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Author
Bennett, John A. | Mindlin, Harold
Title
Metallurgical Aspects of the Failure of the Point Pleasant Bridge. Final Report.
Coporate
National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.
Journal
Journal of Testing and Evaluation (JTEVA), Vol. 1, No. 2, 152-161, March 1973
Keywords
highway bridges, failure; structural members, stress corrosion; fractures (materials); steels
Identifiers
point pleasant bridge
Abstract
Examination of the fractured eyebar which caused the collapse of the bridge led to the conclusion that a stress-corrosion crack had penetrated to a depth of 1/8 inch during the 40 years that the bridge was in service. This flaw was sufficient to initiate fracture across the remainder of the 16 in.2 area of the lower limb of the eye due to the high local stress and the low fracture toughness of the steel. (Author)