Practical Steel Tub Girder Design

This paper addresses the entire design process for a steel tub girder bridge and offers a list of pertinent references for each phase. The paper presents preliminary design considerations, including appropriate applications for steel tub girders; preliminary girder sizing and spacing guidelines; framing plan layout considerations; and suggestions related to preliminary (approximate) design. Also discussed are issues related to final, detailed design, including available analysis tools; specifics on design of numerous components of a steel tub girder bridge; suggestions on steel tub girder detailing; and special considerations for construction of a steel tub girder bridge. While this paper is not a stand-alone design manual for steel tub girders, it endeavors to cover the entire design process in outline form in one document, while providing an extensive list of references the designer can consult. Because nearly every steel tub girder bridge is unique in terms of configuration, site conditions, local fabrication and construction preferences, and myriad other factors, the paper typically will outline issues and considerations related to specific questions, rather than attempting to provide hard and fast rules, in the hope of enabling designers to make better-informed final decisions for their projects.