Page 367 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook
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10.54 CAUSES OF FAILURES
(d)
(e)
FIGURE 10.12 Bridge demolition. (Continued) (d) Close-up of collapsed
girder. (e) Collapsed girder in storage.
possible contributing factors may have been lateral pressure from wind, or attachment
of the lifting shackle in a manner that created tilting of the girder when lifted.
Engineering intuition and judgment, results of the structural analysis, and observations
in the OSHA and State DOT reports all are consistent with the mode of failure of the girder,
and point to the validity of the above listed causes. The failure could possibly have been
prevented by (a) installing lateral bracing along the top flange of the girder, or by (b) lifting
the girder at two points closer together (see Fig. 10.12).
