DAMAGE EVALUATION AND REHABILITATION PLAN FOR THE CLEVELAND AVENUE BRIDGE

AN ELECTRONIC DIGITAL COMPUTER WAS USED AS A DESIGN TOOL FOR THE PROPORTIONING OF A CONTINUOUS, HAUNCHED GIRDER BRIDGE IN OHIO. EIGHT YEARS LATER A SEVERE HIGHWAY ACCIDENT RESULTED IN A TANK TRAILER FIRE UNDER THE BRIDGE. AN ASSESSMENT WAS MADE OF THE FIRE DAMAGE TO THE BRIDGE AND REPAIRS NEEDED. THE DOWNWARD SAG OF THE GIRDERS REDUCED THE VERTICAL CLEARANCE UNDER THE BRIDGE TO 13 FEET, 6 INCHES. ONE GIRDER BUCKLED DOWNWARD ABOUT THREE INCHES. SPECIMENS OF THE STRUCTURAL STEEL WERE REMOVED FROM THE GIRDERS AND SUBJECTED TO TENSILE TESTING, CHEMICAL ANALYSIS, AND GRAIN STRUCTURE MICROANALYSIS. BRINELL HARDNESS TESTING OF THE GIRDER FLANGES INDICATED NO SIGNIFICANT VARIATION IN THE TENSILE STRENGTH OF THE STRUCTURAL STEEL. VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED THAT AT THE REAR ABUTMENT, THE WEB PLATE OF GIRDER 2 HAD BEEN TORN SIDEWAYS. THE FIXED PIER BEARING ON TOP OF PIER COLUMN 3 HAD THE SIDE PLATE BROKEN OFF DUE TO LATERAL MOVEMENT. CORES REMOVED FROM THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AREA INDICATED THAT THE TEMPERATURE EFFECTS WERE APPARENT CLEARLY THROUGH THE CONCRETE PORTION OF THE DECK. THE GASOLINE FIRE ALSO DAMAGED THE CONCRETE PIER COLUMNS. SWISS HAMMER TESTS INDICATED THAT THE CONCRETE HAD NOT SUFFERED STRENGTH LOSS. TESTS INDICATED THAT IF THE STEEL WAS STRAIGHT ENOUGH, IT WAS QUITE SUITABLE FOR REUSE. IT WAS DECIDED TO REPLACE ALL STRUCTURAL STEEL DEFORMED BY THE FIRE. THE FIELD SPLICES WERE BUTT-WELDED. PIERS 1, 2, AND 3 WERE DEMOLISHED DOWN TO THEIR FOOTINGS AND THE COLUMNS REPLACED. WHERE THE CONCRETE DECK AREA EXHIBITED TRANSVERSE CRACKS, REPLACEMENT WAS MADE. VEHICULAR TUNNELS WERE USED TO PROTECT VEHICLES PASSING UNDER THE BRIDGE DURING RECONSTRUCTION.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • pp 169-204, 32 FIG
• Authors:
  • Roehrs, W C
• Conference:
  • Ohio Highway Engineering Conference Proceedings
• Publication Date: 1967-4

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Bridge design; Bridges; Computers; Concrete; Digital computers; Durability; Equipment replacement; Fires; Flanges; Girder bridges; Girders; Hardness tests; Highway bridges; Piers (Supports); Piers (Wharves); Reconstruction; Structural design; Structural steel; Tensile strength; Traffic crashes; Vehicular tunnels
• Uncontrolled Terms: Metal structure; Replacement
• Old TRIS Terms: Brinell hardness number
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00218668
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 28 1970 12:00AM