Drag-Induced Displacement of a Simply Supported Bridge Span during Hurricane Katrina
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 33, Issue 4
Abstract
Coastal bridges are vulnerable to large hydrodynamic loads during extreme events. During the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, these loads exceeded the capacity of bridge spans resulting in bridge failures across the Gulf Coast region. This case study provides a forensic evaluation of a simply supported bridge span that failed during Hurricane Katrina (2005). The damaging coastal processes were simulated using sophisticated hydrodynamic models [advanced circulation (ADCIRC) + simulating waves nearshore (SWAN), XBeach] that reasonably reproduced the water levels, waves, and velocities at the bridge location. The bridge’s vulnerability to trapped-air effects, wave-induced loads, and drag forces was evaluated using the model results. All of these loads exceeded the structural capacity at the span that failed. However, a detailed evaluation of the modeling results suggests that this bridge span failed due to large drag-induced loads as a result of flow convergence near the bridge abutment. The superelevation of the bridge spans may have contributed to the damage by causing localized increases in flow velocity below the span beams but also possibly mitigated wave-induced damage. This may be the first known case in which drag-induced loads contributed to bridge failure during a hurricane. As such, high velocity flows may also pose a hazard to bridges and overpasses located in coastal floodplains.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation under the terms of agreement RSCH-9999-09(168)/107389-101000. The authors thank Mandy Farmer, Wes Perry, Kelly Castleberry, Cole Farris, Rachel Westerfield, Tina Hodges, Eric Brown, Robert Kafalenos, Claiborne Barnwell, Don Hendon, Andy Hughes, and Kate Haynes for their support and contributions.
Disclaimer
The opinions, findings, and conclusions in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Mississippi Transportation Commission, the State of Mississippi, or the Federal Highway Administration.
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 33 • Issue 4 • August 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 4, 2018
Accepted: Dec 10, 2018
Published online: May 22, 2019
Published in print: Aug 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Oct 22, 2019
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