Evaluation of the lateral stability of precast beams on an elastic bearing support with a consideration of the initial sweep

This study assessed the lateral behavior and stability of precast concrete beams under elastomeric bearing pad conditions. The lateral instability failure of the beam occurs due to the lateral displacement induced by the self-weight and rotation along the beam combined with a rigid body rotation at the support. Therefore, accounting for all the components of the lateral displacement, an analytical equation that can calculate the critical weight of a beam related to the lateral instability of the beam was derived. Furthermore, this study evaluated the critical lateral movements, including the displacement and rotation, with a variation in the initial sweep in the beam. Finally, an analytical procedure was also developed to evaluate the safety of the precast concrete beam against the lateral instability of the beam with a consideration of the initial sweep. The critical values obtained from the proposed method would be used to establish control values for retaining the lateral and torsional stability of a precast concrete beam on the elastic bearing support.