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A fracture critical bridge is a bridge or similar span that is vulnerable to collapse of one or more spans as a result of the failure in tension of a single element. While a fracture critical design is not considered unsafe, it is subject to special inspection requirements that focus on the tension elements of its structure.
The bridge information includes the design of the bridge and the dimensions of the usable portion. The data is often used to analyze bridges and to judge their condition. The inventory is developed for the purpose of having a unified database for bridges to ensure the safety of the traveling public, as required by the Federal Aid Highway Act of ...
The Mode I critical stress intensity factor, , is the most often used engineering design parameter in fracture mechanics and hence must be understood if we are to design fracture tolerant materials used in bridges, buildings, aircraft, or even bells. Polishing cannot detect a crack.
Because of the bridge's design, it was considered "fracture critical"; there was no built-in redundancy to prevent the entire structure from collapsing if one component fails. In comparison, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, another fracture-critical bridge that collapsed on August 1, 2007, received a sufficiency rating of 50. [12]
The standard also encompasses the structural design of bridge foundations [4] as well as the design and requirements of bridge bearings for both ordinary and moving bridges. [6] [7] In 2010, BS 5400 was superseded by the Structural Eurocodes for the design of new bridges. However, BS 5400 still serves as the foundation for assessment standards ...
The approach to engineering design to account for damage tolerance is based on the assumption that flaws can exist in any structure and such flaws propagate with usage. This approach is commonly used in aerospace engineering , mechanical engineering , and civil engineering to manage the extension of cracks in structure through the application ...
Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA) is a procedure by which the safety of a welded structure with defects or flaws can be determined. ECAs utilize the material properties and expected stress history to determine a flaw acceptance criteria which will ensure that welds will not fail during the construction or service life of the welded ...
According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of the National Bridge Inventory, there are eight U.S. bridges that are fracture critical (a condition flagged by the NTSB in its investigation) and have similar vertical clearance as the Francis Scott Key Bridge: the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the Lewis and Clark Bridge over the Columbia River, the St ...