Validity of Caltrans' Environmental Hydrogen Embrittlement Tests on Grade BD Anchor Rods in the SAS Span
Six months before the opening of the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 32 of the 96 anchor rods for two shear keys failed during the first two weeks after they were pretensioned. These anchor rods conformed to ASTM A354, Grade BD, hot dip galvanized (HDG). The cause of the failures: environmental hydrogen embrittlement (EHE). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) conducted a large scale test program on the HDG BD rods in the self-anchored-suspension (SAS) span. Caltrans concluded that all the HDG BD rods in the SAS are “safe” as installed from future EHE failures. This review revealed that Caltrans’ EHE test protocols and data interpretation are both problematic and unscientific and that their conclusions as to the integrity of the SAS could not be supported. Rather than relying on the EHE threshold stress strategy, Caltrans should replace the HDG BD rods that are susceptible to EHE failures with new HDG BD rods that are not susceptible or at least more resistant to EHE failures.
- Record URL:
-
Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/898006697
-
Authors:
- Chung, Yun
- Publication Date: 2014-12-2
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Anchor bolts; Embrittlement; Fracture mechanics; Hydrogen; Testing; Validation
- Identifier Terms: California Department of Transportation; San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Materials; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls; I34: Steels and Metals;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01548771
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
- Files: BTRIS, TRIS
- Created Date: Dec 23 2014 4:08PM