement

of Expansion joints (Contd..)

Methodology:

The dismantling shall be done as far as possible in straight line and

parallel to the expansion joints. The concreting shall be done over the
entire dismantled portion with specified grade and proper
compaction, matching with the profile of existing road surface.
Bonding agent should be used for efficient bonding between already
cast / existing concrete and the new concrete to be poured in the
recesses. Admixtures may be added to achieve workability and early
strength.
All the expansion joints shall be obtained from reputed
manufacturers approved by MORT & H. The dismantling of existing
expansion joints and replacing them with new expansion joints shall
be done under the supervision of experienced engineer of the
manufacturer.
The design and drawings are to be prepared by the manufacturer as
per existing condition and shall be submitted to Engineer for approval
before actual execution of work.

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Thanks

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