ULTIMATE LOAD TEST OF A HIGH-TRUSS BRIDGE

As a result of the construction of the Saylorville Dam and Reservior on the Des Moines River, six highway bridges crossing the river were scheduled for removal. An old pin-connected, high-truss, single-lane bridge was selected for a testing program that included ultimate load tests. The purpose was to relate design and rating procedures currently used in bridge design to the field behavior of this type of truss bridge. The ultimate load tests consisted of testing one span of the bridge, two l-shaped floor beams, and two panels of the timber deck. The theoretical capacity of each of these components is compared with the results from the field tests. This paper examines the portion of the program related to the ultimate load testing of the trusses. The bridge was rated using the 1970 AASHO maintenance manual. The test span ratings of the trusses averaged about 18 percent of actual capacity and were fairly consistent except for the floor beams, where the lateral support conditions for the compression flange caused considerable variation. /Author/

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 75-80
  • Monograph Title: Bridge design, testing, and evaluation
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00157819
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 0309025826
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Sep 28 1977 12:00AM