Abstract:
Slide-in Bridge Construction (SIBC) is different from the conventional bridge construction because of
the activity required to move the bridge to final position following construction. Moving activity requires bridge to
be on a temporary support structure, resting on a sliding system such as bearings suitable for sliding, and a system
of force actuation for pushing or pulling the bridge. Two SIBC projects were recently completed in Michigan,
USA. SIBC being new to the bridge community, substructure forces that are developed during slides are best
estimated. Hence, one of the Michigan projects was selected and slide operation was simulated using dynamic
explicit finite element analysis techniques. This article presents use of dynamic explicit finite element analysis for
evaluating temporary substructure forces during bridge slide. Further the analysis results are used to explain the
impact of unequal friction at sliding surfaces and differential alignment of the temporary supports on substructure
forces and bridge superstructure movement. Typically, bridge superstructures are slid in place using forcecontrolled
systems. Analysis was performed using force-controlled and displacement-controlled methods. Then,
the analysis results are used to explain the benefits of using displacement-controlled methods with force monitoring
to slide a bridge rather than employing a force-controlled method.
