CHAPTER-3

BRIDGE LOADING
3.1 Introduction:
The loading has profound effect upon the design, construction and eventually upon the cost
of any bridge of a give span. Besides carrying their own weight, the decks are designed for
certain loadings imposed partly by the vehicles and the users and partly by the nature. In
order to maintain uniformity in design, loading standards have been laid down for the
guidance of engineer. Different countries, including India, have their own loading standards.
In India, these standards for Railway bridges are formulated by the Research Design and
Standards Organization (RDSO) of the Indian Railways. For highway bridges, Indian Road
Congress (IRC), a statutory body formed by the Government of India under the Ministry of
Surface Transport, prepares the Codes of Practices(5). These codes are compiled faithfully in
the design of bridges. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), a body responsible for the
"Standardization" in the country, also brings out specifications for bridges. But the
specifications laid down by IRC supersede those of the BIS, wherever at variance.

3.2 Loading requirements:

The deck of the highway bridge has to support moving loads in the form of vehicles, men and
materials and transmit their effects to the foundation. It has also to support and carry the self
weight of its various components. The structure is also subjected to vibrations under moving
loads giving rise to what is known as impact loading. The details of some other loads and
forces such as earthquake, wind etc., which also become important in some cases could be
referred from the Codes of Practice. Only the important loads to be used in the analysis of
decks are briefly described here.

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3.3 Dead Loads:

The bridge superstructure is to be analyzed for its self weight and dead loads imposed on it as
well. The dead loads imposed on the bridge consist of permanent load such as that of wearing
coat, kerb, parapets stationary etc. The dead load can be estimated fairly accurately during
design and can be controlled during construction and service. As a guide in estimating the
dead loads the unit weight of materials may be assumed as given in IRC: 6-2000.

3.4 Live Loads:

The main loading on highway bridges is due to the vehicles moving on it, which are transient
and hence difficult to estimate accurately and the designs has very little control over them
once the bridge is opened to traffic. In order to analyze the bridge for these moving loads,
IRC code recommends certain standard hypothetical loading systems. The bridge is then
designed for the maximum response values under these standard loads.
The live loads usually consist of a set of wheel loads which are patch loads due to tyre
contact area. These patch loads may be treated as point loads acting at the centre of the
contact area. The simplification is found to be acceptable in the analysis.
Accordingly to Indian Roads Congress classification, the main live loads for road bridges can
be put into the following four types.
i) IRC Class A Loading - Single Lane and Two Lanes:
Single lane Class A loading is a train load of eight axles of two wheels each thus having
sixteen wheels in total. The total load of the train is 55.4 tonnes. The nose to tail length of the
train is 20.3 m and the distance between the first and the last axle is 18.8 m. The minimum
clear longitudinal distance between two successive trains is 18.5m. The minimum center line
distance of the wheel line from the edge of the kerb works out to 400mm. The configuration
of the loads as well as the portion of each wheel is given in fig below:

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Fig.3.1: CLASS A TRAIN OF LOADS given in IRC: 6-2010

Class A two lanes loading consists of two Class A-Single lane trains placed side by side at
specified minimum clearance. Class A loading is adopted on all permanent bridges and
culverts to be constructed on State and National Highways.
ii) Class B Loading:
The Class B loading is identical to Class A loading as far as positions of axles are concerned
but the magnitude of axle loads is 60% of the corresponding loads in Class A Vehicles. This
loading is intended for temporary structures, timber bridges and bridges in specified areas.
iii) IRC Class AA Loading:
This loading is to be adopted within certain municipal limits, in certain existing or
contemplated industrial areas, in other specified areas and along certain specified highways.

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The loading is an alternate loading and one train of Class AA vehicle is to be considered for
every two lanes of Class A loading. It consists of either a tracked vehicle of 70 tonnes or a
two axle wheeled vehicle of 40 tonnes.
Detailed dimensions, kerb distances etc., arc given in Bridges designed for Class AA loading
should also be checked for equivalent lanes of Class A loading since under certain
conditions, heavier stresses are obtained under such equivalent Class A loading. The nose to
tail spacing between two successive vehicles is specified as 90m. For each standard vehicle
as train, all the axles of a unit of vehicles shall be considered as acting simultaneously in a
position causing maximum stresses.

Fig.3.2: CLASS AA LOADING given in IRC: 6-2010

iv) Class 70 R Loading:
This is the revised version of Class AA loading and consists of tracked and wheel loadings.
The minimum clearance between the road face of the kerb and the outer edge of the track or
wheel is same as for Class AA loading. The spacing between successive vehicles is 30m this
spacing is measured from the rear most point of ground contact of the leading vehicle to the
forward most point of ground contact of the following vehicle.
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70R loading, as before, weights 70 tonnes. The track dimensions are slightly different than
those of Class AA track loading. For design purposes, wherever required, each strip loading
could be idealized into a suitable number of point loads say 8 or 10.
70 R Wheel loading is of two types:1. 70R Bogie loading weighing 40 tonnes through two axles each weighing 20 tonnes.
2. 70R train loading weighing 100 tonnes through seven axles, one axle of 8 tonnes, two
axles of 12 tonnes each and four axles of 17 tonnes each.

Fig.3.3: CLASS 70R Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles given in IRC: 6-2010

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3.5 Impact loads

Another major loading on the bridge superstructure is due to vibrations caused when the
vehicle is moving over the bridge. The theoretical estimation of this load is quite complex as
it depends upon a variety of factors such as roughness of the surface, spring system of the
vehicle, condition of expansion joints at the entry of the bridge etc.
The IRC code however, recommends definite values of impact factors for the vehicles for
simplifying the analysis. The value of impact load is expressed as percentage of the live load,
depending upon the material used in the construction of deck of the bridge, type of loading
and the bridge span. The percentage can be calculated using suitable formulae or could be
directly read from fig given page no. 23 of IRC: 6-2000.
The impact fraction shall be determined from the following equations which are applicable
for spans between 3 m and 45 m.
i) Impact factor fraction for reinforced concrete bridge =
Where L, is length in metres of the span.

3.6 Foot way, Kerb, Railing and Parapet Live Loads:

The following provisions have been made for footpath, kerb, railing and parapet live loadings
in IRC: 6-2000.
i)

For all parts of bridge floors accessible only to pedestrians and animals and for all
footways the loading shall be taken as 400 Kg/m2, where crowd loads are likely to
occur such as on bridges located near towns which are either centers of
pilgrimage or where large congregational fairs are held seasonally, the intensity of
footway loading be increased from 400 kg/m2 to 500 kg,/m2.

ii)

Kerbs, 0.6 in or more in width, shall be designed for the above loads and for a
local lateral force of 750 kg per metre, applied horizontally at the top or the kerb.
If the kerb width is less than 0.6 in, no live load may be necessary in addition to

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the lateral load specified above. The horizontal force need not be considered in
the design of the main structural members of the bridge.
iii)

In bridges designed for IRC vehicular loadings, the members supporting the
footways shall be designed for the following live load per square metre of
footway area, the loaded length of footway taken in each case being such as to
produce the worst effects on the member under construction.
a) For effective span of 7.5 m or less, 400 kg/m2 or 500 kg/m2 as the ease may
be as per above.
b) For effective spans of over 7.5 m but not exceeding 30 m, the int or load shall
be determined according to the equation.
P =P' [

c) For effective spans of over 30 m, the intensity of load shall be determined

according to

the equation.
P = [P1-260+

] *[

P = the live load in Kg/m2.

L = the effective span of the main girder in m.
W = width of the footway in m.
Each part of the footway shall be capable of carrying a wheel load of 4 tonnes,
which shall be deemed to include impact, distributed over a contact area, 300 mm
in diameter, the permissible working stresses shall be increased by 25% to meet
his provision.
iv)

The railings or parapets shall be designed to resist a lateral horizontal force and a
vertical force each of 150 kg/m applied simultaneously at the top of the railing or
parapet. These forces need not be considered in the design of the main structural
members if footpaths are provided, the effect of these forces shall be considered
in the design of the structural system supporting the railings and the footpath up to
the face of the footpath kerb only.
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