The corrosion of steel reinforcement in an aging highway infrastructure is a major problem currently facing the transportation engineering community, in particular bridge engineers. In the United States, maintenance and replacement costs are measured in billions of dollars. Further, the use of deicing salts has resulted in steady deterioration of bridge decks due to corrosion. These concerns ha...

To estimate the fatigue life of long-span steel bridge more accurately, this paper proposes a method for estimating the fatigue life of long-span bridges by considering vehicle-bridge coupled vibration. Firstly, the universal equation of vehicle-bridge vibration is derived based on triaxial standard multi-scale model of fatigue vehicle and bridge, and relevant program for vehicle-bridge coupled...

The paper gives an analysis of acoustic-emission signals measured in the course of laser cutting of steels plates DC04 and X5CrNi18-10. Laser cutting is a process in which there can be a wide range of cutting parameters, but nevertheless cutting of plate products can be accomplished. Within the range of the parameters concerned, however, the quality of a cut edge can vary quite strongly; laser-...

Nagisa Bridge, a single span footbridge, was recently completed in Aomori prefecture, Japan. The structure of this bridge is a hybrid structure of cable-stayed prestressed concrete bridge and steel suspension bridge. It is the first application as this structure type of bridge in the world. Concrete girders near pylons are supported by stay cables. Steel girders are supported by suspension cabl...

Steel bridges that are under severe chloride exposure due to deicing salts or marine environmental effects require frequent maintenance and repair activities to extend their service life and maintain an adequate performance level. In addition to the direct maintenance cost, these maintenance actions may lead to indirect costs associated with traffic delays and environmental effects that can sig...

As a service to the bridge design profession, Bethlehem Steel has conducted hundreds of studies of steel plate girder bridges using its Preliminary Bridge Girder Optimization Program. The program is unique because it optimizes plate girder designs on the basis of least cost, not least weight. An evaluation of many study results leads to a number of guidelines which are offered in this paper. Wh...

Steel bridge erection requires a series of processes in the construction site including shipping, sequentially lifting, and installing bridge components that are fabricated in the factory. Each process is critical and the risks are high due to the fact that conditions in the field are far more complex than in the factory. A detailed lifting plan is important to ensure the successful completion ...

The development of several grades of high-performance steel (HPS) with yield strengths of the order of 480 to 690 MPa (even more) with improved weldability, toughness and corrosion resistance have changed the scenario of fabrication of welded steel bridges for highway and rail bridge constructions. The HPS possesses the optimum combination of properties required to build cost-effective structur...

FHWA has completed a multiyear study of systems and techniques to identify and characterize cracks in steel bridge structures. The study was conducted by FHWA’s Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Laboratory at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, VA. The study, called the Steel Bridge Testing Program, was authorized under the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transporta...

Reliable and durable asphalt surfacing systems still remain to be desired for the long-spanned orthotropic steel bridges as the nationally and internationally reports on distresses in deck pavement. Based on ten-year research works, this paper has presented a brief review and discussion of the Chinese practices and experiences of deck pavement on long-spanned steel bridges, including issues of ...