Field Evaluation of Steel Girder Bridge

The objective of the study was to verify the load-carrying capacity of an existing steel girder bridge. The selected structure was a 70-year-old deteriorated bridge in Michigan. The load-carrying capacity of the bridge was in question because of extensive corrosion of the steel girders. An initial rating indicated that the bridge had a marginal operating rating factor for 11-axle two-unit trucks, which are the heaviest vehicles allowed in Michigan. To avoid the load limit posting, it was decided that investigators would verify by nondestructive testing whether the bridge is safe to carry normal truck traffic. The test procedures used on the selected bridge included tests for obtaining stress histogram measurements and weigh-in-motion measurements and a proof load test. The methodology and the results are described.