Comparison of the cost and seismic performance of steel girder birdges and prestressed concrete girder bridges

In this thesis, a comparative study of construction costs and seismic performances of prestressed concrete girder bridges and steel girder bridges are carried out. According to these examinations, it was aimed to make parametric studies and make suggestions regarding their designs according to the cost and structural security criteria of the considered bridges. For this purpose, a total of 288 bridges, consisting of steel girder and prestressed concrete (PC) girder bridges, were designed as two main groups. In the analysis of these bridges, the cost and seismic performance of prestressed concrete girder and steel plate girder bridges are compared particularly considering in the various span lengths, column heights, soil types, and seismic zones. Finite element program and developed MS EXCEL software have been utilized in the design and in determining construction costs and seismic performances. In the initially cost calculation, it was carried out from the studies that the PC girder bridge is more economical than the steel plate girder bridge. Accordingly, considering the minimum limits of the design, in seismic loads (PC) girder bridges perform better seismic performance than steel girder bridges. However, when substructure with the same dimensions is used for (PC) girder and steel girder bridges, steel girder bridges perform better seismic performance than (PC) girder bridges in seismic performance analyses.