en-us Tue, 5 Jun 2012 00:21:40 UTC Inmagic DB/Text WebPublisher http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR147E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCThe Humber Bridge officially opened in 1981 and carries 4 lanes of traffic across the Humber Estuary between Barton and Hessle to the west of Kingston-upon-Hull in East Yorkshire, England. When opened, it was the longest span suspension bridge in the world with a main span of 1410m but it currently ranks as the fifth longest span in the world. Humber Bridge Board (HBB) commissioned an internal inspection of the main cables following the discovery of extensive corrosion and broken wires in the main cables of two older suspension bridges in the UK. The main cable inspections revealed widespread, if generally light corrosion with localised pitting and a very small number of broken wires. Dehumidification of suspension bridge main cables is becoming standard practice not only in the UK but worldwide. This paper examines the installation of the Humber Bridge system, discusses the mechanics of atmospheric steel corrosion and explains how the cable dehumidification system will suppress future corrosion. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR157E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCThe performance of bridges dating from the late nineteenth century constructed on cast iron piers across rivers and tidal estuaries was examined. These aging assets form a critical part of the transport network, and as such a thorough understanding of their current condition and expected future performance was required. This paper presents the findings of inspections and assessments of a number of cast iron bridge structures and describes the degradation mechanisms observed and corrosion rates in different exposure environments. The approach to investigation of condition and structural assessment of the variable quality of materials cast more than 100 years ago is described. In situ NDT was undertaken along with extraction of small samples of the cast iron for laboratory analysis for graphitic corrosion. The remaining sound metal thickness was measured and the grade of cast iron estimated from hardness testing and metallography. The effectiveness of these techniques and investigation processes is discussed. Limited information about the cast iron grades was available from the small size samples however assumptions were made to correlate with strength grades in current standards to enable structural analysis and load rating of the bridges. The results indicated substantially better performance than would typically be expected from unprotected mild steel structures in tidal environments, where similar satisfactory performance after 100+ years exposure would be highly unlikely. Overall this paper illustrates the good long-term performance of this type of cast iron bridge pier in corrosive environments and highlights some of the difficulties in accurate condition assessment of tidal and submerged structures. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR310E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCIn the area of bridge inspector accreditation, this report reviews and compares the characteristics and qualifications required in various countries. It provides information on training courses, how they are organized, the content of courses, and their duration in order to obtain accreditation as a bridge inspector and requalification on a periodical basis. The second part of the report is a comprehensive analysis of non-destructive testing methods used by the inspectors of structures. For concrete and steel structures, for cables, masonry and timber, the report presents, regarding the various aspects tested, the non-destructive testing methods that are applied, their advantages and disadvantages and recommends the most appropriate method. Lastly, the report describes bridge condition assessment methods: damage catalogues, condition rating methods, per element and overall bridge rating. The report also makes recommendations on the assessment procedures and the use of condition assessment ratings. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR347E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCThere are a significant amount of bridges under local government control currently in a state of severe degradation. To aid in rectifying this problem an analysis framework has been developed to enable rural local governments to determine appropriate bridge infrastructure replacement and repair options which satisfy the economic, social and environmental requirements of the organisation and of the community it serves. The framework utilises a structured analysis process which enables both the most appropriate position for the crossing and the most appropriate form of the crossing to be determined. The analysis process uses a numerical system to rate the performance of several options relative to the performance of the existing situation. The performance of the option is determined by considering a set of criteria developed to assess the economic, social and environmental characteristics of the proposal. The relative importance of each criterion to the goals of the organisation is also taken into consideration in the performance appraisal. To enable a thorough analysis each option is considered through three numerical scores representing the economic, social and environmental performance. Four case studies within the North Burnett Regional Council area have been developed to demonstrate the appropriate use of the framework within its intended environment. The framework developed provides an accurate analysis tool conducive to the time and resource constraints typical of rural local government engineering. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR357E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCBridges in New York State have been experiencing close to 200 bridge hits a year. These accidents are attributed to numerous factors including: improperly stored equipment on trucks; violation of vehicle posting signs; illegal commercial vehicles on parkways, etc. This report describes the work done to achieve the following objectives: (i) review and identify major factors contributing to bridge impacts, (ii) provide recommendations to the NYSDOT about effective measures for reducing the likelihood of future bridge hits, (iii) provide long term, feasible and economical recommendations to reduce the likelihood of bridge hits, (iv) review and comment on the NYSDOT Collision Vulnerability Assessment Procedure and provide recommended improvements and (v) develop a computer program for analyzing the bridge hits occurrences as new bridge hits data become available. The focus of the research has been on commercial overheight vehicles hitting superstructures of bridges. This study doesn’t address water vessels or trucks colliding with highway bridge piers. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR017E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTC http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR018E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTC http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR019E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTC http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR059E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTC http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR061E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTC http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR100E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTC http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR298E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCPart 5 of the Guide to Bridge Technology – Structural Drafting sets out the principles involved in the presentation of bridge structural drawings and is intended to give engineers and draft persons at all levels a sound guide in drafting presentation and information. The Guide covers a variety of principles used within bridge structural drafting practice including line work, text and dimensions, scales, definitions, drawing order and numbering, use of abbreviations and symbols, and concrete and reinforcement detailing. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR311E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCThis report presents the results of a survey, to which 16 bridge operators from 11 countries responded, about the management of their bridge stock. The first set of questions deals with the nature of the bridge stock, the management programmes, and the funds allocated yearly for bridge management and inspection programmes. The second set of questions is related to the bridge management system (BMS) used: whether such a system is implemented; who is in charge of data management in the system; the required expertise and qualifications to manage the management system; whether the BMS is useful to set priorities for a maintenance programme. Lastly, the managers were surveyed on the existence of objectives set annually about the condition of bridge assets and what measures would be necessary in order to improve prioritization of projects. The report ends with recommendations, including the implementation of BMS based on risk analysis. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR355E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCAsphalt wearing surfaces are commonly used on timber bridges with transverse glued-laminated deck panel systems to help protect the timber components. However, poor performance of these asphalt wearing surfaces in the past has resulted in repeated repair and increased maintenance costs. This report describes the field demonstration and testing of a newly-constructed, glued-laminated timber girder bridge. Previous field work revealed that differential panel deflections in the glued-laminated deck were one significant factor resulting in the premature failure of the asphalt wearing surfaces on these bridges. In addition, laboratory work subsequent to the field testing attempted to address the problematic asphalt cracking common in transverse glued-laminated panel decks by testing several deck joint connection alternatives. The field demonstration project described in this report showcases the retrofit detail that was determined to provide the best field performance. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR356E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCThis report presents a review of literature on geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) bridge abutments, and test results and analysis from two field demonstration projects (Bridge 1 and Bridge 2) conducted in Buchanan County, Iowa, to evaluate the feasibility and cost effectiveness of the use of GRS bridge abutments on low-volume roads (LVRs). The two projects included GRS abutment substructures and railroad flat car (RRFC) bridge superstructures. The construction costs varied from $43k to $49k, which was about 50 to 60 per cent lower than the expected costs for building a conventional bridge. Laboratory testing on GRS fill material, field testing, and in ground instrumentation, abutment settlement monitoring, and bridge live load (LL) testing were conducted on Bridge 2. Laboratory test results indicated that shear strength parameters and permanent deformation behavior of granular fill material improved when reinforced with geosynthetic, due to lateral restraint effect at the soil-geosynthetic interface. Bridge LL testing under static loads indicated maximum deflections close to 0.9 inches and non-uniform deflections transversely across the bridge due to poor load transfer between RRFCs. The ratio of horizontal to vertical stresses in the GRS fill was low, indicating low lateral stress on the soil surrounding GRS fill material. Bearing capacity analysis at Bridge 2 indicated lower than recommended factor of safety (FS) values due to low ultimate reinforcement strength of the geosynthetic material used in this study and a relatively weak underlying foundation layer. Global stability analysis of the GRS abutment structure revealed a lower FS than recommended against sliding failure along the interface of the GRS fill material and the underlying weak foundation layer. Design and construction recommendations to help improve the stability and performance of the GRS abutment structures on future projects, and recommendations for future research are provided in this report.