Load Combinations

For all the following Load combinations along with combination rules, Reference shall be
made to Table B.1 to B.4 of Annex B of IRC: 6-2017 including its amendments till date i.e
July 19.

Persistent design situations

Persistent design situations are relating to the bridge in normal use.

Serviceability limit states

Verification of the serviceability requirements shall be carried out in order to have control of
stress, deflection, vibration, crack width, settlement and to estimate shrinkage and creep
effects. It shall be ensured that the design value obtained by using the appropriate
combination shall be less than the limiting value of serviceability criterion as per relevant
code.
The rare combination (R) of loads shall be used for checking the stress limit as per Annex B-
§7.1 of IRC:6-2017.
The frequent combination (F) of loads shall be used for checking the deflection, vibration and
crack width in prestressed concrete structures as per Annex-B §7.2 of IRC:6- 2017. Further,
Table 12.1 of IRC:112-2011 specifies that frequent combinations shall be used for checking
crack width of prestressed members with bonded tendons.
The quasi-permanent combination (QP) of loads shall be used for checking crack width in
reinforced concrete structures, settlement, creep effects and to estimate the permanent stress
in the structure as per Annex- B §7.3 of IRC:6-2017. Further, Table 12.1 of IRC:112-2011
specifies that quasi-permanent combinations shall be used for checking crack width of
reinforced members and prestressed members with un-bonded tendons.
Relevant combinations are indicated by 'R' (Rare), 'F' (Frequent) or 'QP' (Quasi- Permanent).
Notes to Serviceability Limit States Combination Tables
Load Combinations for Verification under Serviceability Limit State
 `

Ultimate limit states

Equilibrium (ULS-EQU)
Verification of equilibrium under ultimate state shall be done in order to avoid overturning,
sliding, and uplift. It shall be ensured that the destabilizing loads are always less than the
stabilizing or restoring actions. Relevant combinations are indicated by 'B' (Basic), 'A'
(Accidental) or 'S' (Seismic).

Structural Strength (ULS-STR)

Verification of structural strength under ultimate state shall be done in order to avoid internal
failure or excessive deformation. Relevant combinations are indicated by 'B' (Basic), 'A'
(Accidental) or 'S' (Seismic).

The partial factors and combinations are summarized in below table according to Annex B,
Table B of IRC:6-2017.
Notes to Ultimate Limit States – Equilibrium and Structural Strength Combination Tables

Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate Limit State (EQU)

Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate Limit State (EQU), Continued
Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate Limit State (STR)
Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate Limit State (STR), Continued
Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate Limit State – foundations fdn (STR)
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Geotechnical capacity of piles

The partial factors and combinations are summarized in below table as per §706.1 of IRC:78.
Load Combinations for geotechnical capacity of piles

Transient design situations

A transient design situation refers to temporary conditions of the structure, of use or
exposure, e.g. during construction.

Serviceability Limit states

Load Combinations for Verification under Service Limit State, transient (SLS)

Ultimate limit state

Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate Limit State, transient (ULS-EQU)
Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate Limit State, transient (ULS-STR)
Foundations
Load Combinations for Verification under Ultimate State, transient – foundations (ULS-STR)
Geotechnical capacity of piles
The following table shall be used for evaluation of the pile capacity according to §706 of
IRC: 78-2014.
Load Combinations for geotechnical capacity of piles, transient - Pile Verification
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Design Parameters
Reinforced Concrete
SLS Stress limits
Stress limits for different combinations shall be as mentioned below Table 14-1 following
IRC:112-2011 section 12.2.
Permissible stress in RC Design – SLS

* Linear creep may be considered* Linear creep may be considered

** In case stress exceed limit of 0.36 fck, non-linear creep shall be considered.

Pre-cast segments
For Epoxy jointed precast segmental superstructure with internal bonded tendons as well as
external bounded tendons, design criteria at joints alone segment shall be as per IRC SP:65-
2018.
Usual design requirements as per IRC 112:2011 shall be exercised for superstructure portions
between the consecutive joints.
As per IRC 112 in addition to it requirements of IRC SP:65-2018 shall be followed at
segment joint locations

Permissible stress in PSC segmental Box – SLS at joint location

Permissible tensile stresses in steel. Limits specified in clause 12.2.2 of IRC 112 shall apply
to all reinforcing steel except longitudinal reinforcement of precast segmental bridges, where
these stress check have no relevance

Crack width
Crack width shall be calculated as per §12.3.4 of IRC: 112-2011.
Minimum reinforcement for crack control shall be as per §12.3.3 of IRC:112
The crack width limit shall be verified for service limit state and combination as given in
below table.
Recommended values of maximal crack width Wmax

For members where both bonded & un-bonded tendons used for pre-stressing, requirements
for bonded tendons shall apply.
For crack width limit check in any load combination with temperature gradient action, the
resulting section forces shall be calculated using gross concrete section properties.

Check for Cracking (SLS)

The crack width limitations given in cause 12.3 of IRC : 112 apply to all types of segmental
bridges except at joints of prcast segmental structure where minimum compressive stress
limitations of para 3.2.1 above apply. The decompression limits of Table 12.1 of IRC:112
apply to prestressed members with bonded tendons

Check for Deflection

The provision of clause 12.4 of IRC:112 apply.
Design for Ultimate Shear
Provisions of Section 10 of IRC: 112 shall apply except as modified by the provisions given
below. Cast-in-Situ segmental super structures and spliced girder super structures with castin-
situ stitch

Provisions of Section 10 of IRC: 112 apply, unaltered.

Epoxy jointed precast segmental superstructures with internal bonded tendons or external
unbonded tendon.

Partial Safety factors shall be followed as per Table 3.2 of IRC:6. Any helping effect of
bearing resistance developed through the shear keys shall be ignored.

Torsion in Segmental Construction

The treatment of torsion shall be in line with the provisions of IRC:112 except for precast
segmental construction. In precast segmental construction, it may not be possible to provide
continous longitudinal untensioned reinforcement across the joints. At any cross section,
where the axial tension due to torsion and bending exceeds the compression due to
prestressing and bending, supplementary tendons to counter the tension shall be added. The
supplementary tendons shall be didtributed around the perimeter of the precompressed
tension zone inside the closed stirrups. At least one tendon shall be placed near each corner of
the stirrups in the precompressed tension zone. For the purpose of calculation of torsional
capacity, the reduction factors given in the respective clause 3.5.2 for shear capacity shall
apply.

Design for Ultimate Flexure

Design shall be carried out as per Section 8 of IRC:112 except as modified below. Partial
safety factors shall be as per Table 3 B-2 of IRC:6. The untensioned reinforcement which are
not continued between the precast segments shall not be assumed to contribute to the flexural
strength.

Cast-in-situ segmental and spliced girder superstructures with cast-in-situ

stitch:
provisions of section 8 of IRC: 112 shall apply.

Epoxy jointed precast segmental superstructure with internal bonded tendons

or external unbonded tendons:
The ultimate flexural capacity calculated as per Section 8 of IRC:112 shall be multiplied by a
factor of 0.95 for internal bonded tendons and 0.90 for external unbonded tendons. In the case
of external unbonded tendons where the tendons are only connected to the structure at the
anchorages, any strain will be distributed equally through out the length of the tendons.
Available prestressing force after all losses is used for working out ultimate moment carrying
capacity. In such cases failure takes place due to crushing of concrete. Generally, it is
considered adequately accurate to assume that deflection geometry of superstructure will not
cause any additional strain in the tendons. It must be specifically noted that strains in
unbonded tendons are not the same as those in the concrete. In the case of internal bonded
tendons, ultimate flexural capacity of the structure may be calculated by principles of strain
compatibility or any other appropriate method. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate sample arrangements
of external and internal prestressing tendons respectively. Fig . 3 illustrates analogus model
of externally prestressed superstructure.

While calculating joint capacity of sections with internal bonded tendons, depth of the section
actually in compression under the relevant ULS load combination shall be considered and the
prestressing taken at its relevant CG.

Types of joints inprecast segmental bridges shall either be cast-in-situ stich or match cast
epoxied joints.

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Concrete Strength
The characteristic compressive cube strength is given in the following table.

Characteristic compressive concrete cube strength of concrete at 28 days

The concrete minimum strength requirements are:

Max water cement ratio W/C = 0.45
Min Cement content = 340 kg/m3

Concrete Characteristics
The characteristics of the concrete are the following:

Concrete characteristics
 Concrete grade, fck [MPa] 35 40 45 50 55

Ecm (Gpa) 32 34 35 37 39

fck 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.6

fcm 3.5 3

fctm 2.0 2.3

fck 0.05 3.5 2.9

Poisson’s ratio [-] 0.2 (0.0 for cracked concrete)

Maximum size of aggregate is 20mm unless noted otherwise.

Elastic Modulus of Concrete

The load deformation character of the structure shall be evaluated for different types of action
with the use of following appropriate modulus of concrete shown in ………

Concrete E modulus Values for different actions

Action E Value for Concrete

Secant Mod. Ecm

Static or Quasi-static short term action
Ecm / (1+ φ)
Long term action for Creep
Ecm
Shrinkage, Diurnal Temperature variation (TG)
Differential Settlement (DS), Seasonal Temperature
0.5*Ecm
variation (TU) as long term action
1.25*Ecm
Impact / Shock loading
Ecm
Elastic analysis of structure under dynamic loading

Cover
Based on exposure and concrete grade, the minimum cover to reinforcement for various
components of the structure is defined in Table 13-4:

Durability provisions for different components

 Minimum cover
Element Condition of exposure
(mm)
Piles Moderate 75

Pile cap Moderate 75* **

pier caps Moderate 40

Girder
Moderate 40** **
(precast segmental concrete)
Girder
Moderate 45
(cast-in-situ)

*) cover is increased with 10mm to facilitate embellishment (sacrificial concrete).

**) For high performance concrete the cover can be reduced with 5mm.
***) For precast concrete segments the cover can be reduced with 5mm.

For post tensioned tendons the minimum clear cover measure form the outside of the
sheathing shall be 75 mm.

Steel reinforcement
The property of reinforcing steel, conform to IS: 1786 (as per Table 18.1 of IRC: 112- 2011),
is mentioned in Table 13-5.

Property of Reinforcement
Grade HYSD Fe 500D HYSD Fe 550D

500 Mpa 550 Mpa

Min. Yield strength (fyk)
565 Mpa 600 Mpa
Min Tensile strength (ft)
200 Gpa 200 Gpa
Elastic modulus (Es)
7.85 t/m3 7.85 t/m3

12 x 10-6 / ºC 12 x 10-6 / ºC
Thermal co-efficient (α)
16 14.5
Minimum elongation (%)
Elongation at maximum load
5 5
εuk (%)

The following diameters of bars can be used [mm] 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25, 32 & 36 with a single
bar length of 12m.

Prestressing steel
The material properties of prestressing steel are as summarized in below tables as per §6.3
and Table 18.2 to 18.5 of IRC:112. Material specifications for strands as per IS: 14268 shall
apply. Material specifications for bars as per IS: 2090 shall apply.

Main Material Properties of Prestressing Steel, Strands

 Designation/Size Nominal Area Fp0.2k Fpk Min.elongation Ep Mass
Type Class
[mm] [mm²] [kN] [kN] [%] [GPa] [kg/m³]
Strand 15.2 m,
II 140 234.6 260.7 3.5 195 7850
s 7 ply

Main Material Properties of Prestressing Steel, Bars

Minimum 0.2% Min.
Minimum specified Ep Mass
Type proof strength elongation
tensile strength (Mpa) [GPa] [kg/m³]
[MPa] [%]
80% of
To be specified by
Bars 980 specified tensile 10 7850
supplier
strength

Low relaxation prestressing steel is assumed.

In absence of any specific data, fp0.1k can be taken as 0.87 fpk.

Other properties
Other properties of prestressing steel are as summarized in below tables
Prestressing Steel, Strands

Anchorage draw-in (slip) 6mm or as defined by supplier of

prestressing system

Friction coefficient ( μ) between tendon and corrugated

HDPE duct 0.17 radian (same for external tendons)
Wooble effect coefficient (k) for internal tendons in HDPE
duct (angular displacement per unit length of duct
multiplied by μ) 0.0020 radian/m (0 for external tendons)

Losses due to friction and wooble shall be calculated based on equation 7.6 of IRC-
112:2011.

Long term losses for concrete creep and shrinkage shall be as per clause 6.4.2.6 and 6.4.2.7
IRC-112:2011.

Relaxation loss shall be as per clause 6.3.6 of IRC: 112-2011 The value of early age
relaxation should be modified based on Annexure A-2.11 and A-2.12 of IRC-112:2011 due to
an initial temperature higher than 40°C.

Long term relaxation losses will be taken as 3 times the 1000 hrs value measured at initial
stress of 0.7fpk.
Sheathing Ducts
Corrugated HDPE sheathing ducts conforming to the requirements spelt out in clause 13.4.3
of IRC: 112 – 2011 shall be used. The sheathing diameter shall conform to the
manufacturer’s recommendations for the type of cables used. The wall thickness of duct shall
be 4mm for internal diameter of 100-125mm cables. The ducts shall be corrugated on both
sides.

Partial factors for concrete design

To arrive at the design stresses, the relevant partial factors for materials are summarised in
Table 13-10 below:

Partial safety factor for materials

Accidental
Partial factor for material Basic Combination Seismic Combination
Combination
Ƴs for Un-tensioned steel
1.15 1.15 1.0
reinforcement
Ƴps for pre-stressing steel 1.15 1.15 1.0
Ƴc for concrete 1.15 1.5 1.2

Design strain in reinforcement εud = 0.9 εuk

Structural Steel
The material properties of structural steel are as summarized in below table as per §602 of
IRC:22 Appendix A.§502 of IRC:24 Appendix A.and Table 2 of IS:2062Appendix A..
Material specifications as per IS: 2062 Appendix A.shall apply.

Main Material Properties of Structural Steel

ReH, Min
Coefficient of
Grade (t < 20 / Shear
Rm, Min Es Poisson's thermal Mass
designation 20 ≤ t ≤ 40 / modulus
[MPa] [GPa] ratio [-] expansion [kg/m³]
and quality 40 < t) [GPa]
[106/°C]
[MPa]

E 410 410 / 390 /380 540 200 77 0.3 12 7850

The maximum plate thickness is limited to 50 mm.

Partial Safety Factors for Structural Steel Design

The partial safety factors for materials are summarized in below table as per Table 1 of
IRC:24 Appendix A.

Partial safety factors for Structural Steel Design

 Verification for
Verification for Ultimate
Limit State Serviceability
Limit State
Limit State
Resistance, governed by
1.1 1
yielding,γm0
Resistance of member
1.1 1
governed by buckling, γm0
Resistance, governed by
1.25 1
ultimate stress γm1

Resistance of connection
a) Bolts-friction type γmf
1.25
b) Bolts – bearing type γmb
c) Rivets γmr
d) Welds γmw

Note
1) Shop fabrication. In case of field fabrication 1.50.