Prevention and Mitigation Strategies to Address Recent Brittle Fractures in Steel Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 12, Issue 2
Abstract
Brittle fracture results in unplanned loss of service, very costly repairs, concern regarding the future safety of the structure, and potential loss of life. These types of failures are most critical when there is no evidence of fatigue cracking leading up to the fracture and the fracture origin is concealed from view. Hence, the failure occurs without warning and the details are, essentially, noninspectable. In these cases, it appears desirable to take a proactive approach and introduce preventative retrofits to reduce the potential for future crack development. These efforts will help ensure that the likelihood of unexpected fractures is minimized. This paper examines the behavior of two bridge structures in which brittle fractures have developed in recent times, discusses the causes of the failures, and offers suggested design strategies for prevention and retrofit mitigation techniques. In situations where considerable uncertainty exists in the prediction of accumulated damage or in the ability to reliably inspect critical details, preemptive retrofit strategies appear to be highly desirable.
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Acknowledgments
The forensic investigation into the failure of the US 422 Bridge was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the ATLSS Engineering Research Center at Lehigh University. The forensic investigation into the failure of the Hoan Bridge was sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Thanks are also due to Zhan Xi and Hernando Tjiang for their assistance with material tests and modeling at the Turner–Fairbank Research Center, FHwA. The writers are also grateful to Mr. Hussam Mahmoud, who performed the detailed linear and nonlinear finite-element analysis used to develop the data related to the triaxiality factor.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 12 • Issue 2 • March 2007
Pages: 164 - 173
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 27, 2005
Accepted: Feb 15, 2006
Published online: Mar 1, 2007
Published in print: Mar 2007
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