NTL Record

Title Properties of Anchor Rods Removed from San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
Record ID 61489
Personal Name
Creator
Ocel, Justin M.; Provines, Jason
Corporate Creator United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Publisher United States. Federal Highway Administration
Publication Date 20150801
Language English
Abstract In March 2013, the construction contractor for the new self-anchored suspension bridge between San Francisco and Oakland, California, tensioned the threaded rods between the bearings/shear keys and the concrete pier cap. Within days of completion, it was discovered that one-third of the rods for the two shear keys on Pier E2 had fractured. An investigation began to determine the root cause for the fractures. The work reported herein was in support of that investigation at the request of the Federal Highway Administration California Division office. It includes data on the mechanical, chemical, and microstructural properties of two samples removed from Pier E2. The testing showed a variation in material properties between the surface and core of the rods. It was concluded that improper heat treatment of the rods caused this variation. In addition, the tensile and hardness properties could have been judged to be in nonconformance depending on interpretation of the ASTM standards. It is recommended that the ASTM A354 and/or F606 standards be revised to provide more guidance on sampling for tensile and hardness properties for large-diameter products as well as guidance on impact toughness.
Rosap ID dot:35927
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/35927
TRT Terms Anchor bolts; Bridge piers; Chemical properties; Failure; Hardness tests; Mechanical properties; Suspension bridges; Tension tests
General Subjects San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge; Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; I53: Construction of Bridges and Retaining Walls; Anchor rod; Chemical analysis; Hardness testing; ASTM A354; Tensile testing; Impact testing; Fracture toughness
Geographical
Coverage
United States; San Francisco Bay Area; Oakland (California); San Francisco (California)
TRIS Online
Accession No
01576220
Contract Number DTFH61-10-D-00017
Report Number FHWA-HRT-15-057
Availability Federal Highway Administration
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/61000/61400/61489/15057_2.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository