There use of
soil-
steel shell structures
in bridge
construction is growing. This is due to their numerous advantages
such as: simple and uncomplicated assembly, quick construction, high bearing
capacity and
durability. Together with the commencement of use of the said
structures in Polish bridge practice, the Road and Bridge Research Institute in
Żmigród started
tests of such structures in natural scale on a Bridge Test
Stand. Internal forces in the steel walls of the structures and stress in soil
were analyzed. Fatigue tests were performed. The tests showed high stiffness
and durability of the structures also due to considerable soil- structure
interaction in terms of load carrying. As the said structures are very flexible
at the stage of their construction, they tend to be very ‘sensitive’ to any
deviations from the technological regime during completion. Therefore, even if
not very frequently, they happened to fail, mainly at the construction stage.
This paper presents examples of failure together with a description and
analysis of causes.
More abstracts about the SHELL – SOIL BRIDGE STRUCTURES. LABORATORY DESTRUCTIVE TESTS. FAILURE DURING CONSTRUCTION AND OPERAT