Hybrid steel girders

[KOKONIS36]

AASHTO Guide Specifications for Horizontally Curved Steel Girder Highway Bridges do not provide any information on hybrid girders. Do I have to assume that we can't use hybrid girders on curved alignment due to lack of Sprcification?

 

[crossframe]

The 2003 AASHTO Guide Spec is an update to the 1993 Guide Spec to take advantage of the intervening 10 years of research. The 2003 provisions state that they "... do not provide for hybrid girders" (Article C1.1, p13) because they (AASHTO) felt this additional research did not sufficiently cover hybrid girders enough to be specifically included.

They go on to state that the 1993 Guide Spec does provide for hybrid I-girders but not box girders.

If you happen to be using the AASHTO LRFD code, Article C6.10.1.3 states that "... these provisions can be safely applied to all type of hybrid sections..." These provisions address curved girders.

I take all this to mean that if you're using the AASHTO LRFD Specs, you're all set. I also think that it's acceptable to use the 2003 Guide Specs in conjunction with ASD or LFD in the AASHTO Standard Specs.