FHWA Bridge Inspector's Manual Sections 7.9-12—Concrete Superstructures - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

FHWA Bridge Inspector's Manual Sections 7.9-12—Concrete Superstructures

Course Outline

This three-hour online course discusses design characteristics, common defects, inspection procedures and locations, and evaluation of the following common concrete superstructures: prestressed I-beams and bulb-tees, prestressed box beams, concrete box girders and concrete box culverts.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will

Be familiar with design characteristics for each bridge type and for concrete box culverts;
Know construction characteristics;
Be cognizant of distinguishing between concrete encased steel I-beam and tee-beam bridges;
Be acquainted with typical maximum spans;
Be acquainted with the significance of cracks of various types and locations;
Identify primary members;
Identify secondary members;
Know steel reinforcement types and placement;
Be cognizant of prestressed members;
Be acquainted with common defects;
Be acquainted with inspection procedures;
Recognize inspection locations for bearing areas, shear zones, tension zones, and for compression zones;
Be familiar with inspection locations for primary and secondary members;
Be familiar with inspection areas exposed to drainage and to traffic;
Be cognizant of inspection areas previously repaired; and
Understand principles of condition-state assessment element assessment.

Intended Audience

This course is intended primarily for civil, construction, and structural engineers, and would be of particular interest to consulting engineers or to engineers serving in government organizations concerned with the safety of bridges.

Benefit to Attendees

An attendee of this course will be familiar with the characteristics of various common concrete superstructures and will be able to apply this knowledge in bridge inspections.

Course Introduction

Because the physical properties of concrete permit placing in various shapes and sizes, providing the bridge designer and the bridge builder with a variety of construction methods, many types of concrete superstructures have been developed over the years. Bridge inspectors must be knowledgeable about concrete superstructures if bridge inspections are to be conducted in a sound and careful manner.

Course Content

This course is based on BIRM’s Section 7.9-12 (Common Concrete Superstructures) of the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, Publication No. FHWA NHI 03-001, October, 2002, Revised December, 2006.

FHWA Bridge Inspector's Manual Sections 7.9-12—Concrete Superstructures

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Course Summary

The characteristics of various common concrete superstructures are described in a manner useful for conducting bridge inspections.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/bripro.htm

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.