A master's thesis at the University of Basra discusses INVESTIGATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BRIDGE APPROACH SLABS UNDER VEHICLE LOADS

The master’s thesis by student Hala Alaa Abdel Razzaq from the Civil Engineering Department at the College of Engineering was discussed and she talked about the bridge’s approaches to the important components that connect the bridge structure and the road and provide a smooth transition between the bridge deck and the road. Subsidence is one of the most common problems in this area, which affects the stability and performance of the bridge elements. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between the bridge approach slab and the underlying soil is necessary to ensure the bridge's structural integrity and long-term performance. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of approaches when exposed to traffic loads, taking into account several criteria. The structural system was represented by a 3D finite element model using the software version 22. SAP2000 The results of the analysis showed that the use of concrete bridge approaches improves the performance of the approaches as it reduces the slump values ​​and thus can reduce the problem of the bump occurring at the entrance to the road. In addition, it was found that the landing values ​​increase with the length of the approach with the free end at its point of contact with the road, especially in weak soils.