A New Analytical Method for Link Slab Analysis

• Published in: KSCE journal of civil engineering Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 800 - 816
• Main Authors: Luo, Yufan, Yan, Quansheng, Yue, Xiaogang, Jia, Buyu, Yu, Xiaolin, Chen, Yuxuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Korean Society of Civil Engineers 01-02-2024; 대한토목학회
• Subjects: Civil Engineering; Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Industrial Pollution Prevention; Structural Engineering; 토목공학; Girder end rotation reduction; coefficient; Link slab; Parametric study; Analytical method
• ISSN: 1226-7988; 1976-3808
• DOI: 10.1007/s12205-024-0826-9

Link slabs have been widely used to reduce the number of expansion joints. However, traditional reinforced concrete link slabs are prone to cracking issues, making it crucial to accurately calculate their internal forces. Currently, the most advanced link slab analysis methods treat the link slab and adjacent span as a rotational spring to simulate their restriction on the girder end rotation. However, this method does not comprehensively consider the link slab’s influence, leading to conservative results. To address this issue, this study further considers the influence of girder end deformations on adjacent span, resulting in more accurate calculations of the link slab’s internal forces. Additionally, the concept of the girder end rotation reduction coefficient is put forward for the first time, which provides a clearer and more quantified understanding of the link slab’s influence. The proposed method is verified by a model test and a site test, which shows a significant improvement in accuracy compared to existing analytical methods. On this basis, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of various parameters on the girder end rotation reduction coefficient, which indicates that span length, girder spacing, and support configuration have the greatest influence.