Analysis and design of box girder and T-beam bridge superstructure - a comparative study

Bridges are the most important component of transportation system of any country due to their ability of accelerating the development of the nation. Design of bridge highly depends on its function, nature of soil strata where it is constructed and the material used to construct it. Extensive growth of population and traffic leads to many changes in the use and development of different types of bridges. Box and T-beam girders are most commonly used superstructure in case of bridges. In this research work, analysis and design of box and T beam girder has been performed using SAP2000 in order to find out the most suitable type of bridge superstructure. The main objective of this study is to compare the structural behavior, optimization of materials used in each component and cost comparison of box and T beam girder bridge. Previous research in this regard is based upon working stress method but this research follows limit state design. Detailed comparison shows that box girder is more suitable as compared to T beam girder even for shorter span in terms of structural stability and cost efficiency. (author)