Creep and shrinkage effects in service stresses of concrete cable-stayed bridges

Most of the methods presented in the literature to define the target service stresses (Objective Service Stage, OSS) of cable-stayed bridges rarely include the time-dependent phenomena effects. Nevertheless, especially in concrete structures, this assumption might be on the unsafe side because time-dependent phenomena usually modify service stresses. To fill this gap, this paper studies the time-dependent phenomena effects into service stresses of concrete cable-stayed bridges. After illustrating the important role of these phenomena in an asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge without backstay, a new method to include their effects into the OSS is presented. An important issue to be considered in this method is the target time in which the OSS is defined to be achieved. The application of this method to two different structures showed the convenience of defining the OSS to be achieved at early times because that way the envelope of service stresses is reduced.