Critical Load Program
The elastic critical load of a structural frame is a fundamental parameter in assessing its stability. It is an upper bound to the failure load of the frame, in the same way that the Euler...
A Road to Recovery
Inspections of the Golden Gate Bridge revealed that the bridge had localized corrosion near its expansion joints, corrosion of its reinforcing steel, and was severely contaminated with...
Detection of Leakage Through Subsurface Barriers Using Guided Acoustic Waves
The primary method for preventing hazardous liquid and leachates from entering the groundwater is the use of a physical barrier. These barriers are susceptible to a number of mechanisms...
Risk Analysis for Ship-Bridge Collisions
The authors have developed a propriety software package which has been successfully used to perform risk analyses for several high-level bridge structures across major waterways in coastal...
Coping with Litigation
Engineers should learn legal philosophy, even though it seems unrelated to traditional technical practice. Monitoring changes in legal theory that may increase engineers'...
Floating Bridge for 100 Year Storm
In 1979 the west half of the Hood Canal Floating Bridge, built in 1960, in Seattle broke up and sank during a storm that lasted eight hours with winds of 80 mph and gusts over 100 mph....
Record Bridge Replacement
Jacks Run Bridge had to be rebuilt in one year instead of the usual two to three. So the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spearheaded the quickest replacement of a major bridge...
Bridging Twin Ports
The Major Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, part of U. S. Highway 2, connects harbors at Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wisc. The new highway link was designed to relieve congestion on nearby...
Who Should Design Bridges?
For many years Design-Build-Proposals have been common practice in Europe (except in the UK). Structures in these countries are 20% more economical than similar projects in the U. S.,...
Modeling Failure Probability of Underground Pipes
Factors influencing the performance of underground gas pipes are identified through a literature search and contacts with several utility companies. These factors are categorized as (i),...
The Impact of the I-664 Bridge-Tunnel Crossing on Sedimentation
A sedimentation evaluation was made of the proposed I-664 Bridge-Tunnel complex across the James River, Virginia. This paper briefly describes the procedures used and the results obtained...
Solving the Two-Dimensional Diffusion Flow Model
A simplification of the two-dimensional (2-D) continuity and momentum equations is the diffusion equation. To investigate its capability, the numerical model using the diffusion approach...
Investigation of Design Criteria for APM Guideways
Designers have relied mostly on the provisions of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges. Sometimes...
Toward User-Oriented Failure Management Strategies for the Morgantown People Mover
The Morgantown People Mover (MPM) is the most sophisticated automated people movers in the United States. It is the only one that offers 'personalized' service...
An In-Plane Finite Element Model for Brick Masonry
A finite element model for brick masonry is reported. The model takes account of non linear deformations and progressive local failure. The failure may occur in the joints alone or in...
Shear Design of Masonry Walls
The paper presents a summary of a research project carried out at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich to develop a design method based on the ultimate strength of masonry...
Notes on Statistics of Failures of Constructed Works
This paper is concerned with both catastrophic and sub-catastrophic failures, which may be categorized into three types: Safety (type S), Functional (type F), and Ancillary (type A). Often...
Failure Statistics Categorized by Cause and Generic Class
Failures can be classified into the three categories, ie. , SAFETY, FUNCTIONAL, and ANCILLARY. Within the causation definition, failures fall into five general areas: DESIGN DEFICIENCIES;...
Failure Investigation Process
The purpose of this paper is to consider the present failure investigation process, in order to assess whether failures are being properly investigated, and also whether sufficient information...
Alternative Procedures for Investigating Failures
Failures of engineered structures continue to occur. This is despite rapid advances in engineering theory, new, more sophisticated methods of analysis, and streamlined techniques for preparing...
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