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Bridge Sheath Fracture Analysis
Problem Statement and Objectives
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) purchased a large quantity of stainless steel tubes for bridge cable sheaths to use on the I-280 Maumee River Crossing. In assembling the longer sheath sections, builders detected fractures near the longitudinal seam welds in the tubes. As a result, the ODOT required fracture analyses to determine the source of the fractures and whether the cracks would grow through the sheaths, resulting in a possible water leak onto the bridge cables.
Results and Benefits
ARA and Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc (SME) evaluated the fracture problem and provided support in the fracture analysis effort. The project tasks included metallography and fractography in order to evaluate the weld geometry and flaws, evaluation of the residual stresses in the sheaths, and fracture analyses of the flaws interacting with the residual stresses and service loads.
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