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    Forensic Structural Engineering - Zeulenroda Bridge

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    santodejar469
    The Zeulenroda bridge in Germany collapsed during construction in 1973, killing 4 people and injuring 5. The principal cause was buckling of the bottom flange due to loads during the cantilever erection process. The bridge used a single-cell six-span continuous welded steel box-girder design with flat-shaped stiffeners on the bottom flange that lacked sufficient lateral inertia to resist compression loads from erection. The collapse demonstrated that flat stiffeners were an incorrect design choice that led to buckling of the bottom flange during cantilever construction.

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    Forensic Structural Engineering - Zeulenroda Bridge

    Uploaded by

    santodejar469
    145 views8 pages
    The Zeulenroda bridge in Germany collapsed during construction in 1973, killing 4 people and injuring 5. The principal cause was buckling of the bottom flange due to loads during the cantilever erection process. The bridge used a single-cell six-span continuous welded steel box-girder design with flat-shaped stiffeners on the bottom flange that lacked sufficient lateral inertia to resist compression loads from erection. The collapse demonstrated that flat stiffeners were an incorrect design choice that led to buckling of the bottom flange during cantilever construction.

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    FORENSIC STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING - ZEULENRODA BRIDGE

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    The Zeulenroda bridge in Germany collapsed during construction in 1973, killing 4 people and injuring 5. The principal cause was buckling of the bottom flange due to loads during the cantilever erection process. The bridge used a single-cell six-span continuous welded steel box-girder design with flat-shaped stiffeners on the bottom flange that lacked sufficient lateral inertia to resist compression loads from erection. The collapse demonstrated that flat stiffeners were an incorrect design choice that led to buckling of the bottom flange during cantilever construction.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    145 views8 pages

    Forensic Structural Engineering - Zeulenroda Bridge

    Uploaded by

    santodejar469
    The Zeulenroda bridge in Germany collapsed during construction in 1973, killing 4 people and injuring 5. The principal cause was buckling of the bottom flange due to loads during the cantilever erection process. The bridge used a single-cell six-span continuous welded steel box-girder design with flat-shaped stiffeners on the bottom flange that lacked sufficient lateral inertia to resist compression loads from erection. The collapse demonstrated that flat stiffeners were an incorrect design choice that led to buckling of the bottom flange during cantilever construction.

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    FORENSIC STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

    CASE STUDIES
    CASE N° 38
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE

    MARTIN POLIMENI
    STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
    EEPP SA
    eeppsaingenieria@gmail.com
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE COLLAPSE
    On August 13, 1973, the Zeulenroda bridge in Germany collapsed during
    the erection process.
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE COLLAPSE
    Principal causes:
    • Buckling or the bottom flange
    due to cantilever erection
    process loads.
    Consequences:
    o 4 people dead and 5 injured.
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE COLLAPSE

    Principal structural system:


    6 spans. Main length: 63 m
    Single-cell six-span
    continuous welded steel box-
    girder bridge. B = 11.1 m x H
    = 2.1 m
    Upper flange: U shape
    stiffeners.
    Bottom flange and webs: flat
    shape stiffeners.
    Cantilever erection process.
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE COLLAPSE
    Stiffeners. Upper flange:
    U shape stiffener with
    enough lateral inertia to
    resist the service loads.

    Bottom flange: Flat


    stiffeners. These stiffeners
    were not able to resist the
    compression loads due to
    the erection process.
    Incorrect structural design.
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE COLLAPSE

    Cantilever erection process with temporary supports. The structure


    collapsed during the erection process, before reaching the temporary
    support due to the buckling of the bottom flange.
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE COLLAPSE

    Flat stiffeners didn’t have enough lateral inertia. L or T shapes would have been
    more desirable stiffeners types.
    ZEULENRODA BRIDGE COLLAPSE
    Lessons learned:
     Not formal forensic investigation was performed and the collapse was
    hidden for several years.
     Nevertheless, the main cause of the collapse was later determined.
    Once again, like many other collapses that happened in the earlies
    70’s, the bottom flange of the steel box girder locally buckled due to
    the cantilevering erection process loads.
     It is probable that an incorrect peer review was carried out.
     Flat stiffeners didn’t have enough inertia to resist the compression
    loads and then, all the bottom flange buckled producing a fatal hinge.
     This collapse was similar to others bridge collapses due to buckling
    at incorrect constructive detail (insufficient lateral inertia of the
    bottom stiffeners) during a cantilever erection method.
     Like other collapses, the Zeulenroda bridge collapse happened at the
    beginning of the 70’s, but was hidden for several years. As a result,
    the lessons that the collapse left could not be used to improve the
    engineering practice.

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