Issue 16

The aim of the research described in this paper was to produce improved guidance for assessing the shear capacity of existing bridge decks and, in particular, to determine the influence of the anchorage of the main reinforcement on the shear capacity. The results of this investigation indicate that the current requirements for anchorage length given in BD 44/95 could be safely reduced, thus avoiding costly strengthening works. A rational method is presented in which the effect of anchorage length on the ultimate capacity is described by a continuous function of the anchorage strength. D. J. Cleland, BSc, PhD, CEng, FIStructE, FICE Professor, School of Civil Engineering, The Queen’s University of Belfast S. J. Cummings, BEng, PhD Research Engineer, School of Civil Engineering, The Queen’s University of Belfast G. I. B. Rankin, BSc, PhD, CEng, MICE Lecturer, School of Civil Engineering, The Queen’s University of Belfast S. Taylor, BEng, PhD, CEng, MICE Research Engineer, School of Civil Engineering, The Queen’s University of Belfast R. H. Scott, BSc (Eng), MSc. DIC, PhD, CEng, FIStructE, MICE Reader, School of Engineering, University of Durham

The 7th Ahvaz Bridge is the latest in a series of prestressed concrete box girder bridges designed and built by local firms in Iran, the emphasis of design being on the use of local resources. With main spans of 140m it has almost doubled the maximum span built in that country. The bridge is built in the town of Ahvaz over the river Karun, the largest river in Iran. F. Aminpour, MSc, ACGI, DIC, CEng, MIStructE Hexa Consulting Engineers