FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF BRIDGE STEELS - PHASE II REPORT

The ability of past and present steel highway bridges to withstand brittle fracture has been investigated. To this end, the static fracture toughness, the dynamic fracture toughness, the dynamic tear energy (DT) and the Charpy impact properties (CVN) of eight steels common to bridge constructions have been measured over a temperature range of about -200 degrees F to +75 degrees F. The steels studied were A7, A36, A242, A440, A441, A588, A514 and A517. The use of these measures of fracture toughness and fracture mechanics in general are discussed as they apply to design, inspection and fabrication of bridges. The present AASHTO CVN requirements for bridge steels were evaluated in relationship to the finding of the program. These requirements were judged adequate for structures where parallel load paths exist. For structures where the loads are carried by only one load path more detailed material evaluations are recommended in place of the AASHTO CVN requirement. /FHWA/

• Corporate Authors:

  Lehigh University

  Bethlehem, PA  United States  18015
• Authors:
  • Roberts, R
  • Irwin, G R
  • Krishna, G V
  • Yen, B T
• Publication Date: 1974-9

Media Info

• Pagination: 418 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge design; Bridges; Crash tests; Dynamics; Failure; Fracture mechanics; Loads; Metal bridges; Steel bridges; Structural design; Tear strength
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00083583
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RD-74- 59 Final Rpt., FCP 35F2-032
• Contract Numbers: FH-11-7664
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 8 1976 12:00AM