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.
Details
- Publication Date
- Nov 16, 2012
- Language
- English
- Category
- Engineering
- Copyright
- All Rights Reserved - Standard Copyright License
- Contributors
- By (author): Peter Dusicka, By (author): Christopher Higgins, By (author): Anthony Hafner, By (author): Thomas Kay
Specifications
- Format