NTL Record

Title Guidelines for Ultrasonic Inspection of Hanger Pins
Record ID 66286
Personal Name
Creator
Moore, Mark; Phares, Brent M.; Washer, Glenn A.
Corporate Creator Wiss, Janney, Elstner, and Associates
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure Research and Development; Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Publication Date 20040701
Language English
Abstract A failed hanger pin initiated the tragic collapse of one span of the Mianus River Bridge in Greenwich, CT on June 28, 1983, resulting in the deaths of three motorists. Following the collapse, there was an immediate increase of interest in the inspection and condition evaluation of bridge hanger pins. Ultrasonic inspection has become the primary method of performing detailed inspection of in-service hanger pins. The document describes the fundamentals of ultrasonic testing and general inspection requirements that can be used by State transportation agencies or by others performing ultrasonic hanger pin inspection. In addition, five hanger pins, with known defects, were inspected to emphasize and more completely explain some important aspects of ultrasonic hanger pin inspection. Items included in the fundamental review are the pulse-echo technique, pitch-catch technique, decibel scale, piezoelectric effect, beam diffraction, beam absorption, beam spread (beam divergence), beam centerline location, and distance amplitude correction. Items included in the general inspection requirement section are cleaning and coupling requirements, interpretation of signals, defect sizing techniques, effect of wear grooves, phenomena of acoustic coupling, inspection documentation, data collection, and inspector qualifications and certifications. Results from the experimental program include beam diffraction graphs, distance amplitude correction curves, sensitivity analysis of straight and angled beams, defect sizing analysis, and verification of the acoustic coupling phenomena.
Rosap ID dot:40559
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/40559
TRT Terms Pins; Inspection; Ultrasonic tests
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
977125
Contract Number DTFH61-98-C-00050
Report Number FHWA-HRT-04-042
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/66000/66200/66286/FHWA-HRT-04-042.pdf
Alternative URL https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/04042/index.cfm; https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/04042/04042.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository