Parul Institute of Engineering & Technology

DESIGN OF MACHINE ELEMENTS

(2151907)
TOPIC :
Failure Of I-35W Mississippi River bridge

About

Opened in 1967
Most recent river
crossing on a new site in
Minneapolis.
Official name: I-35W
Minnesotas 5th busiest:
140,000 vehicles daily.

Aerial View Of Bridge

Design

Eight lane; 1,907 feet

Steel truss arch bridge.
3 parts: deck
superstructure and
substructure
Unique features

Anti-ice system

Situation before collapse:

Inspections:

Bridge inspections must occur at least every two years by

federal law.
I- 35W bridge rated structurally deficient since 1990.
Annual inspections since 1993.
2005 Bridge sufficiency rating: 50%

Only 4% similar bridges scored below 50%

Structurally deficient due to corrosion in bearings.

Found signs of cracking and fatigue.
Only patch-up repairs conducted.
Scheduled for reconstruction in 2020-2025.

Collapse

August 1, 2007 at 6:05

pm
Central span collapsed,
then the adjoining
South part toppled
eastward 81 ft
Collapse of the I-35W Bridge, looking
southward

Situation after collapse:

Recovery

13 people died in this accident and 135 were injured.

93 people rescued from the collapsed bridge within three

hours.
US Army Corps of Engineers lowered rivel level 2 feet
downriver at Fort Dam to allow easier access to vehicles

Rescue workers on the central span.

Live Video Footage of Accident

Tools and Techniques Used to Analyze

Helicopters use lasers to produce a detailed map of

the debris.
Then the images are uploaded to a computer where
software can recreate the bridge.
The software recreates different scenarios that could
have made the bridge collapse, then determines where
it failed.
Results are then analyzed in case the computer
assumptions are incorrect.

Possible Reasons:

Overloading of vehicles.

Failure due to corrosion.

Fatigue failure of gusset plates.

Investigation:

Following the collapse, the National Transportation

Safety Board immediately began a comprehensive
investigation.
Approximately fifteen months after the collapse, the
NTSB determined that the probable cause of the I-35W
Bridge collapse was a lateral shifting of the upper end of
the L9/U10W diagonal member which caused the gusset
plates at the U10 nodes, which had inadequate load
capacity for the original as-designed condition.
The U10 gusset plate failed under the increase in the
weight of the bridge and traffic on that day.

Investigation:

In addition, through examination of the collapsed

structure, finite element analysis, and the video
recording of the collapse, it was determined by NTSB
that corrosion damage found on the gusset plates at
the L11 nodes and elsewhere, the fracture of a floor
truss, pre-existing cracking in the bridge deck truss or
approach spans, temperature effects, or shifting of the
piers were not the cause and did not contribute to the
collapse.

Actual scene of accident

What is Gusset Plate ?

Gusset plates are thick sheets of steel that are used to

connect beams and girders to columns or to connect
truss members.
A gusset plate can be fastened to a permanent
member either by bolts, rivets or welding or a
combination of the three.

Depending on the size and function of the truss,

the gusset plate may consist of a thin sheet of
aluminium or a very heavy steel sheet.

Gussets

Bowed gusset plate in the

bridge.

Failed Gusset plate of

the bridge.

Reasons of failure: