Steel Decks under Temperature Loads due to Road Surfacing

During the last 30 years orthotropic decks have become popular. In Germany the typical covering consists of a sealing to protect the steel deck from corrosion and on top 2 layers of cast asphalt, each 35 mm thick. Cast Asphalt has a good workability and does not need any roller compaction which could lead to a separation from the steel deck due to vibrations. It must be placed with high temperatures up to 250°C which may generate unacceptable high stresses in the bridge deck and reactions in the bearings due to the high heat input. So far Codes do not cover the load case “temperature due to road surfacing”. In this paper a strategy for consideration of this load case is given.