Rollover instability of precast girders subjected to wind load

The use of longer and deeper precast concrete girders has created concern regarding their rollover instability, particularly during construction. Current design and construction specifications do not provide any specific guidelines that can be used to evaluate the rollover instability of a girder. Therefore, analytical and simplified numerical studies were performed to evaluate the critical wind load, lateral displacement and rotational angle that would induce rollover instability of a girder supported on an elastomeric bearing pad. The influence of the length and section properties of the girder on rollover instability was also investigated. The analytical method proposed in this study can be effectively used for evaluating the lateral behaviour and rollover instability of bridge girders and can also provide management values for securing the lateral stability of girders. The paper also provides a worked problem for a long-span typical European girder to determine critical values with application of the proposed method.