Easy and quick construction, as well as high load bearing capacity, make filler beam decks an efficient solution for road and railway bridges.

A filler beam deck consists of a concrete slab with stiff longitudinal reinforcement made of rolled beams and transverse reinforcement of steel bars. The closely spaced steel beams and concrete act compositely, not requiring a specific mechanical shear connection.

Although originally developed only for railway bridges, filler beam decks have also been widely and effectively used for road bridges over the last few decades. They offer robust, simple, and durable construction with high load bearing capacity.

Filler beam construction is recommended:

• for bridge decks with restricted or very shallow depths
• for bridges crossing roads with high traffic density: due to quick and easy erection mainly without temporary supports and falsework so that traffic disruption can be kept to a minimum
• when replacing decks in existing structures: the shallow slab thickness facilitates adaptation to the geometrical constraints

The span covered by filler beam decks ranges:

• up to 40 metres for road bridges (up to 50m for multiple span bridges)
• up to 30 metres for railway bridges (up to 35m for multiple span bridges)

ArcelorMittal’s product range for filler beam bridges:

• rolled I beams for longitudinal reinforcement of the slab, commonly in steel grades S 235, S 275, and S 355 and high strength grades S 420 and S 460 provide cost advantages for long spans (including beam finishing: cutting, hole drilling, cambering, welding, and corrosion protection)
• rebars for concrete reinforcement