Characteristic changes the bending moments in shell of soil-steel structures

Abstract: There are two structural subsystems in the soil-steel structure model: a flexible corrugated steel shell and a soil backfill. A characteristic feature of the analyzed structures, in contrast to classic bridges, e.g. brick ones, is a very large influence of the soil backfill on in- ternal forces and deformation of the steel shell. Usually, during construction, the stresses in the shell are many times greater than those arising from the operational loads. In the paper analyzes changes bending moments in the steel shell during the operation of the object as a result of deformation occurring during the construction phase. The test results indicate that the bending moments of the steel structure depends on the geometry of the bridge but with a large influence of the technology of the backfill process. The paper presents an algorithm for esti- mating shell shape changes based on displacements occurring in the construction phase. The examples show a favorable reduction of bending moments in shells with a regular arc. An unfavorable geometry for box-shaped shells has been demonstrated. The results of the analy- sis presented in the paper may be the basis for the measurement methodology in the monitor- ing of soil-steel structure bridges, both during construction and in the operational phase. Keywords: Soil-steel structures; Corrugated sheets; Bending moments; forecast