Heat Straightening and Repair of Collision Damaged FCM Girder Bridge [B14]

A curved two-girder fracture critical bridge near Pittsburgh sustained significant damage when it was struck by an over-height truck. A 3D finite element model was utilized to evaluate dead and live load stresses in the damaged girder. Heat straightening was used to restore the damaged girder bottom flange and web nearly to their original alignment. Web cracks that developed during the impact and during heat straightening were retrofit to prevent future fatigue and fracture problems.

View content