Abstract
The I-35 Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota catastrophically failed during the evening rush hour on August 1, 2007, collapsing into the river. In the years prior to the collapse, several reports cited problems with the bridge structure. This research analytically investigated the cause of the collapse using the Applied Element Method. The bridge was modeled using construction drawings, with relevant structural details and loadings. Structural details included the steel truss, gusset plates, concrete slabs, concrete piers, while structural loading included traffic and construction. AEM provided the cause of collapse of the I35-W Bridge. The cause of collapse was found to be the failure of the gusset plates at connections L11 and U10, which well agreed with the field investigations of the collapsed bridge. The under-designed thickness of the plates, their corrosion, and over loading due to traffic and construction loads at time of collapse were the reasons for the bridge collapse.
Published Version
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