, . .. .. .... ~~lt'!Ii~_ tml~ STEEL: Still Meeting the Test, The goal of Ihe bridge design engineer IS bridges, containing smaller and fewer that Will (1) accommodate local stress to design a structure that Will serve best, members, have the clean smooth lines raisers ; (2) proVide a large reserve last longest and cost least Aesthetics that please the contemporary eye One of strength; (3) accommodate Imposed de­ may be a factor, especially If there IS a re­ the most attractive steel bridge forms that formations such as those resulting from qUirement that a new struclure be compat­ has evolved IS the cable-stayed bridge, ItS secondary bending; (4) absorb seismiC Ible with a companion bridge or a scenic silhouette as sharply etched as a sail on loading, and (5) prOVide the greatest landscape. Local residents sometimes the horizon. strength-to-weight rallO of all mapr bridge lobby for a replacement bndge "like the But the main driving force In Ihls trend materials. old one". There is inevitably an attraction loward simpliCity has not been aesthetiC Long History of Bridge Applica­ to the latest fashion in design. considerations. No matter how pleasant or tionS-Steel has been used In bridge Individual designers will have different elegant the design, It must also be con­ construction In the United States for over a opinions about material selection, often ceived with economy In mind. For structur­ hundred years. In contrast, prestressed based on their own familianty with design al steel, economy means deSign that concrele bridges have been used In the methods or their knowledge of problems recognizes and explOits the best use of United States for only aboul 30 years, and with construction and maintenance. New the material while taking advantage of fab­ the larger segmental precast concrete matenals and techniques are always con­ rication procedures and techniques for bridges for less than a decade The rella- Sidered to compare cost-effectiveness and/or construction time. ReqUirements of climate and terrain Influence deciSions. Bndge design is dynamiC, thnving on change. And the friction of compel it ion provides the impetus for Innovation: new methods and technology are developed, matenals are improved. Although bndge engineers over the last century have logi­ cally and sCientifically constructed monu­ mental and effiCient structures, the evolution of steel bndges continues To­ day's technology makes the steel bndge capable of compellng with other matenals and systems over the entire range of spans. Advances in engineenng knowledge have been correlated with Improvements In matenal quality and fine-tUning of manu­ facturing processes by steel producers and With inventive methods of fabrication and erection. Modern steel, often high-strength, wllh a combination of welded and bolted con­ struction proVides Significant economies and reliability. New developments have re­ sulted In lightweighl structures that use less matenal with greater effiCiency. How­ ever, deSigners have also learned that ma­ The 1984 Prize Bndge Winner in the long span category. th iS single-span lied arch bridge carnes tr allic terial savings cannot always be equated over the Ohio A,ver south 01 Wneellr:9. West Vlrgima A centu,y 01 experience m bWldmg blldges With sleel With a decrease in total cost, especially if IS now "buill m", promlsmg slructurallnlegnty and dlsplaymg the evolul1On towards simphclty and economy. acccmpanied by increased compleXity of fabrication Today 's engineer should be optimizing manufactUring and erection bility of steel has been proven on thou­ aware of the trade-offs reqUired In assess­ costs The result IS not lust a more eco­ sands of structures Ing the Impact of ,nd,v,dual factors nomical bridge but also a more effiCient Speed of Construction- Normally, and competitive steel structure For Instance, while modern deSign steel bridges can be bUilt faster than con­ codes for steel construction specify re­ crete Off-Site fabrlcallon under controlled qUirements for strength and stability of Steel's Advantages conditions encourages effiCiency. The members and connections, the chOice of Steel bridges offer distinct advantages for ease With which light steel members can detail is lellto the discretion of the deSign­ all Iypes of structures from Simple shari be erected over land and water In summer er An Integrated approach to steel design spans to major river crossings. In many or winter helps to minimize the construc­ has become a necessity Computer tech­ situations, steel may prove to be the only tion time. The predictable behavior of niques for analysis and design permit logical chOice. steel , combined With ItS great tensile rapid analYSIS of alternates and refined Competitive Costs- Properly de­ strength and high strength-to-weight ra­ deSign of componenls. The chOice of de­ signed sleel bridges can be cost compet­ tiOS reduces the prospects for problems tails , connections and corrOSion protec­ Itive over Virtually all span lengths dunng construction tion Impact on the economics of Desirable Material Properties- Steel fabrication and erection IS a hlgh-quahty homogeneous material andQuality erection The evolution toward greater SimpliCity that prOVides high compressive and ten­ are highly o~.~~~::~~,!£~;~:~~:~W~I and many ~ and the availability of better steels and Sile strengths With little variability It IS al­ practitioners are available High I conslructlon methods has also resulted In most perfectly elastiC to ItS Yield point and workmanship and uniformity WithIn narrow more beaullful steel bridges Today 's Iruss thereafter has a large amount of ducillity tolerances can be achieved. S-2 ,'" ,'".::l 6fTime Ease of Repair- Steel bridges can generally results In substantial savings contractors, fabricators, erectors and pro­ •generally be repaired qUickly and easily Permitting alternatives, especially in mak­ dUCing mills are forming deSign-bUild Decks, for example, can be replaced wlth­ Ing field connections, can reduce costs teams to offer competitive deSigns as al­ out shoring because different fabricators and erectors ternatives to those prepared by state Low Superstructure Weights-Steel may prefer different options. DOTs. superstructures are usually lighter than Fracture-critical members will generally Load Factor DeSign (LFD) and Auto­ comparable concrete superstructures cost mere to fabncate than non-fracture stress DeSign are leading the way to real­ ThiS, of course, reduces substructure critical members. Therefore, it is often istic deSigns, accurately reflecting the costs and IS especially Important where cost-effective to minimize the number of conditions that actually occur In steel seismiC factors are a consideration or soil members that must be claSSIfied as frac­ bridges. The result IS more effiCient use of conditions are poor ture cntlcal . materials and lower costs Shallow Superstructure Oepths­ The most economical member length Some states have developed standard Steel superstructures can usually be de­ and weight to fabricate, ship and erect deSigns for short span bridges In both signed with shallower depths than may vary dramatically between various steel and concrete But not all are clones: concrete structures for sites where clear­ fabricators, erectors and contractors. De­ some will allow consultants and contrac­ ances are limited sign should be prepared shOWing optional tors to change the superstructure so that the most appropriate and economical spans are deSigned and bUilt Contractors are given the Option of requesting an alter­ nate design If they can prove It would be more cost-effective Structural rehabilitation, VIrtually a new field, IS requIring Innovative Ideas that are often unique to a particular structure De­ signs for hybrid structures, sometimes un­ solicited, are being offered for reconstruction of eXisting bridges Modltl­ cations are Intended to Widen, strengthen, add lanes, reduce st ress Such deSigns may marry an arch to a truss or provide a Simple facellft for an aging grande dame Research methods have also Improved and are Increasingly Implemented to solve, and even anticipate, problems • Wind tunnel testing allows deSign for gales of hUrricane velOCity . • New corrOSion protection methods are being researched and tested • Programs are being devised for In­ creaSingly sophisticated bridge testing plans, as well as methods of determining both risk potential and total or remaining bridge life The Eads Bndge. SI LoUIS. Mo .. was dedicated on July 4, 1874, and has been in use ever since The poet No Easy Payment Plan Wall Whitman called It: MA structure of perfection and beauty unsurpassabte .~ The Eads is the first bridge As the current assessment of the reqUIre­ constructed With steel as the primary metal and is a three-span nbbed arch ments of the Infrastructure continues and needs are defined, mere meney Will be The Simpler, the Better field splices to take full advantage of the spent and new finanCing methods Will be To minimize cost, steel bridge details must various capacities of each fabricator! developed to stretch road and bridge dol­ be kept Simple. The structural behaVior of erector! contractor team . lars Taxes may be Increased In some Simple details IS also easier to understand states, "Infrastructure banks" are being and analyze What Else Is New? conSidered In others Small communities Because a majOr part of the cost of a As the cost advantages of new concepts are often Implementing "home grown" so­ bridge IS usually construction (fabrication, become more Widely accepted,