Braced piers of steel truss bridges having braces with latticed built-up cross-sections may su er significant damage during earthquakes due to the buckling, rapid strength degradation, and fracture of the braces. One retro t alternative for such a bridge pier is to supplement the existing structural system with a system of energy dissipation devices (or structural fuses) that will yield and dis...

The adequacy of the existing design provisions for concrete-filled steel pipes subjected to axial forces and flexure is reviewed by comparing the strengths predicted by the CAN/CSA-S16.1-M94, AISC LRFD 1994, and the Eurocode 4 1994 codes and standards against experimental data from a number of investigators. New proposed design equations are then developed, in a format compatible with North Ame...

The Fremont Bridge is steel tied arch bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. It carries traffic on Interstate 405 and US Highway 30 between downtown and north Portland. . The bridge was constructed in 1973, and the paving on the original steel deck consisted of epoxy asphalt concrete followed by an asphalt concrete overlay. The pavement performed for nearly 40 years before it nee...

In assessments of the seismic adequacy of existing steel bridges, the steel-to-concrete anchorage connections typically found at the base of steel truss piers can be potentially vulnerable, having little to no ductility and inadequate strength to resist seismic demands. Many other non-ductile failure locations may also exist along the seismic load path. Failure would result in unacceptable perf...

Acoustic emission (AE) testing was deployed on details of two large steel Interstate Highway bridges: one cantilever through-truss and one trapezoidal box girder bridge. Quantitative measurements of activity levels at known and suspected crack locations were made by monitoring AE under normal service loads (e.g., live traffic and wind). AE indications were used to direct application of radiogra...

Deterioration of steel bridge infrastructures constitutes a major worldwide problem in transportation engineering and maintenance management industry. Corrosion and fatigue cracking may be the two most important types of damage in aging structures. Various kinds of failures and the need of expensive replacements may occur even though the amount of metal destroyed is quite small. One of the majo...