Aging bridges are key component to our Transport infrastructure. Maintaining the network assets operational and safe is crucial to keep our nation moving. Even if the bridges are designed to standards and properly constructed, the bridges should be regularly inspected and properly maintained.
Bridges built more than 50 years are probably not compliant to the current design codes. And repetitive loading cycles and or overstressing of steel and iron members can eventually lead to fatigue cracking and potentially to brittle failure.
In this session Dr. Abdullah Zaid will share his experience for load rating and fatigue assessment of 100 years old Steel U-Through bridge.
Key Point 1: Assessment Levels for Bridges
Bridge maintenance are important element of bridge life cycle. There are various levels of bridge assessment. Dr. Abdullah will discuss the types and levels of bridge assessments based on Australian practice.
Key Point 2: Loadings and Load Rating
The load rating of existing structures might include the idealized vehicles, but more importantly it shall include the actual type of loading within the bridge. The speaker will share steel-U girder bridge assessment project which applied actual type of loadings for load rating.
Key Point 3: Fatigue Assessment
Structural elements are generally designed to ultimate limit state. When a load is repeated thousands/ millions of times, despite the sufficient capacity for ULS loadings fatigue failure might control the design. The speaker will discuss the importance of fatigue assessment and will demonstrate an example from practice.
Senior Bridge Engineer / SMEC, SydneyPhD Bridge Engineering, MSc Structures, BEng Civil.
Over 11 years of experience in major bridges and structures.
Design Experience in Australia, Malaysia and Middle East.
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