Aspects of structural degradation in steels of old bridges by means of fatigue crack propagation

by Grzegorz Lesiuk, Mieczysław Szata
Abstract:
We present conclusions drawn from the studies related to old steel structures, especially those erected on the turn of the 19th century. The objects of interest of the authors are the Wroclaw Pomorskie Bridges: the Central Pomorski Bridge and the North Pomorski Bridge (1885 and 1930, respectively), as well as the Sand Bridge (1861). The material used for their construction was puddled steel or cast steel. In the course of long-term operation, these steels (especially puddled steel) show susceptibility to degradation processes. We present the results of metallographic tests (light microscopy and SEM) and mechanical-properties tests (hardness measurements and static tensile tests) describing the state of structural degradation. In addition, the results of initial study for the puddled steel coming from the Sand Bridge and concerning the development of a fatigue crack are presented. Basic quantities describing the kinetics of fatigue crack growth are determined.
Reference:
Aspects of structural degradation in steels of old bridges by means of fatigue crack propagation (Grzegorz Lesiuk, Mieczysław Szata), In Materials Science (New York), volume 47, 2011.
Bibtex Entry:
@Article{	  Lesiuk2011,
  author	= {Lesiuk, Grzegorz and Szata, Mieczysław},
  title		= {Aspects of structural degradation in steels of old bridges by means of fatigue crack propagation},
  journal	= {Materials Science (New York)},
  year		= {2011},
  volume	= {47},
  number	= {1},
  pages		= {82-88},
  abstract	= {We present conclusions drawn from the studies related to old steel structures, especially those erected on the turn of the 19th century. The objects of interest
		  of the authors are the Wroclaw Pomorskie Bridges: the Central Pomorski Bridge and the North Pomorski Bridge (1885 and 1930, respectively), as well as the Sand
		  Bridge (1861). The material used for their construction was puddled steel or cast steel. In the course of long-term operation, these steels (especially puddled
		  steel) show susceptibility to degradation processes. We present the results of metallographic tests (light microscopy and SEM) and mechanical-properties tests
		  (hardness measurements and static tensile tests) describing the state of structural degradation. In addition, the results of initial study for the puddled steel
		  coming from the Sand Bridge and concerning the development of a fatigue crack are presented. Basic quantities describing the kinetics of fatigue crack growth are
		  determined.},
  doi		= {10.1007/s11003-011-9371-z},
  gsid		= {13226511218104806885},
  important	= {98b5b3ee},
  keywords	= {prędkość pękania zmęczeniowego, stal zgrzewna, mikrostrukturalna degradacja}
}