About Some Properties of Structural Steel Used in the Construction of a Railway Bridge Over the Amur River in the Early XX Century

Abstract

The main stages of construction in 1913–1916 of the railroad bridge across the Amur River near Khabarovsk are presented. The peculiarities of the construction of the structure in the difficult foreign policy conditions of the beginning of the last century, which caused a reduction in the pace of construction, are noted. The most honored organizers, designers and builders of the Amur Bridge are mentioned. Construction materials and places of their extraction, as well as suppliers of structural steel used in the construction of a unique transportation structure are specified. The methods of construction and assembly of the main load-bearing elements of the bridge structure are considered. Special attention is paid to the study of chemical composition, micro- and macrostructure, hardness of structural steels used in the manufacture of bridge spans. Conclusions about the conformity of the chemical composition of the investigated materials to the alloys specified in the current normative documentation, as well as the method of their smelting are formed. Modern metal materials used in the reconstruction of the bridge crossing at the beginning of the XXI century are given for comparison. The functionality of the bridge after reconstruction is reflected and the potential of its further development is given. A promising method of increasing the complex of characteristics of metal products by processing billets in solid-liquid state, which allows to reduce the metal consumption of structures, is considered.