Failure Analysis of a Girder Bridge Collapse under Eccentric Heavy Vehicles
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 12
Abstract
In recent years, several accidental collapses of girder bridges have occurred under the influence of eccentric heavy vehicles in China. To explore the causes and mechanisms of the collapses, a collapsed six-span, RC, continuous box-girder bridge was introduced and analyzed. By gathering onsite information about the accident, different failure forms were determined. Simplified mechanical calculations and finite-element simulations were used to determine the characteristics of the structural response caused by the load on the bridge during the accident. Finally, the sequence of the accident was reproduced, and the controlling factors leading to the structure failure were clarified. This study suggests that bridge accidents are caused not only by instability issues of integral overturning but also by strength failures of the components. Under the circumstances caused by an extreme eccentric vehicle load, the large deformation resulted in an apparent second-order effect. Noticeable lateral horizontal interaction forces between the piers and girder appeared, which led to bending failures in the piers that later caused the collapse of the superstructure.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge support by grants from the Shanghai Urban Construction and Communications Commission (No. 2012-003-001). The opinions presented in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring organizations. This research is also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51438010 and 51478337) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 12 • December 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 3, 2015
Accepted: May 20, 2016
Published online: Jul 27, 2016
Published in print: Dec 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Dec 27, 2016
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