OTREC-RR-12-03

Gusset plates connect individual steel truss bridge members together at a node. In 10%%%% of the 200,000 steel bridges in US in 2008, failure of a single truss or connection could lead to collapse. Regular inspection and load rating are essential for the safe operation and maintenance of these bridges. The Minneapolis I-35 Bridge collapse was the first gusset failure where a design flaw was implicated. Load rating gusset plates is a significant challenge given the number of connections and the complexity of accurately evaluating each one. The majority of research on gusset plate strength is from small-scale connections. More refined techniques are needed to conduct high-fidelity capacity evaluations. Finite element analysis (FEA) is widely used in structural engineering. Using FEA in gusset plate evaluation presents challenges due to the connections’ large-scale, high degree of geometric variability and complex load paths.