Field-testing and numerical simulation of vantage steel bridge

Abstract

Several steel bridges in Egypt were built during the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. At this time, riveted construction was the method used for building up members and for the connection of one member to another. In this paper, field measurements were performed to find the actual dimension of an existing old riveted steel bridge (El-Ministerly Bridge, Egypt). The inspection of the steel bridge did not find any clear cracks. Finite element models were created to predict the response of the steel bridge. The finite element model was used to identify the location of the stress concentration. A static field test was performed using a 49-ton truck to evaluate actual strain measurements in different locations over the bridge. The strain measurement was used to validate the finite element model while was able to predict the experimental data closely. As an application of the use of the finite element model, evaluate the bridge was executed using AASHTO standards, Egyptian code (ECP) and S–N curves from the literature. It was observed that all stress ranges for this bridge were less than the ECP limits (Fsr) and the estimated remaining fatigue life is about 11 years if it is environmentally protected.