“Tub Time” – Modern Steel Construction

Excerpt from Modern Steel Construction: A new report showcases the development of press brake-formed tub girder bridges.

IN 2009, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) challenged the North American steel industry to develop a “cost-effective short span steel bridge with modular components which could be placed into the mainstream and meet the needs of today’s bridge owners, including accelerated bridge construction (ABC).”

And the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) delivered. SSSBA is a group of bridge and buried soil structure industry leaders who have joined together to provide educational information on the design and construction of short span steel bridges in installations up to 140 ft in length. The group took up the challenge and initiated research into an alternative to prestressed concrete beams for short-span bridge applications.

SSSBA’s technical working group—consisting of 30 organizations including the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), AISC’s National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA), National Association of County Engineers, steel bridge fabricators, university faculty members, steel manufacturers, government organizations, and bridge owners—developed a solution: a modular, shallow press-brake formed steel tub girder (PBTG).

The comprehensive research, development, and proof-of concept efforts were led by West Virginia University and Marshall University. And the complete research study is available in a six volume report research.

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